Phase Raises $13M to Revolutionize UX Design with No-Code Platform

Streamlining UI/UX Design with a No-Code Platform

Throughout product development, UX and UI designers collaborate closely with engineering teams to construct and implement design concepts and wireframes for functional user interfaces. Effective communication, consistent feedback, and thorough testing are essential for a successful partnership, ensuring the final user experience aligns with the initial design objectives.

The Founding of Phase

Nick Budden, an experienced entrepreneur with a background in UI/UX design, envisioned a workflow where designers could dedicate their time exclusively to design tasks, minimizing time spent on handoffs and meetings with engineers. This desire to improve efficiency in the design process led to the establishment of Phase in 2017.

Budden highlighted the challenges of UI implementation, stating in a TechCrunch interview that it’s “an expensive, time-consuming manual process involving designers, product managers, and engineers.” He also noted that comprehensive user testing is often delayed until after this implementation phase is complete.

Securing Funding for Innovation

The startup, based in Taipei and Berlin, is developing a no-code platform designed to empower UI/UX designers to create fully interactive prototypes. Recently, Phase announced a successful funding round, securing $13 million in investment from a consortium including Gobi Partners, Hive Ventures, New Economy Ventures, Palm Drive Capital, Shilling VC, SquareOne, WI Harper, 42CAP, and 500 Global.

Introducing the First Product: A UI Animation Tool

Phase has now launched its inaugural product – a UI animation tool. This tool is positioned to compete with established software like Adobe After Effects and Figma. The company asserts that its software enables UI/UX and product designers to build interactive simulations of websites or applications “without manual coding or [using] error-prone AI plugins.”

Furthermore, the tool can generate production-ready UI code, accelerating the overall design workflow.

Phase vs. Existing Tools

Budden emphasizes the ease of use of Phase’s product compared to alternatives such as Adobe After Effects or Figma. He explains that Figma prototypes typically represent only a portion – perhaps 20% to 30% – of the functionality of a live website.

The remaining 70% to 80% requires communication and collaboration with engineers and product managers. In contrast, Phase aims to enable the creation of prototypes that fully replicate the functionality of a real website or application.

Future Development Roadmap

This launch represents the first in a series of planned releases. Phase intends to introduce three additional UI design and code tools as part of its WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) platform over the next year and a half. These new features will focus on advanced UI prototyping, UI design itself, and UI code export.

Strategic Market Positioning

According to Phase’s CEO, UI animation is viewed as a strategic entry point to the market. While it presents an immediate opportunity, the company anticipates that animation features will become integrated into tools like Figma.

Therefore, Phase’s strategy involves gaining initial traction in animation and then expanding into larger market segments before this shift occurs.

Initial Rollout in South Korea

Phase initiated the availability of its platform within South Korea in May, following the establishment of a dependable partnership within the region to facilitate the launch process.

The adoption of novel tools by designers is frequently driven by observing colleagues’ discussions and practical application, which contributes to the broad acceptance of design software, as Budden clarified.

However, he emphasized that this influence tends to be strongly “localized.” Designers situated in London, for instance, are predominantly impacted by their immediate professional network.

“Acknowledging this geographically-focused pattern, we implemented a phased rollout, concentrating on individual regions to foster robust engagement with each design community and cultivate growth,” Budden stated.

South Korea boasts a design professional population of approximately 100,000 individuals. Within weeks of the platform’s introduction, Phase reported over 10,000 designers had actively tested the product.

This direct engagement strategy proved effective in stimulating community expansion – specifically within South Korea – though replicating this success in other territories presented challenges.

“Larger markets exhibited more fragmented design communities, hindering our ability to achieve significant uptake. After considerable effort to emulate the Korean launch’s results, we altered our approach and initiated a global beta program,” explained Phase’s CEO.

“Subsequent refinements to our market entry strategy yielded substantial and consistent growth. This positive trend, coupled with product enhancements, underpins our decision to exit beta status.”

Phase is now prioritizing expansion into the U.S. and European markets.