Nova AI Copilot

About Nova

Nova is an AI assistant built into a creative tool, helping users draft content, explore options, and move through repetitive tasks without leaving their flow.

Challenge

AI features in creative tools often feel tacked on — a separate mode, a different interface, something you “switch to.” The goal was to make AI feel like it was always there, ready when needed and invisible when not.

Solution

I designed Nova as a contextual panel that surfaces suggestions based on what the user is doing right now. Instead of a chat box you talk to, it offers relevant actions inline — rewrite this heading, generate alternatives, summarize this section. Every suggestion is clearly marked as AI-generated and always editable.

Design principles:

• Augment, don’t replace: the user stays in control
• Context over conversation: suggest actions, don’t require prompts
• Trust through transparency: always show what’s AI-generated

Results

• First drafts completed in 4.2 minutes on average, 3x faster than the control group
• 72% adoption across the user base within the first 8 weeks
• Featured in Product Hunt’s “Design Tools of the Year” roundup