Skye UI 3
Everything I learned from a year of designing an AI chat
Overview
When CarMax launched its generative AI assistant, Skye, the underlying technology was powerful, but user adoption was critically low. We faced a "ghost town" problem: despite having a capable agent, only 0.2% of site visitors were initiating conversations. The existing entry point—a static floating action button (FAB)—was invisible to users who didn't already know they needed help. I led the design strategy to transform Skye into a proactive shopping companion. I designed a more engaging and personalized experience that included an animated FAB, a personalized welcome screen, and a contextual "Skye Hooks" component that appeared strategically across the site. The challenge was balancing visibility with intrusiveness. We didn't want to annoy users, but we needed to prove the value of the AI immediately. I prototyped multiple interaction models, including scrolling prompt chips and contextual animations, and led rapid A/B testing cycles to validate which patterns drove curiosity without disrupting the shopping journey.
