/ Overview
An interface designers actually enjoy
Gridworks builds a layout plugin for Figma, and its interface had grown feature by feature into a maze. I redesigned the full experience — onboarding, panel UI, settings and empty states — and wrapped it in a calm deep-blue brand.
Support tickets about confusing settings dropped sharply after launch, and reviewers now praise the clarity of the new interface.
/ Challenge
Powerful features nobody could find
The plugin could do remarkable things, but new users bounced before discovering them. The interface spoke in engineering terms instead of designer language.
/ Approach
Progressive disclosure, friendly words
I restructured the panel around jobs instead of features, rewrote every label in plain language, and added a three-step onboarding that teaches by doing.
/ Deliverables
What the client received
01
Full panel UI redesign and prototype
02
Onboarding flow and empty states
03
Plugin icon, brand mark and store assets
04
Component library for future releases
“Our users finally see what the plugin can do. Elena thinks like a designer and writes like a friend.” — Tomas Grid, CEO
