<h3>Prompt-Based UI: A New Era?</h3>
Not too long ago, we were building static websites. Then came the era of dynamic content, where adding JavaScript made pages interactive. JavaScript frameworks took interactivity and reactivity to a whole new level. So, what’s next after AI came into the picture?
I heard about “zero-click UI.” Sounds futuristic and exciting, though somewhat improbable. How long has voice-based control been around? Quite a while! Yet, I’m still holding my mouse. Why? Because using voice commands often requires more focus and time to explain complex concepts.
For example, how would you move the apex of a specific triangle in a scene that has 15 of them on the screen using just your voice? You’d probably manage, but wouldn’t it be simpler to just grab your mouse (or touch the screen) and drag it?
I often find myself thinking that turning the volume knob in my car is far easier than using a voice command. The same goes for TV remotes—they haven’t disappeared yet either. That’s because voice control is meant to complement traditional interfaces, not replace them. A car’s screen should enhance physical controls like knobs and buttons, not eliminate them. It should extend functionality rather than completely replace it (almost like SOLID design principles, if you know what I mean).
You might think I’m criticizing Tesla for their transition to a buttonless design. Not at all. They built that UI from scratch and sold it to a market that accepted it as normal. They didn’t have an existing audience to please.
Other car manufacturers—the imitators—made the mistake of blindly copying this approach. And they lost customers. Meanwhile, the smarter ones took a hybrid approach, combining traditional and innovative solutions instead of replacing everything outright.
If you’re targeting a mass market, always combine approaches. If you want to enter a new niche, take the risk—but be prepared for it to remain a small one.
If your product already has a loyal customer base, combine old and new features to avoid losing them. Gradually phase out legacy designs only as your users transition to the new approach.
This brings us to “Prompt-Based UI.” It’s not about replacement; it’s about extension.
Let’s take a standard abstract CMS as an example. Typically, it consists of a set of related data displayed in tables with a standard set of actions (CRUD). Could this functionality be replaced by a prompt-based system? Sure! You could say:
“I need a list of developers with a KPI &lt; 12, sorted by age in ascending order. Let’s fire the first 15 people on the list—except my son. Instead, give him a bonus.”
Straightforward, right? But what if we aren’t completely sure about our actions in advance? In such cases, it’s convenient to click on columns to sort them, visually inspect the data, and ensure we don’t mistakenly fire someone who’s actually essential. Armen brings coffee to the office, and Inna looks great in the scanner’s glow—it’s these little things we’d notice with manual interaction. Plus, if all we need to do is change a status, clicking is faster than typing or speaking a command.
<h3>So, What’s My Opinion?</h3>
Every modern product should incorporate “Prompt-Based UI,” but it must coexist with familiar, user-friendly practices. Over time, collecting usage statistics might allow us to phase out certain features to simplify the UI, but not at the implementation stage of “Prompt-Based UI.”
<h3>Does This Mean You Can Just Add a Text Input to an Old UI and Call It a Day?</h3>
No, of course not. We’re talking about a complete redesign of the UI around AI-powered prompts while retaining old functionality. For instance, you might have a prompt at the center of your UI where you can type:
“Generate a quarterly report.”
But that doesn’t mean you can’t access the same report through a traditional menu. And after the prompt runs, the results may still lead you to a page with a table, where you’d find buttons to “Print,” “Send,” and so on.
<h3>Why Write This Article?</h3>
To start a conversation! I’m curious to hear what my colleagues think about this topic. So feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below—or criticize the idea entirely without offering an alternative. That’s fine too! Let’s have a discussion.

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UX/UI

Prompt-based UI is emerging as a new interface paradigm, aiming to extend rather than replace traditional UIs. Voice-based control, while innovative, can be cumbersome for complex tasks. Combining old and new features is essential for mass-market products to avoid alienating existing users while adopting new technologies. Successful implementation requires a complete redesign to incorporate AI-powered prompts seamlessly alongside familiar functionalities.

Prompt-Based UI

Yes buddy, with the rapid development of Small &amp; Lightweight LLM Models we might see something similar in near future…