Gideon AwolesiA blank prompt box is a failure mode too
A lot of teams spend all their design time on the happy path, where the user knows exactly what to ask and the model answers beautifully. For me, the first screen is where I start, because that's where a new user decides if the feature is worth their time.
Right now, a lot of AI products open on an empty text field with a blinking cursor and a placeholder like "Ask me anything". That's fine for someone who's used the product for months, but a new user sees a blank page. They don't know what the tool is good at, or what a good request even looks like.
What to design instead
- Starting points tied to real jobs: Instead of an empty box, show three or four starting points written around what your users came to do, like "Turn my notes into a LinkedIn post". Every one of them should produce a good result on the first try.
- One question before the first prompt: Ask the user what they're trying to do, and use the answer to set up the request for them. It feels like a conversation, and it removes the hardest part, which is the first sentence.
- Controls for the things people can't phrase: Tone and length are easier to pick from a control than to describe in a prompt. Put them next to the input, so people can shape the result without writing a perfect request.
- A preview of what an action will do: Before the AI changes or publishes anything, show the user what's about to happen. People trust a feature more when they can see the result before they commit to it.
- A way back when the answer is wrong: Make it obvious how to retry, edit, or undo, and where to get help. People forgive a bad first answer much more easily when they can see how to fix it.
What we did at AiListz
For AiListz, we designed the onboarding, the conversational guidance, and the controls, so people could understand what an AI action would do before they used it. We also designed the guidance and chat assistance to answer common questions, so new users didn't have to contact support to get started.
The result was a 90% reduction in support requests from first-time users, and a huge spike in beta sign-ups. We didn't change the model at all. All of that came from redesigning the first screen and the guidance around it.
How to check your own first screen
Sit someone who's never used your product in front of it, give them a real task, and don't help. Watch the first ten seconds. If they hesitate at the input, try a vague request, or ask you what to type, you've found the problem, and it's one you can fix with design.
If you want a second opinion, that's exactly what my free AI feature review is for.