Figma Software Engineer Interview Questions + Guide in 2025

Figma is a leading company on a mission to make design accessible to all, enabling entire product teams to brainstorm, design, and build better products collaboratively.

As a Software Engineer at Figma, you will be part of a team responsible for developing and maintaining the core technologies that power Figma's real-time, browser-based design and collaboration tools. Your role will involve extensive collaboration with designers, product managers, and fellow engineers to plan and implement features that enhance user experience. You will work on client-side code primarily using C++ and WebAssembly, focusing on optimizing performance, extending multiplayer protocols, and creating robust APIs for seamless interaction between the front-end and back-end systems.

Key responsibilities include building and optimizing infrastructure, developing testing frameworks, and ensuring that architectural designs align with Figma's goals of reliability, performance, and efficiency. Your coding fluency in languages such as TypeScript, JavaScript, and C++ will be essential, along with an understanding of web technologies and frameworks. The ideal candidate should possess strong problem-solving skills, a growth mindset, and the ability to communicate effectively with cross-functional teams.

This guide is designed to equip you with insights and strategies to prepare for your interview at Figma, helping you understand the expectations for the role and how to demonstrate your fit within the company's innovative culture.

The interview process for a Software Engineer at Figma is structured to assess both technical skills and cultural fit within the company. It typically consists of several stages, each designed to evaluate different aspects of a candidate's qualifications and compatibility with Figma's values.

1. Initial Recruiter Call

The process begins with a 30-minute phone call with a recruiter. This conversation serves as an introduction to Figma, where the recruiter discusses the company culture, the role, and the overall interview process. Candidates are encouraged to share their backgrounds, experiences, and motivations for applying. This is also an opportunity for candidates to ask questions about the company and the team they may be joining.

2. Technical Screen

Following the initial call, candidates typically undergo a technical screening, which may be conducted via a live coding platform such as CoderPad. This interview usually lasts about an hour and focuses on coding skills, problem-solving abilities, and familiarity with data structures and algorithms. Candidates can expect questions that are relevant to Figma's work, often involving practical applications rather than purely theoretical problems. Interviewers may also assess the candidate's thought process and communication skills during this stage.

3. Hiring Manager Interview

After successfully passing the technical screen, candidates will have a conversation with the hiring manager. This interview often delves deeper into the candidate's past experiences, technical expertise, and how they align with Figma's goals. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their previous projects, the challenges they faced, and how they collaborated with cross-functional teams. This is also a chance for candidates to learn more about the team dynamics and expectations.

4. Onsite Interviews

The final stage typically involves a series of onsite interviews, which may be conducted virtually. This phase usually consists of multiple rounds, each lasting around 45 minutes to an hour. Candidates can expect a mix of technical interviews, system design discussions, and behavioral interviews. The technical interviews may include coding challenges that are more complex and relevant to Figma's products, while the system design interviews will assess the candidate's ability to architect scalable and efficient systems. Behavioral interviews will focus on cultural fit, teamwork, and problem-solving approaches.

5. Final Feedback and Offer

After the onsite interviews, candidates will receive feedback from their interviewers. The recruiter will communicate the outcome of the interviews, and if successful, will extend an offer. Candidates may also have the opportunity to discuss compensation and benefits at this stage.

As you prepare for your interview, it's essential to familiarize yourself with the types of questions that may be asked during each stage of the process.

Here are some tips to help you excel in your interview.

Understand the Interview Process

Figma's interview process typically includes a recruiter call, a technical screen, and multiple rounds during the onsite interview. Familiarize yourself with this structure and prepare accordingly. Be ready to discuss your experience and how it aligns with Figma's mission to make design accessible to all. Knowing the stages will help you manage your time and expectations throughout the process.

Prepare for Technical Questions

Expect technical questions that are relevant to Figma's work, particularly around web frontend frameworks, C++, and WebAssembly. Practice coding problems that reflect real-world scenarios you might encounter at Figma, such as implementing features or optimizing performance. Focus on understanding the principles behind the technologies you will be using, as interviewers may ask you to explain your thought process and decisions.

Emphasize Collaboration and Communication

Figma values collaboration across teams, so be prepared to discuss how you have worked with designers, product managers, and other engineers in the past. Highlight your ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly and effectively. Share examples of how you have contributed to team projects and fostered a positive work environment.

Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills

During technical interviews, you may face problems that require creative solutions. Approach these questions methodically, breaking down the problem and discussing your thought process as you work through it. Be open to asking clarifying questions if the problem statement is vague, as this demonstrates your critical thinking and willingness to engage.

Be Ready for Behavioral Questions

Figma's culture emphasizes growth, inclusivity, and collaboration. Prepare for behavioral questions that assess your alignment with these values. Reflect on past experiences where you demonstrated a growth mindset, overcame challenges, or contributed to a team’s success. Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to structure your responses.

Stay Engaged and Ask Questions

Engagement during the interview is crucial. Show your interest by asking thoughtful questions about the team, projects, and company culture. This not only demonstrates your enthusiasm for the role but also helps you gauge if Figma is the right fit for you. Inquire about the challenges the team is currently facing and how you can contribute to overcoming them.

Follow Up Professionally

After the interview, send a thank-you email to express your appreciation for the opportunity to interview. Reiterate your interest in the role and mention any specific points from the conversation that resonated with you. This leaves a positive impression and keeps you on the interviewers' radar.

By following these tips, you can present yourself as a strong candidate who is not only technically proficient but also a great cultural fit for Figma. Good luck!

In this section, we’ll review the various interview questions that might be asked during a Software Engineer interview at Figma. The interview process will likely assess your technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and your fit within the collaborative culture at Figma. Expect a mix of coding challenges, system design questions, and behavioral inquiries that reflect the company's values and mission.

Technical Skills

1. Can you explain the difference between C++ and JavaScript in terms of memory management?

Understanding memory management is crucial for a software engineer, especially when working with languages like C++ that require manual memory management compared to JavaScript's garbage collection.

How to Answer

Discuss the key differences in memory allocation, deallocation, and how each language handles memory management. Highlight the implications of these differences on performance and resource management.

Example

"C++ uses manual memory management, requiring developers to allocate and deallocate memory explicitly, which can lead to memory leaks if not handled properly. In contrast, JavaScript employs garbage collection, automatically reclaiming memory that is no longer in use, which simplifies development but can introduce performance overhead during collection cycles."

2. Describe a time you optimized a piece of code. What was the problem, and how did you solve it?

This question assesses your problem-solving skills and your ability to improve existing code.

How to Answer

Provide a specific example, detailing the initial problem, the steps you took to optimize the code, and the results of your optimization.

Example

"I was working on a rendering function that was causing frame drops in our application. I identified that the function was recalculating values unnecessarily. By caching results and reducing the number of calculations, I improved the performance by 30%, which significantly enhanced the user experience."

System Design

3. How would you design a system to handle real-time collaboration in a web application?

Figma's products rely heavily on real-time collaboration, making this a relevant question.

How to Answer

Discuss the architecture, technologies, and protocols you would use to ensure low latency and high availability. Mention aspects like data consistency, conflict resolution, and user experience.

Example

"I would use WebSockets for real-time communication to ensure low latency. The system would maintain a central server to manage state and handle synchronization between clients. For conflict resolution, I would implement operational transformation to ensure that all users see consistent updates without losing any changes."

4. What strategies would you use to improve the performance of a web application?

Performance is critical for Figma's user experience, so this question is likely to come up.

How to Answer

Discuss various strategies, including code optimization, resource management, and leveraging browser capabilities.

Example

"I would start by profiling the application to identify bottlenecks. Techniques like lazy loading for images, minimizing DOM manipulations, and using efficient data structures can significantly improve performance. Additionally, I would implement caching strategies to reduce server load and improve response times."

Behavioral Questions

5. How do you handle feedback from peers or managers?

Figma values collaboration and growth, so they will want to know how you respond to feedback.

How to Answer

Emphasize your openness to feedback and your commitment to personal and professional growth.

Example

"I view feedback as an opportunity for growth. When I receive feedback, I take time to reflect on it and consider how I can apply it to improve my work. For instance, after receiving feedback on my code reviews, I started to focus more on providing constructive suggestions rather than just pointing out issues, which has helped foster a more collaborative environment."

6. Describe a challenging project you worked on. What was your role, and what did you learn?

This question helps assess your experience and ability to overcome challenges.

How to Answer

Choose a project that highlights your skills and contributions, and discuss the challenges faced and lessons learned.

Example

"I worked on a project to integrate a new feature into our product that required collaboration across multiple teams. My role was to lead the technical implementation. We faced challenges with differing priorities, but I learned the importance of clear communication and setting shared goals, which ultimately led to a successful launch."

Collaboration and Culture Fit

7. How do you prioritize tasks when working on multiple projects?

Figma emphasizes collaboration and efficiency, so they will want to know how you manage your workload.

How to Answer

Discuss your approach to prioritization, including tools or methods you use to stay organized.

Example

"I use a combination of Agile methodologies and project management tools like Trello to prioritize tasks. I assess the impact and urgency of each task and communicate with my team to ensure alignment on priorities. This approach helps me manage my workload effectively while remaining flexible to changes."

8. Why do you want to work at Figma?

This question assesses your motivation and alignment with the company's mission.

How to Answer

Express your enthusiasm for Figma's mission and how your values align with the company's culture.

Example

"I'm excited about Figma's mission to make design accessible to all. I believe in the power of collaboration and creativity, and I admire how Figma empowers teams to work together seamlessly. I want to contribute to a product that has such a positive impact on the design community."