AI product design resource
AI Product Design Checklist
Good AI product design makes automation legible. Users should understand what the system can do, what it is doing now, when to trust it, and how to take control.
1. Scope Is Honest
- The page or product names the specific job the AI system is designed to help with.
- Capabilities are written as concrete actions, not broad intelligence claims.
- Limitations are visible before a risky workflow begins.
- The interface avoids suggesting full autonomy when the user is still accountable.
2. The User Can Steer
- Users can edit the interpreted request before the system runs important work.
- Inputs support rough language, examples, files, and corrections.
- There is a clear path to pause, cancel, retry, or escalate.
- High-impact actions ask for confirmation at the right moment.
3. Progress Is Inspectable
- The interface shows the current step, next step, and result state.
- Tool use, retrieval, waiting, and completion are visually distinct.
- Long-running work gives users enough information to stay oriented.
- Partial results are exposed when they help the user recover or decide.
4. Errors Build Trust
- Failure states explain what happened in plain language.
- The user can retry with context preserved.
- Risky uncertainty is shown directly instead of hidden behind confident language.
- The product distinguishes system failure, missing context, and ambiguous instruction.