Streamlining the Design Process & Improving Efficiency at Scale

Rayo Thumbnails is a Figma plugin that connects directly to Bauer's Listen API, instantly applying live assets and metadata to selected layers. It empowers designers to move faster. From early concepts to production-ready designs—without manual asset handling.

My role

Design and development

Impact

Faster Design Execution

Reduced hours of manual work into seconds. Designers can instantly populate and update thumbnails, logos, and metadata. Freeing up time to focus on higher-value design decisions.

Always Up-to-Date by Default

Eliminated outdated assets in design files. By pulling directly from the API, designs automatically reflect the latest content, therefore removing the need for constant library maintenance.

Scaled Design Across Regions

Unlocked the ability to design for multiple markets with ease. Region-specific APIs enable rapid creation of localised concepts, supporting global product teams without added complexity.

Problem

Bauer Media operates 150+ radio brands across 9 European markets, with content that is constantly evolving across regions and languages. As a UK-based design team of seven, maintaining a scalable and up-to-date asset library was not sustainable. Manual asset sourcing significantly slowed down the creation of prototypes and production-ready designs, creating inefficiencies across the design workflow.

Solution

I designed and developed a Figma plugin that integrates directly with Bauer's Listen API, enabling designers to access live content within their workflow. The plugin allows users to search and filter by content type, region, and brand, and instantly apply up-to-date assets and metadata to selected layers. This ensures consistency, reduces manual effort, and streamlines the transition from concept to developer handoff.

Continuous Iteration

I actively identify pain points in the team's workflow by observing how my team work in Figma in general, and how they use the plugin to gather regular feedback. This iterative approach allows me to continuously refine and expand its capabilities.

The plugin evolved from a simple tool for pulling radio show thumbnails into a more comprehensive system. Features were progressively introduced, including podcast support, multi-region coverage, genre-based filtering, and individual episode-level assets. Most recently, I added an in-app guidance panel to streamline layer naming and improve usability.

User Guidance & Error Handling

A key focus was ensuring the plugin remains intuitive and supportive, even when errors occur. Many issues stemmed from incorrect layer naming, preventing assets from being applied correctly.

To address this, I designed a guidance overlay and clear, actionable error messages that help users quickly identify and resolve issues. This not only reduces friction but also builds confidence in using the tool as part of the design workflow.

Result

Rayo Thumbnails has become an integral part of our design workflow, enabling the team to work faster, stay aligned with live content, and scale design output across multiple regions with confidence. By removing repetitive tasks and reducing errors, it allows designers to focus on what matters most - crafting better user experiences.

Written by Alex Chiu, Senior Product Designer in London. Contact: alex@mchiu.co.uk.