Singapore-based frontend development platform Locofy, backed by Accel, aims to simplify and expedite the frontend development process with its new tool called Lightning. The tool, built on Locofy's Large Design Models (LDMs), enables developers to instantly convert Figma and AdobeXD prototypes into functional code with just one click.
Addressing Developer Shortages and Work Overload
Locofy's Lightning comes as a response to the challenges faced by developers who often find themselves burdened with the manual coding of designs created in Figma or AdobeXD. The founders, Honey Mittal and Sohaib Muhammed, recognized the need for such a tool due to a shortage of developers, leading to potential revenue losses for companies and burnout among coders overwhelmed by their workloads.
Automating 80% of Frontend Development
Lightning, functioning as a Figma plugin, claims to automate approximately 80% of frontend development tasks. This automation allows developers at lean startups to focus on core business activities, including running their startups and bringing products to market.
Rollout Plan and Future Expansion
The initial launch of Lightning will be for Figma, targeting websites and web apps. Later this year, the tool is expected to expand to more design tools, including AdobeXD, Penpot, Sketch, Wix, and potentially Canva and Notion.
Locofy invested over $1 million in the development of Lightning, aiming to reach startups and customer-focused enterprises with small teams seeking to accelerate their frontend development processes.
Technological Foundation and AI Integration
Locofy's Lightning is built on Large Design Models (LDMs), utilizing a combination of AI-based techniques such as image-based neural networks, multimodal transformers, graph-based neural networks, sequence-to-sequence models, stack-pointer networks, heuristic models, and Large Language Models (LLMs). The Unified Large Design Model is trained on a dataset comprising millions of designs, incorporating close to half a billion parameters.
User-Friendly One-Click Functionality
Unlike Locofy Classic, which required users to navigate through multiple steps, Lightning condenses the process into one click. The tool automates tagging, layer grouping, responsiveness, components, class names, and more, using a combination of AI-based techniques that are fine-tuned with heuristics.
Future Expansion Plans
Locofy envisions expanding its platform beyond design-to-code, incorporating tools for building design systems, utilizing public UI libraries, and creating backends with integrations like Github Copilot and CI-CD. The roadmap includes the introduction of an AI assistant for designers and hosting and deployment capabilities for full applications.
Founded in 2021, Locofy has raised $7.5 million in funding from investors including Accel and Northstar Ventures. The company plans to monetize in 2024 and is exploring unique pricing models based on factors such as the number of screens or components converted to code and ongoing maintenance with AI.
