Phase, a groundbreaking no-code platform, is transforming the UX design landscape by enabling designers to create fully interactive prototypes without the need for manual coding. Founded by Nick Budden, a seasoned entrepreneur and former UI/UX designer, Phase is setting its sights on expanding into the U.S. and European markets. The platform’s innovative approach allows designers to produce interactive website or app simulations efficiently, bypassing the limitations of traditional tools like Adobe After Effects or Figma.
The platform's capability to export UI code ready for production significantly accelerates the design process. This feature positions Phase as a leader in the market by offering a product that can emulate 100% of the functionalities of a real website or app. As part of its mission to streamline the design workflow, Phase is developing a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) interface, reducing the manual effort typically required in UI/UX design.
“Implementing UI is an expensive, time-consuming manual process involving designers, product managers and engineers,” – Nick Budden
Phase has successfully raised $13 million in funding from various investors to support its expansion and product development goals. The company initially launched its platform in South Korea in May, where it quickly attracted over 10,000 designers who tested the tool within weeks of its introduction. This rapid adoption was facilitated by a reliable local partner who supported the launch.
“Comprehensive user testing is also delayed until after that process is complete.” – Nick Budden
The platform distinguishes itself from competitors like Figma through the completeness of its prototypes. While Figma allows designers to create prototypes that replicate only a fraction of a real website's functionality, Phase enables designers to develop prototypes that are fully functional. This comprehensive approach minimizes the need for extensive communication between designers, product managers, and engineers during the development process.
“The key differentiator to Figma is the completeness of the prototype. So in Figma, you can build a prototype that does, maybe 20% or 30% of what the real website does, and then the other 70% or 80% that the prototype doesn’t do, you then have to communicate with the engineers, product managers, and people have to figure that out,” – Nick Budden
Phase plans to introduce three additional UI design and code tools over the next year to further enhance its offering. The platform's user-friendly design makes it more accessible for UI/UX designers compared to other tools in the market. This ease of use has been a major factor in its growing popularity among designers who require efficient tools for prototyping and user interface development.
“Our product is being built to do 100% of what a real website or app does.” – Nick Budden
Budden highlights that design tools tend to have a "hyper-local" influence, where designers are predominantly influenced by peers in their geographic area. As Phase expands into new markets, it aims to leverage this localized influence to gain traction among designers in the U.S. and Europe.
“We don’t see UI animation as a standalone market for long — it’s a go-to-market opportunity today, but that window will close once tools like Figma integrate animation as a built-in feature,” – Nick Budden
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