Designing an AI product around a real job
2 min read
Start with the work people need to finish, then decide where AI belongs in the experience.
This field note works through the decisions between an idea and a usable product. It starts with a concrete task and follows the choices that shape the experience, the delivery, and the next iteration.
Describe the job in ordinary language
Write the task without mentioning a model or a chatbot. Who is doing the work, what starts it, and what result do they need?
Use that description to decide which parts of the experience should be automated, assisted, or handled directly by a person.
Build a workspace around the result
Place inputs, evidence, and an editable output close together. Help the user inspect the result while keeping the original task in view.
Save useful intermediate work. A person should be able to resume the task without recreating the entire conversation.
Make approval an intentional step
Use explicit review for actions that change shared information or affect another person. Name the action and show its scope.
Test the final step as part of the product flow. Generating a promising answer is different from completing a useful task.
