Designing a copilot that guides without being annoying

Lead Design Engineer•Published on March 11, 2026•7 min read

Early prototypes of our AI copilot were, frankly, annoying. It interrupted every few seconds, over-explained obvious UI elements, and used a tone that felt more like a pop-up ad than a helpful colleague.

The redesign started with a simple rule: the copilot only speaks when it can say something the buyer couldn't figure out faster on their own. That meant cutting explanatory messages by roughly 70% and replacing generic tooltips with contextual, single-sentence nudges tied to actual buyer behavior.

We also gave the copilot a consistent, low-key personality — direct, technically fluent, comfortable saying 'I don't know, here's who to ask.' Buyers trust an assistant that admits its limits far more than one that pretends to have all the answers.

The result, Agent Sarah, now drives measurable engagement without becoming the thing people try to click away from.