Chat is getting visual: three UX rules for AI features on your website
OpenAI's new visual ChatGPT interface shows where AI assistants are heading. Three practical UX rules for AI features on client websites.
OpenAI has launched a new ChatGPT interface with more visual, interactive elements. Instead of only returning paragraphs of text, the assistant can show structured pieces of information that users can explore. For anyone designing an AI feature on a website this is a useful signal: visitors will expect answers they can scan, compare and act on, not walls of text.
Rule 1: show structure when the answer has structure
If a user asks to compare three packages, a table is clearer than a paragraph. If the answer is a date, a price or a list of steps, use the matching component. Visual answers also work better on phones, where many visitors browse.
Do not add charts for decoration. Every card, chart or table should answer a question the user actually asked.
Rule 2: keep actions visible and reversible
When an assistant can filter a product list, book an appointment or change a quote, the user must see what will happen before it happens. Use clear buttons with plain labels, such as “Apply filter” or “Book for Thursday 10:00”, and offer an easy way back. Confirm anything that costs money or sends a message to someone else.
Rule 3: keep a text and keyboard fallback
Visual components are only useful if everyone can use them. Every interactive element needs keyboard access, a visible focus state and a text alternative for charts and images. A good test is to go through the whole assistant with the keyboard alone, and then with a screen reader. If it fails there, it fails for real users too.
These rules also support the accessibility requirements that already apply to many online shops in the EU. We explain them in our article on accessibility rules for Slovak online shops.