Live from Config 2024! Product-building, leadership & execution lessons behind the launch of Figma’s Dev Mode w/ Marcel Weekes #189

The Engineering Leadership Podcast

In our latest episode, we’re coming to you live from Config 2024, Figma’s annual design conference for people who build products! This is our first time ever doing a live interview from another conference, so we are excited to share it with you. We’re joined by Marcel Weekes, VP of Engineering @ Figma. In our conversation, we dive into topics including highlights from Config 2024 & reactions to Figma’s latest feature demos (like Dev Mode), how Figma’s eng teams are involved in product design iterations, why product support teams help preserve Figma’s community, strategies for incorporating feedback into design / product roadmaps, best practices for prioritization conversations, and more. Marcel also shares a preview of what to expect from his session on collaboration @ ELC Annual 2024!

ABOUT MARCEL WEEKES

Marcel Weekes is VP of Product Engineering at Figma, where he oversees product and growth engineering efforts across Figma's entire platform. Marcel brings decades of experience and previously served as the VP of Engineering at Slack where he led the teams building Messaging features and Slack Connect.

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SHOW NOTES:

• Config 2024 as the “Coachella for designers and creatives” (3:47)
• Marcel’s favorite conference moments that represent the Config community (5:04)
• Reactions to the latest Figma feature demos (7:18)
• Defining Dev Mode & why it’s a highlight for Figma @ Config (13:00)
• Figma’s approach to building Dev Mode as an eng org (16:05)
• How eng teams are becoming involved in product design iterations (18:58)
• What eng leaders can learn from Figma’s “heavy lifting approach” (20:22)
• Characteristics of product support teams that impact the Figma community (24:20)
• Processes for closing the loop between product support & engineering (26:02)
• Figma’s feedback process & how it gets incorporated into releases now (28:23)
• Prioritization conversations & how teams operate together (31:47)
• Understanding the timing of feedback on the product roadmap (34:38)
• Previewing Marcel’s ELC Annual 2024 session on collaboration (37:08)

LINKS AND RESOURCES

• Config 2024 in review - A recap from Dylan Field, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer of Figma, that highlights all of the major news and releases from Config 2024.

This episode wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our incredible production team:

Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-Host

Jerry Li - Co-Host

Noah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/

Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan’s also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/

Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/