Explorations · 2023–Present

Building with AI

What happens when a designer can build? Using AI to create tools that multiply my team's impact.

Role: Designer + Builder
Team: Solo
Platform: Figma, Web, VS Code

Figma Zoom Plugin

What it does

A Figma plugin that adds animated zoom effects to call out specific UI elements during leadership presentations.

Why I built it

Leadership reviews often involve UI work where the context of a whole screen is important, but the discussion is around one detail. This plugin lets designers create smooth zoom-to-detail animations right in Figma, making presentations clearer and more impactful.

Who uses it

Shipped internally at Microsoft. Used by designers on the Copilot Growth team for stakeholder presentations.

A polished hero composition: Microsoft Word in a browser window over a blue waveform wallpaper, with the Microsoft Copilot suggestion panel popped out and magnified to draw the eye. — Output — Word with the Copilot panel popped out and zoomed, exported straight back into Figma for a stakeholder review.

The Pop Out Figma plugin UI — Selection (Draw / Use Selection / Update from Figma), Effect (Magnify / Pop Out), Dim and Zoom controls, with a live preview of the captured layer. — The plugin — pick a region, dial the zoom, and the magnified pop-out drops back into your Figma frame in one click.

3D Exploded UI

What it does

A web app that lets you create "exploded view" breakdowns of UI in 3D — like a technical drawing, but for interfaces.

Why I built it

Explaining layered UI architectures (modals over panels over dashboards) is hard in 2D. This tool lets you pull apart the layers spatially, making the information architecture visible and tangible.

How it works

Upload a screenshot, define the layers, and the tool renders them in 3D space with rotation and zoom controls.

A 3D exploded view of Microsoft Word with Microsoft Copilot's chat panel lifted forward over a blue waveform desktop background. — Output — Microsoft Word with the Copilot chat panel lifted forward, rendered as a polished hero composition.

The 3D Exploded UI tool — a Layers panel on the left, Rotation X/Y/Z, Shape, Spread, Shadow and Background controls on the right, with the live 3D preview in the center. — The tool — rotation, spread, and shadow controls fine-tune any layered composition. Export PNG when it's right.

Behind the Work

What I wanted to show you: The line between designer and developer is dissolving, and I'm leaning into it. These tools aren't about proving I can code — they're about showing that AI gives designers superpowers. I can identify a team pain point and ship a solution the same week.

What I learned: Building tools for my own team gave me a deeper empathy for our users (who are also building tools for their teams). And the fastest way to get stakeholder buy-in isn't a slide deck — it's a working demo.