Project: Finn – The AI Companion
Role: Lead Product & UX Designer
Timeline: April 2025 – Present
Tools: Figma, SquareSpace
Focus: Emotional AI, Conversational UX, Cross-platform Design
The Challenge
How might we design a personal AI companion that doesn’t just execute tasks, but builds emotional connection, trust, and daily utility without creeping into uncanny territory?
Goals
Design a lightweight, emotionally aware AI interface
Make complex AI feel friendly, transparent, and safe
Create a scalable design system for future voice/video integrations
Minimize friction, maximize flow in everyday use cases
The Approach
1. Discovery
Competitive analysis of Replika, Pi, and Character.ai
Interviews with 10 users across emotional AI and productivity tools
Identified need for balance: utility + personality
2. User Insights
Users want control over tone and personality settings
Overly human bots felt manipulative; minimalism = trust
Seamless task-switching (chat to calendar to notes) was key
3. Design Strategy
Voice-first, text-optimized design
Emotional states UI (Subtle animations, adaptive color cues)
Modular layout with adaptive states (mobile, tablet, desktop)
Focus on emotional resonance without emotional manipulation
Prototyping
Built interactive flows in Figma with micro-interactions
Usability testing (moderated & unmoderated)
Adjusted tone models based on trust feedback loops
Iterations
Replaced skeuomorphic chat with clean, ambient design
Added mood presets (Casual / Focused / Friendly)
Prioritized transparency around AI limitations
Outcome
92% of test users reported feeling “in control” of their interaction
Increased retention in week 2 by 27% after emotional tone update
System adopted as internal design framework for future AI projects
