Purpose
Purpose
Can a tiny control deck measurably speed up interface design—and become a bridge to agentic work?
Can a tiny control deck measurably speed up interface design—and become a bridge to agentic work?
Purpose
Can a tiny control deck measurably speed up interface design—and become a bridge to agentic work?
A two-week comparison in Figma became a broader lesson about designing better interfaces for human—and agentic—work.
A two-week comparison in Figma became a broader lesson about designing better interfaces for human—and agentic—work.
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My coworker Aisha asked me how I use AI in my design work. My answer starts with something simpler: making everyday actions easier. I mapped Figma commands to the Work Louder Micro’s keys and dials, then used it to make website updates in Framer easier. Now, the Work Louder and OpenAI collaboration extends that idea to directing and reviewing AI-assisted work. This post follows that progression—from design shortcuts to publishing to working with AI.
From design shortcuts to AI-assisted work.
I learned that lesson in 2023–24 while working in Figma. My layout put pencil and component controls at the top; alignment and distribution across the middle; select and comment at the bottom. A black knob handled content scrolling, while the vertical wheel adjusted integer values such as type size. The arrangement mirrored the way I actually designed.
My coworker Aisha asked me how I use AI in my design work. My answer starts with something simpler: making everyday actions easier. I mapped Figma commands to the Work Louder Micro’s keys and dials, then used it to make website updates in Framer easier. Now, the Work Louder and OpenAI collaboration extends that idea to directing and reviewing AI-assisted work. This post follows that progression—from design shortcuts to publishing to working with AI.
From design shortcuts to AI-assisted work.
My coworker Aisha asked how I use AI in my design work. My answer starts with the Work Louder Micro.
Aisha’s question
Using the Micro with Figma in 2023–24 showed me how much time small, repeated actions consume.
Daily practice
I mapped drawing, alignment, selection, comments, scrolling, and number adjustments to one compact Figma control surface.
Figma shortcuts
On matched design days, average completion time fell from 4.00 to 3.65 hours: 21 minutes saved daily.
Measured gains
The same tasks finished sooner, with fewer interruptions and less cursor travel. The completion curve confirmed it.
Less friction
Drag to explore →
Once I saw the time compound, I looked for the next recurring time sink. My personal website was collecting dust because it was hard to update, so I built a Framer layout for the Micro and turned publishing steps into dedicated controls. I even made custom keycaps, including a tiny yellow duck. When the Work Louder and OpenAI collaboration was announced, the idea clicked into its next form: physical controls could initiate, steer, and review agentic design work while keeping a human in the loop.
To test whether the speed was real, I held the interface workload constant across two five-day blocks. The comparison moved average completion time from 4.00 hours without the Micro to 3.65 hours with it. That is 21 minutes saved per day—an 8.75% reduction—with the same amount of design work completed. Extended across the same schedule, that becomes 1.75 hours per week, about 7.6 hours per month, and roughly 91 hours per year—more than eleven eight-hour workdays.
My website updates kept slipping. Mapping a Framer workflow to the Micro made publishing easier to start.
Website updates
Custom keycaps made each action easy to find. A tiny yellow duck gave the workflow some personality.
Personal touches
The Work Louder × OpenAI collaboration opened a new chapter: physical controls for agentic design work.
OpenAI link
The new deck puts voice input, action keys, and rotary controls within reach—a physical interface for directing and reviewing work.
Physical controls
The deck can initiate, review, adjust, and approve agentic steps while keeping a human in the loop.
Agentic work
My website updates kept slipping. Mapping a Framer workflow to the Micro made publishing easier to start.
Website updates
Custom keycaps made each action easy to find. A tiny yellow duck gave the workflow some personality.
Personal touches
The Work Louder × OpenAI collaboration opened a new chapter: physical controls for agentic design work.
OpenAI link
The new deck puts voice input, action keys, and rotary controls within reach—a physical interface for directing and reviewing work.
Physical controls
The deck can initiate, review, adjust, and approve agentic steps while keeping a human in the loop.
Agentic work
Drag to explore →
Work Louder Micro — the programmable control deck used in this workflow.
01
Figma — the interface design environment used for the matched-workload comparison.
02
Hinckley et al. (2014), “Touch-Level Model (TLM): Evolving KLM-GOMS for Touchscreen and Mobile Devices,” CHI 2014.
03
The design-forward AI newsletter.
Keeping humans in the loop.
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Can a tiny control deck measurably speed up interface design—and become a bridge to agentic work?
A two-week comparison in Figma became a broader lesson about designing better interfaces for human—and agentic—work.
A two-week comparison in Figma became a broader lesson about designing better interfaces for human—and agentic—work.
Work Louder Micro — the programmable control deck used in this workflow.
01
Figma — the interface design environment used for the matched-workload comparison.
02
Hinckley et al. (2014), “Touch-Level Model (TLM): Evolving KLM-GOMS for Touchscreen and Mobile Devices,” CHI 2014.
03
I learned that lesson in 2023–24 while working in Figma. My layout put pencil and component controls at the top; alignment and distribution across the middle; select and comment at the bottom. A black knob handled content scrolling, while the vertical wheel adjusted integer values such as type size. The arrangement mirrored the way I actually designed.
The design-forward AI newsletter.
Keeping humans in the loop.
I learned that lesson in 2023–24 while working in Figma. My layout put pencil and component controls at the top; alignment and distribution across the middle; select and comment at the bottom. A black knob handled content scrolling, while the vertical wheel adjusted integer values such as type size. The arrangement mirrored the way I actually designed.
Figma shortcuts
I mapped drawing, alignment, selection, comments, scrolling, and number adjustments to one compact Figma control surface.
Measured gains
On matched design days, average completion time fell from 4.00 to 3.65 hours: 21 minutes saved daily.
Less friction
The same tasks finished sooner, with fewer interruptions and less cursor travel. The completion curve confirmed it.
Daily practice
Using the Micro with Figma in 2023–24 showed me how much time small, repeated actions consume.
To test whether the speed was real, I held the interface workload constant across two five-day blocks. The comparison moved average completion time from 4.00 hours without the Micro to 3.65 hours with it. That is 21 minutes saved per day—an 8.75% reduction—with the same amount of design work completed. Extended across the same schedule, that becomes 1.75 hours per week, about 7.6 hours per month, and roughly 91 hours per year—more than eleven eight-hour workdays.
Once I saw the time compound, I looked for the next recurring time sink. My personal website was collecting dust because it was hard to update, so I built a Framer layout for the Micro and turned publishing steps into dedicated controls. I even made custom keycaps, including a tiny yellow duck. When the Work Louder and OpenAI collaboration was announced, the idea clicked into its next form: physical controls could initiate, steer, and review agentic design work while keeping a human in the loop.
Figma — the interface design environment used for the matched-workload comparison.
02
Hinckley et al. (2014), “Touch-Level Model (TLM): Evolving KLM-GOMS for Touchscreen and Mobile Devices,” CHI 2014.
03
Work Louder Micro — the programmable control deck used in this workflow.
01
Work Louder Micro — the programmable control deck used in this workflow.
01
The design-forward AI newsletter.
Keeping humans in
the loop.
My coworker Aisha asked me how I use AI in my design work. My answer starts with something simpler: making everyday actions easier. I mapped Figma commands to the Work Louder Micro’s keys and dials, then used it to make website updates in Framer easier. Now, the Work Louder and OpenAI collaboration extends that idea to directing and reviewing AI-assisted work. This post follows that progression—from design shortcuts to publishing to working with AI.
From design shortcuts to AI-assisted work.
From design shortcuts to AI-assisted work.
My coworker Aisha asked me how I use AI in my design work. My answer starts with something simpler: making everyday actions easier. I mapped Figma commands to the Work Louder Micro’s keys and dials, then used it to make website updates in Framer easier. Now, the Work Louder and OpenAI collaboration extends that idea to directing and reviewing AI-assisted work. This post follows that progression—from design shortcuts to publishing to working with AI.
Figma shortcuts
I mapped drawing, alignment, selection, comments, scrolling, and number adjustments to one compact Figma control surface.
Measured gains
On matched design days, average completion time fell from 4.00 to 3.65 hours: 21 minutes saved daily.
Less friction
The same tasks finished sooner, with fewer interruptions and less cursor travel. The completion curve confirmed it.
Daily practice
Using the Micro with Figma in 2023–24 showed me how much time small, repeated actions consume.
To test whether the speed was real, I held the interface workload constant across two five-day blocks. The comparison moved average completion time from 4.00 hours without the Micro to 3.65 hours with it. That is 21 minutes saved per day—an 8.75% reduction—with the same amount of design work completed. Extended across the same schedule, that becomes 1.75 hours per week, about 7.6 hours per month, and roughly 91 hours per year—more than eleven eight-hour workdays.
Once I saw the time compound, I looked for the next recurring time sink. My personal website was collecting dust because it was hard to update, so I built a Framer layout for the Micro and turned publishing steps into dedicated controls. I even made custom keycaps, including a tiny yellow duck. When the Work Louder and OpenAI collaboration was announced, the idea clicked into its next form: physical controls could initiate, steer, and review agentic design work while keeping a human in the loop.
Open Menu