Figma's North Star Metric
51+-person team · United States · figma.com
Their North Star Metric
Weekly designers editing with at least 1 collaborator
Reconstructed from public sources. Not officially endorsed by Figma. Request edit
Why this one won
Figma's killer feature is real-time multiplayer. Solo designers undersell what the product is for. The collaboration-qualified active designer metric ensures the team is building for the multiplayer moment, which is where Figma beats every other design tool. It also captures viral growth: each collaborator invited becomes a new designer.
The Ray
Input metrics that multiply to produce the North Star. Tagged by dimension.
New designers activated
Acquisition
Collaborators per file
Multiplayer signal
Files edited per week
Work cadence
Time to first shared file
Viral loop
What they considered and rejected
| Metric | Why it was considered | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| MAU | Doesn't capture multiplayer | Eliminated |
| Weekly collab designers | Captures the magic | Kept |
Lessons learned
If your product has a viral mechanic, bake it into the North Star. A metric that ignores the wedge makes you invest in the wrong product.
Related North Stars
Loom
SaaS · 51+ · United States
North Star
Weekly active creators sharing videos
Loom's viral wedge is sharing. A video that's recorded but never shared is a private use case with zero network effect. The weekly active creator metric captures both sides - someone recorded something AND they passed it on - and is the single best predictor of team expansion.
Miro
SaaS · 51+ · Other
North Star
Weekly collaborating teams (2+ users on a board)
Miro solo is a whiteboard tool; Miro multiplayer is a team brain. The weekly collaborating team metric forces the product to focus on the use case that justifies the price: real-time and async team work. Solo boards are fine but they don't retain.
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North Star
Weekly engaged members (post, comment or message)
LinkedIn's business (recruiting, sales nav, ads) depends on members who actually engage with the network. Passive profile viewers don't generate the data that makes the platform valuable. The weekly engaged member metric filters out ghosts and captures the members whose engagement powers the whole business.
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