Static mockups for two questions: (1) what a brand-new, empty workspace should do on first run, and (2) who drives, Emily or the dashboard nav. Each mock sits in the real app shell so it reads native. Pick directions; these are not app code.
Cool bg #FBFBFC, ink #16171A, muted #6B7280, accent #3E6FE0 = links only, near-black buttons, hairline dividers and bg-step, no borders, no shadows, squircle, no emoji.
Problem 1 · First-run onboarding
The empty overview should BE the hiring flow. Chosen direction: Emily owns the whole canvas, one conversation, no competing right rail.
E1Emily full-screenChosen
Emily IS the main area. One conversation owns the canvas, no separate right rail, no second chat to compete with. A warm opener, a few example jobs, and a full-page composer at the bottom. This is the primary hiring surface for a brand-new workspace: calm, confident, one place to start.
I'm Emily, your COO
What's the first job you want handled? Tell me in a sentence and I'll draft a worker, wire up its tools, and run it past you before it goes live.
Daily revenue briefWatch a competitorTriage support inboxWeekly Slack recap
Message Emily. e.g. Every morning, summarize new Stripe payments and post to #finance
Emily can make mistakes. Verify important results.
A1Center prompt plus Emily right railRejected · two chats
The original empty state: a center composer with Emily docked on the right. Two conversations compete for the same intent, so it is unclear where to type. Kept here only for contrast against the chosen full-screen direction.
Your workspace is empty
What's the first job you want handled?
Describe it in a sentence. Emily drafts a worker you can review before it runs.
e.g. Every morning, summarize new Stripe payments and post to #finance
Emily turns this into a worker, a trigger, and the tools it needs.Draft worker
Daily revenue briefWatch a competitorTriage support inboxWeekly Slack recap
A2Three-step guided setupDropped
A literal checklist with progress. Treats onboarding as a setup wizard rather than a conversation. Dropped in favor of letting Emily carry the first run.
Get your first worker running
Three steps to a working employee
Step 1 of 3 done · about 2 minutes left
Connect a toolGmail connected
Stripe, Slack, Notion and 40 more available
2
Describe a job
Tell Emily what to handle. She drafts the worker.
Describe it
3
Approve the first run
Review the draft output, then let it run on a schedule
A3Starter workers gallery plus promptDropped
A gallery of named roles to hire in one click. Lands the employee metaphor fast but adds a second surface alongside Emily. Dropped to keep one front door.
Hire your first worker
Start from a proven role and tune it, or describe your own below.
RB
Revenue Brief
Finance
Each morning, summarize new payments and refunds, post to Slack
Who is the driver? Resolve the ambiguity between talking to Emily and clicking around.
B1Emily-driven, conversation is center stage
Emily becomes the main surface; the nav stays as a spine for jumping to records. You hire and manage by talking; the dashboard is where you go to verify. Boldest, most AI-native.
Good afternoon, Federico
Your 6 workers saved about 18 hours this week. Two need you. Ask me anything, or tell me a job to hire for.
Hire a workerWhat failed today?Reconnect GmailShow this week
Tell Emily what to handle...
Emily can make mistakes. Verify important results.
B2Dashboard-driven, Emily collapsed by default
The nav is unambiguously primary; Emily is a dismissible helper docked closed, one tap to open. Lowest learning curve, but underuses the COO metaphor. Safest.
One explicit fork at the top of every page: ask Emily (she owns creating and changing workers) or browse the dashboard (it owns monitoring). Each side has one job, so the choice is obvious.