Humans in control
Design a content-savvy AI Agent
CC-NA-3.0
https://slides.com/mike-1/button
Humans decide
Content Designers build the tools
Talk title: Humans in control: Design a content-savvy AI Agent
Links
Live: https://slides.com/mike-1/button/live
Later: https://slides.com/mike-1/button/
Talk title: Humans in control: Design a content-savvy AI Agent
HAL
2001
https://slides.com/mike-1/button
Inspiration
Talk title: Humans in control: Design a content-savvy AI Agent
Principal Technical Writer
Product Documentation
Mission
- Make every word earn its place
Pixabay CC0
Talk title: Humans in control: Design a content-savvy AI Agent
Background
Content Design
We help users make decisions
https://slides.com/mike-1/button
We want to "unblock" users
Our style guides drive "helpful" text
Figma and Microsoft
https://slides.com/mike-1/button
Microsoft: Content Designers design Copilot responses
- I'll show you how
If AI were a teenager
Mindset for AI
With AI, everyone gets an army of 100 interns
Make AI work for you
- AI answers the prompt
- AI doesn't solve problems
- Until you provide detailed instructions
https://slides.com/mike-1/button
UX Message Writing Buddy
Fantasy Football and Content Design
Talk title: Humans in control: Design a content-savvy AI Agent
Who should I start?
UNTRAINED AI
"Pick up player X"
OPTION 1: Recommended
Player X
- Highest projected points
- Best matchup
OPTION 2: Safer
Player Y
- Lower ceiling
- Good if protecting a lead
OPTION 3: If behind
Player Z
- Boom-or-bust
- High-risk high reward
Better answer: it depends
Result: almost won!
Wordiest
Decision requirements
Opportunity: progressive disclosure
Cleanest
Minimal text
Best if the UX is crowded
Balanced
Assumes user knowledge
Minor detail for edge cases
Link to docs
Three tier model
Big picture
Style guide
Instructions and Skills
AI
Agent
Talk title: Humans in control: Design a content-savvy AI Agent
How AI can help with content design
- Start with a style guide
- Set up instructions
- Organize the knowledge in AI
- Test steps locally
- Identify problems
- Automate updates
https://slides.com/mike-1/button
Start with a Style Guide
- Designed for humans
- Content design skills for AI
Skills
- Details
- Reusable content design expertise
- a reusable capability that can be invoked to perform a particular kind of task
Make it "easy" for ourselves
- Know your product
- Set up instructions
- One easy breath
- Two thoughts
- Minimize need for docs
- Know your audience
- Know your stakeholders
- Start with the easy stuff
- Harder stuff: do your homework
- Use style guides (details)
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https://slides.com/mike-1/button
AI models -- Best practices
- Governing instructions
- Details in separate files
Searching the database
Content in Markdown
Make it "easy" for ourselves
- instructions.md
Now make it reusable
- Know your product
- "Don't Make Me Think"
- Organize the knowledge for AI
- Minimize need for docs
- Know your audience
- Know your stakeholders
- Start with the easy stuff
- Harder stuff: do your homework
- Use style guides (details)
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What we've done
- 30 pages
- 30 reusable skills
Make AI work for you
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- Start with a style guide
- Set up instructions
- Organize the knowledge in AI
- Test steps locally
- Identify problems
- Update the style guide
- Automate updates
https://slides.com/mike-1/button
Tip: pinned instructions
Formalize the Agent
Test time!
https://slides.com/mike-1/button
Before you deploy
- Know your product
- "Don't Make Me Think"
- Pull content from your style guide
- Organize the knowledge for AI
- Identify problems
- Minimize need for docs
- Know your audience
- Know your stakeholders
- Start with the easy stuff
- Harder stuff: do your homework
- Use style guides (details)
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https://slides.com/mike-1/button
Test Time, Part 2
Automate
- Know your product
- "Don't Make Me Think"
- One easy breath
- Two thoughts
- Minimize need for docs
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Set up CI/CD
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Your style guide = Single source of truth
Talk title: Humans in control: Design a content-savvy AI Agent
Lessons Learned
Action Plan
https://slides.com/mike-1/button
Content designers build the (AI) tools
AI provides options
Humans choose the message
Action Plan
Talk title: Humans in control: Design a content-savvy AI Agent
Style Guide
The single source of truth
Talk title: Humans in control: Design a content-savvy AI Agent
Remember the BSoD
https://slides.com/mike-1/button
Potential solutions
For the record
Follow-up
Credits
- Torrey Podmajersky (Button, "Strategic Writing for UX")
- Jodie Putrino (F5)
- Elmira Cheraghi (F5)
- Maddy Snyder (Pendo)
- UX Communities (Content + UX, We are Content Club)
Questions
https://slides.com/mike-1/button
Humans in control: Design a content-savvy AI Agent
By Mike
Humans in control: Design a content-savvy AI Agent
Discover how to harness the power of AI in content design. Use your style guide as the Single Source of Truth. When AI provides options, human stay in control. Get your own roadmap to set up an AI Agent to enhance your skills as a content designer.
