Figma Plugin:
Audio Player
UX Design
UI Design
Motion Graphics
Front-end Development
A small passion project at Punchcut turned into a public Figma plugin that now has over 30,000 users!
I created a simple plugin that brings audio directly into Figma.
Features
Attach sounds
While I won’t disclose exactly how it works, the main feature allows you attach an online sound file directly to a Figma frame or group. Every time you select the layer, the plugin plays its attached sound.
Start with examples
Users can input a link where their sound is uploaded online. However, our hypothesis was that many Figma users are often not full-fledged sound designers, and will want some kind of head start. We offer examples from the Meta sound library to encourage Figma users to start considering audio within their experience designs.
Notoriety
Analytics
Having over 30,000 users gives us a sizeable group to conduct behavior research. We’re keeping an eye on how people are using the plugin through Mixpanel which will inform how the plugin will evolve.
Public Tutorials
There is a want for audio within Figma. People have made tutorials around how to add audio and featured our plugin!
future dreams
The Next Version
The current plugin is meant to be a quick start. Since its creation, Figma has released the feature to upload videos, which (with a workaround) allows audio uploads as well. That’s pushed us to think of how to bring this plugin to the next level. We could potentially lean into multiple existing audio libraries or incorporate some kind of sound design annotations.
Extended Plugin Suite
I’ve started working on a vibration haptics plugin that pairs with a companion phone app to actually experience haptic design. The vision is to one day create a suite plugins that will allow seamless multisensory design within Figma.
Sound on for this demo!
Prototype Mode
Although this plugin brings audio into Figma, it hasn’t yet fulfilled its full potential. It’s currently not possible to open plugins in prototype mode, but we created a request to hopefully one day make it happen. Help our request gain attention by giving it an upvote!
upvote post
conclusion
This whole experience has taught me that the smallest bit of interest can turn into something huge. I’m glad to know that there are many people interested in multisensory design and hope to continue moving the area forward!