Font Selector ｜ Fabrie Write(AI)

👷editing…

AI Assistant:
Fabrie Write

Product design: Muki
UX design: Muki
UI design: Mao, Gaoyi
Prompt Engineer: Yiqi, Xiran, Muki

01

Framing

In 2023, after a year of launching the Fabrie whiteboard and completing a major technical refactor, we began exploring AI capabilities.

At the same time, products like Midjourney and ChatGPT were rapidly gaining traction, and many tools started expanding toward “AI + whiteboard” scenarios. As a natural canvas for AI-generated content, the whiteboard presented both an opportunity for feature expansion and product differentiation.

ChatGPT - chat-style, timeline-based interactions

fabrie - where AI meets whiteboards for spatial collaboration

However, most AI features on the market were limited to chat-style, timeline-based interactions, focusing mainly on text or image generation. Fabrie’s real strength lies in spatial collaboration. Simply embedding a chat window into the whiteboard would neither create differentiation nor bring meaningful value to our users.

Challenge

How might we leverage Fabrie’s spatial strengths to design AI features that truly enhance collaboration and document value—rather than becoming just another replaceable chat plugin?

02

Dicovering

I analyzed several AI tools (ChatGPT, Notion AI, Gamma, Tome, Miro, etc.) to understand differences in feature types, interaction patterns, and integration with core products.

  • Mainstream interactions are concentrated in chat windows or command-based sidebars

  • Most features focus on content generation, with limited integration into spatial objects

Two Core Capabilities of AI

Based on this research, AI capabilities can be broken down into two steps:

Step 1: Natural Language Processing — understanding user text input

Step 2: Content Generation — producing images, text, low-code, executable code, or video

Create from scratch

Within Step2: Content Generation, we identified two distinct modes:

  • Create from scratch: generating entirely new objects (e.g., sticky notes, mind maps)

  • Enhance existing: modifying current objects (e.g., change color, adjust style)

Commands: Traditional vs AI

Traditional commands rely on fixed buttons (e.g., pressing “Back” to return to the previous page)

AI commands rely on understanding natural language, breaking the one-to-one mapping between command and task → offering greater flexibility but also higher uncertainty

03

Ideation

Key Design Questions

A. Which interaction model should carry natural language input?

B. How should we distinguish between “create from scratch” and “enhance existing” in interaction design?

C. How can we reduce the learning curve and help users get started quickly?