The UI Designer’s Jig — A DesignOps Dream

Today, I built my first Figma plugin — without writing a single line of code. I designed the UI directly in Figma, asked GPT-Codex to generate the code based on a set of rules, and less than an hour, I had a working tool that solved a problem no existing plugin addressed.

I often work with ratios rather than fixed pixel values, and calculating them was a small but persistent friction in my workflow. Now, with a single click, I can set or check ratios instantly. I’ll use this tool on most future projects.

It reminded me of woodworking. Woodworkers make jigs — simple, custom-built tools that help them work more consistently, efficiently, and precisely. They’re not always beautiful, but they’re built for purpose and scratch an itch.

That’s what AI now unlocks for designers: the power to build our own jigs.

Not polished products. Not client-facing deliverables. But custom, purpose-built tools — plugins, scripts, or automations — that smooth the edges of our craft. They make us faster, sharper, and more consistent.

Just as woodworkers have long built jigs to work smarter, product designers now have the same power. The design teams that thrive tomorrow won’t just rely on the tools they’re given — they’ll build the ones they need.