Hachi AI
Crafting an AI Companion That Truly Connects
Background
Our team embarked on a fascinating project to redesign and build upon an unlaunched AI companion mobile web. Hachi evolved from a traditional AI persona platform into a discovery engine that combines the reliability of AI with the quirks of a natural friend.
Role
UX Designer
Prototyping Lead
Timeline
Oct 2024-Present
Scope
Research
Strategy
End-to-end design
Teammates
Erjing Z.
Maria L.
Sabrina Z.
Michelle M
Amy Z.
Challenge
AI should feel less like a tool and more like a human ally.
Hachi started as an AI companion designed to foster parasocial relationships. In 3+ months we were tasked with a mission to launch a mobile web that fits these two goals:
USER WANTS
An AI companion that felt human, useful and insightful.
STAKEHOLDER WANTS
To humanize AI with and provide results that feel personalized and insightful.
Research
Understanding the User
The research goals were to refine Hachi AI’s target user group and understand how to provide meaningful social-emotional support.
44+ survey responses
15+ interviews
Competitive Analysis
UX Audit
What We Learned
AI companions fall into two categories. Hachi's goals will be to occupy that "sweet spot"
Assistant/Tools
Convenience and productivity.
Hachi’s Opportunity
Bridge the gap between the two.
Companion/Characters
Innovation and personalization.
The AI + persona space has been mostly about building parasocial relationships. We saw magic in a different approach—leveraging personas to help users discover niche insights they'd never think to look for.
which led us to aksing…
How might we leverage AI to provide judgment-free, opinionated, and personalized recommendations while balancing stakeholder goals for organized insights?
Ideation
North Star
We ideated solutions using an Impact-Effort Matrix, prioritizing ideas that balanced user value, business goals, and feasibility.
The Final Design
Introducing Hachi AI
An opinionated search engine that not only give answers but provided guidance, acting as both a resource and a partner.
Not-so-typical Recommendations
Hachi combines data with personality, providing thoughtful, judgment-free answers.
Multiple Personas
Ability to go to different "friends" for different type of problems.
Multiple Opinions
Each personality brings a fresh perspective, so you can get different answers without repeating yourself.
Tailor-made Feedback
Let your buddy know whether you're loving it, curious, or need a bit more convincing!
Reflection & Takeaways
From start to finish, this project was filled with ambiguity, presenting numerous pathways we could have pursued. One of the most significant challenges was balancing the often-competing goals of stakeholders with the genuine needs of users, which required both compromise and persistence. From this, I was able to adapt by staying flexible, maintaining open communication with all parties, and iterating on solutions until we found a path forward.
Now, I am better equipped to guide others through complex, ambiguous challenges, helping them navigate competing priorities, adapt to evolving technologies, and find innovative solutions even in the face of uncertainty.
Wanna see more about HachiCheck out our Pitch Deck!
Hachi AI Pitch Deck ↗