Designing Intelligence
AI Driven Experiences In Next-Generation Applications
The Business Challenge
Tealium faced the complex task of integrating artificial intelligence across its platform to transform how users interact with customer data. The platform serves diverse users with varying technical expertise, requiring careful balance between powerful functionality and intuitive design. By focusing on three key interaction points - global search, contextual assistance, and in-workflow recommendations - we aimed to design experiences that transform complex data operations into intuitive, AI-powered workflows.
My Key Contributions
I spearheaded a comprehensive approach to designing AI into Tealium's user experience. Our process began with extensive user research to understand how AI could enhance critical workflows while addressing common pain points. We conducted in-depth interviews and workflow analysis to identify key "jobs to be done" where AI could provide the most value.
Using these insights, I led the team through rounds of exploration, prototyping, and iteration focused on three key AI touchpoints. We mapped out how users would interact with these features and created designs showing how they would work in practice. Through extensive user testing, we validated that users could easily discover, understand, and effectively use the AI functionality.
Our research revealed that users needed:
Faster access to platform capabilities and data insights
Real-time guidance during complex tasks
Contextual help that anticipated their needs
Our testing focused particularly on ensuring users recognized when AI assistance was available and understood how to engage with it naturally within their workflows. The design process emphasized natural language interactions and contextual assistance, ensuring AI features felt intuitive rather than intrusive.
Our strategy focused on making AI a natural part of everyday workflows through three main features:
Smart Search Bar A search tool that understands everyday language, helping users quickly find what they need by typing questions or requests in their own words. Available throughout the platform, it offers personalized suggestions and handles a wide range of tasks.
Digital Assistant A helpful companion that sits alongside your work area, ready to answer questions and offer guidance as you use Tealium. It learns from what you're doing to provide relevant suggestions and can help complete tasks right when you need it.
In-Context Help AI-powered suggestions that appear naturally while you work, offering relevant recommendations based on what you're trying to accomplish. These hints and tips show up right where you need them, making complex tasks easier without interrupting your flow.
Communicating The Vision
To help stakeholders understand our AI integration strategy, a vision video that demonstrated how these features would transform the user experience was created. The video showcased the three key touchpoints - global search, AI assistant, and contextual recommendations - working together seamlessly within the platform. This visual narrative helped align teams around our design approach and illustrated how AI would enhance rather than complicate existing workflows.
Team Credits
Created in collaboration with Tealium Product Design.Design Strategy, Team Leadership, Direction
Bill Victor
Video Production, Script, Voice Talent
Impact
Our AI integration strategy aims to transform how users interact with Tealium's platform. The design envisions teams completing complex data operations more efficiently, with the AI assistant reducing the technical expertise required for sophisticated tasks. The enhanced global search system should significantly improve platform navigation and data discovery.
This implementation lays the groundwork for future AI capabilities while maintaining the platform's core stability and performance. As we move forward with development, our focus remains on creating intuitive, AI-powered experiences that make complex data operations more accessible to all users.
