AI Interface Lab
An interactive tool for deciding whether an AI product should feel like a spark tool, a trusted copilot, a living workspace, a reviewer cockpit, or a quiet operator in the background.
A lot of AI products still start at the model and work outward. I usually find it more useful to start at the interaction shape. What is the user actually trusting? What should feel magical? What should stay visibly reviewable? What deserves autonomy and what definitely does not?
This lab is a small simulator for that decision. It is meant to make the product call more inspectable: choose the workflow shape, the trust burden, the tempo, and the texture, then use the output to think about the interface, the first release, and the failure mode before the product turns into AI theater.
I like this category of tool because it sits close to the work I actually want to do: translating capability into product surfaces people can understand, enjoy, and trust.
AI Interface Lab
Pick the interaction shape, not just the model.
The most interesting AI products are not just chat windows. They decide whether the user needs a spark tool, a trusted copilot, a living workspace, a reviewer cockpit, or a quiet operator in the background. This lab is a compact way to think through that call.
Controls
Tune the shape of the workflow and the output will suggest what kind of interface is actually worth building.
Live output
Living workspace
The product should feel like a working surface, not just a response box. The model is there to keep context alive, suggest next moves, and make the user feel one step ahead.
Current mix
Interaction map
Left to right: more system agency. Bottom to top: more trust burden.
Interface pattern
Context-rich workspace with a visible suggestion rail
Why it feels cool
People think this is cool when the UI feels alive without feeling fake.
Wow moment
Let the user pull together messy context, ask for a move, and watch the system snap it into a cleaner state.
Trust move
Show provenance, show editability, and keep the user in the loop for the important moments.
First release
Ship the core surface for one workflow with a strong empty state, two high-value suggestions, and a clear way to override.
Failure mode
If the surface looks beautiful but hides where the system got its answer, it will feel clever before it feels usable.
Headline
Build the AI workspace that makes the next decision feel obvious.
Launch angle
This works best when the user still owns the judgment, but the system makes staying in flow dramatically easier.
Design principles
Principle 1
Use motion to reveal system state, not to hide weak product logic.
Principle 2
Keep the main interaction path short so the value shows up before explanation does.
Principle 3
Bias toward a visible result fast, then layer in the explanation.