Below Water Level

The Prompt-Based Problem

Prompt-based interaction design shifts the burden of understanding the system’s conceptual model entirely onto the user, violating fundamental principles of human-centered design. What humans truly need is understanding, not another digital assistant requiring constant instruction.

The Magic of Intuitive Design

When users instinctively understand an app’s interface, it creates the sensation that designers have somehow accessed their thoughts. Exceptional self-serve interfaces succeed precisely because their creators have dedicated extensive time to comprehending user mental models, developing experiences that make users feel understood without explicit explanation.

Our Need for Mental Models

To comprehend how any system works, our minds naturally pose simple questions:

• How does this thing work?
• What messages can it understand?
• How far can it go?

Since prompt-based design offers minimal guidance, users must discover answers gradually through frustrating trial and error.

The Probabilistic Paradox

The very features that empower AI assistants simultaneously create their design limitations. Humans struggle to intuitively grasp probabilistic systems, and prompt-based interactions only compound this difficulty.

When prompts or outputs fail, responsibility falls entirely on the user. Andrej Karpathy recently used the words “Token Tumbler” to spotlight the substantial mental load to verify AI-generated content—a verification process most computer users haven’t internalized.

The Conversation Conundrum

While prompt-based systems encourage extended conversations, they handle interruptions poorly. These disruptions break concentration and workflow. Reconstructing context requires reviewing previous exchanges, often becoming a tedious process. Ultimately, achieving user goals becomes time-consuming and error-prone.

The Mind-Reading Gap

Exceptional self-serve interfaces succeed because designers invest significant effort in understanding and capturing user mental models. This understanding creates UX interactions that feel immediately intuitive when users launch the app.

This creates the feeling that someone has read your mind without requiring explanation. Can prompt-based interaction ever provide that same seamless experience?