Why this matters
Most team brainstorms happen in a chat thread. Ideas scroll away, people repost, and only some of them reach the notes.
FigJam puts every idea on one shared board as a sticky note with a name on it. Figma's help center says it is on the free Starter plan.
Practice
Do every step yourself in a practice copy of the real tool. It checks your work, and “Do it for me” finishes any step you get stuck on.
What you’ll build
You help Priya Shah, who leads the client onboarding team at Northgate HR Partners, a made-up HR consulting firm whose brainstorms get lost in a chat thread.
You create a FigJam board, add and name four sections, add color-coded sticky notes, put the question in a shape, connect problems to fixes, run a 10-minute timer, mark favorites with stamps, and share the board so the team can edit it. The FigJam screens are screenshots from Figma's own help center, credited and linked under each one.
What you need
- Nothing to start the practiceThe lesson uses Figma's own help-center screenshots. Northgate HR Partners and every number are made up.
- A free Figma account, to do it for realFigma's help center says the Starter plan includes FigJam, with 3 FigJam files in one folder. Check figma.com/pricing for paid plans.
- One clear questionFor example: How do we get a new client fully onboarded in 2 weeks instead of 3?
- A color keyFor example: yellow for an idea, green for a quick win, pink for something that needs another team.
Concepts
Sections and stickies
Sections split the board into parts, such as What slows us down, Ideas, Top picks and Parking lot. Objects inside a section move with it.
Each sticky holds one idea and shows the name of the person who added it, so nothing is anonymous and nothing gets lost.
Write first, then stamp
A silent 10-minute timer gives everyone the same space to write. Figma's help center says the timer is on any plan.
Stamps such as +1 mark favorites on the free plan. Voting sessions, with hidden votes and a tally, are for paid plans only.
Drafts are view-only on the free plan
On the Starter plan, a board in Drafts can only be shared to view. Move it into your folder, then share it with can edit.
An edit link lets anyone who has it change the board, so keep it inside the team. For a client, share View.
Do it for real
Now repeat it in your own account. Tick each step as you go.
Quick check
3 questions to check you’ve got it.
1. Your teammates can open the board but cannot add stickies. What is the most likely cause on the free plan?
- The timer is running
- The board is still in Drafts, which is view-only when shared
- Stickies need a paid plan
Show the answer
The board is still in Drafts, which is view-only when shared. Figma's help center says a Starter-plan file in Drafts can only be viewed by people with the link. Move it into a folder to grant edit access.
2. You are on the free Starter plan. How do you let the team pick favorites?
- Start a voting session
- Place stamps such as +1 on the stickies
- Export the board to a spreadsheet
Show the answer
Place stamps such as +1 on the stickies. Voting sessions are for paid plans. Stamps work on any plan, and you can hover a stamp to see who added it.
3. Why run a silent timed round before anyone talks?
- It saves storage
- Everyone gets the same space to write, and the meeting stays on time
- FigJam requires it
Show the answer
Everyone gets the same space to write, and the meeting stays on time. Writing first means quiet people are heard as much as loud ones, and the timer keeps the session short.
HubSpot: Capture a Web Lead and Follow Up the Same Day
You moved a brainstorm onto one shared board. Review the apps you have met in this course and pick one to try on your own work.
Start module 47 →