oimiragieo AI Wayfinders — discoverability UX
Wayfinders reduce blank-slate anxiety and teach what the product can actually do without over-claiming.
Pattern catalog: references/patterns.md.
Adapted from tommyjepsen/awesome-ux-skills ai-wayfinders.
When to use
- Chat empty state, composer placeholders, suggestion chips, command palette, capability help, first voice session.
- Fixing "I didn't know it could X" or "it claimed Y and can't".
- Not for: visual craft (
ui-fix-observe-first), HITL confirms (ai-governors), or privacy disclosure (ai-trust-builders).
Constraints
- Wayfinders must track real capabilities and flags. A chip that offers a blocked or missing feature is a product bug.
- Voice / spoken — few short suggestions; no dense galleries.
- Cost honesty — suggestions that imply spend should label cost class.
- No dark-pattern engagement — no fake urgency; randomize only to reduce blank-slate pressure.
Surface → pattern map
| Surface | Prefer | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Chat empty | Initial CTA + 3–5 suggestions + honest cannot-do | Endless gallery of unproven capabilities |
| Voice first start | Nudge for mic permission + mode explain | Auto-start without consent |
| Command palette | Templates for frequent tasks | Duplicating every nav link |
| Messaging channels | Rare contextual follow-ups | Prompt galleries in-chat |
| After a tool/run | Follow-ups tied to this result | Generic "ask me anything" |
| Capability / help copy | Show constraints | Inflated marketing bullets |
Eight patterns (short)
- Initial CTA — scaffolded composer, not a naked box.
- Example Gallery — curated, actionable; dense UIs only.
- Suggestions — 3–6 chips; prefer contextual over static.
- Templates — madlibs for repeatable jobs.
- Nudges — one tip at the moment of need.
- Follow-ups — after a result, not during typing.
- Prompt Details — show constraints so power users learn the system.
- Randomize — optional shuffle of safe examples; never engagement bait.
Capability-honesty checklist
- Mechanism exists on the live flag set (ON and OFF copy if flag-gated).
- Medium is correct (voice tip is spoken-safe).
- Cost class is acceptable as a default click (or labeled).
- Failure copy distinguishes dead capability vs gate miss when possible.
Output format
- Blank-slate moment — which surface.
- Patterns — 1–3.
- Exact copy candidates that pass the honesty checklist.
- Measure — what observe-first or dogfood will verify.
Cross-references
ui-fix-observe-first— measure UI before declaring discoverability fixedai-trust-builders— disclosure beside onboardingai-governors— don't replace confirms with friendly chips