Author Assist (WYTIWYG)

🎯 Problem

Content creators need AI assistance directly in their writing flow, but switching to separate AI tools breaks concentration and slows down content production.

💭 Solution Concept

"What You Type Is What You Get" approach where users write AI prompts directly in the editor (e.g., "/write a product description for ergonomic office chair") that expand into generated content without leaving the editing context.

🔄 Three States of Instructions

Designed three distinct states for AI instructions in the editor.

• Incomplete (unconfirmed) prompt – User is still typing the instruction, system waits for confirmation before processing
• AI result awaiting approval – Generated content is displayed but needs explicit user confirmation before becoming standard text
• Failed instruction – AI couldn't complete the request, clear error messaging with retry options

🎨 Key Design Decisions

Critical design choices that shaped the user experience.

• Visual Distinction – AI-generated content highlighted with suggestion colors (purple) to distinguish from human-written text until approved
• Explicit Approval Required – Content requires explicit user approval before becoming standard text, building trust through control
• Publishing Safeguards – Publishing blocked if content contains unfinished AI tasks; users must resolve all incomplete/unapproved AI suggestions before publishing

🌊 Impact

These design patterns influenced the broader AI Features Consistency Guidelines and established product-wide standards for how AI-generated content should be handled, affecting Ask AI, Translation, and all subsequent AI features.

🌊 Impact