Moha Intel
The first build failed in testing. The rebuild became a research workspace analysts trust.
The first version failed in testing. Users couldn't finish basic tasks. The rebuild turned an AI demo into a working research tool for analysts at three companies.
Role
Lead product designer. I owned what the product is. I owned the information architecture and the interaction patterns. I held them through every round of testing.
Team
Lead designer, researcher, frontend developer, backend developer
The challenge
AI chat treats research like a conversation. Research is continuous . Sessions reset, notes vanished, sources were untraceable, so analysts could never build on their own work.
The approach
Rebuild around four persistent surfaces . Show proof at every step. That means visible sources, save states, and version history.
The problem
Research teams work in fragments. Tools don't share memory, and AI chat made it worse: sessions reset, notes disappeared, sources untraceable. Research is not conversation. Research is continuous.
The first build failed
Users couldn't complete basic tasks. The words confused them. Nothing felt saved. The real problem: researchers needed memory, not a smarter chat.
Researchersneededmemory.
From chat to research workspace
The rebuild swapped chat for four persistent surfaces. Quick Notes for fast capture. Workstation for writing. Channels for topics. Summaries with traceable sources.
Validation
Tasks that failed in round one became routine. Users saved freely, built on earlier work, and cited sources with confidence.
Validation results
Designing for trust
Trust came from visible proof. Clickable sources, save marks, and version history. Plus a clear line between human input and AI output.
Trust architecture
Key risks of investing in Kumamoto?
Population decline accelerating、TSMC inflates land values
What are the key risks of investing in Kumamoto prefecture?
Three factors: population decline is accelerating faster than national average, TSMC facility construction inflates short-term land values, but infrastructure spending signals long-term regional commitment
- Challenges1/3
The hard problems were words, not technology. One wrong term derailed a whole task flow, and multi-topic research had no existing patterns to borrow.
- Insights2/3
The fix was never better AI. It was better feedback: an interface that shows the system's reasoning.
- What’s next3/3
The next step: shared channels, live co-editing, and smarter memory. One shared surface.
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