The Evolving Landscape of Chat UIs: From Jibber Jabber to Useful Interfaces

May 3, 2025

Introduction

Evolution of Chat UIs showing progression from simple chat to complex interfaces

Chat UIs are changing. Additional products such as Deep Research are being built on top of the model's chat UI. They're starting to look and work more like regular websites, with different pages and tools for different jobs. This is making them easier to use and more helpful for everyone. We’re starting to see chat UIs evolve in ways that mirror the complexity of traditional web applications—like e-commerce sites. Think about it:

Ecommerce sites have landing pages. A search results page for many products. A product detail page focused on only one product. A cart and checkout flow to complete the purchase.

Each step has its own unique interface for a different part of the journey. The same thing is starting to happen in chat interfaces.

Table of Contents

Pre-Built Prompts: UI as Discovery

Bolt's discovery interface showing pre-built prompts and suggestions
Gemini's discovery interface with suggested prompts and starting points

Pre-made prompts are on most chat apps such as Gemini, Lovable, and Bolt. Similar to the Popular or Featured products of ecommerce. These UIs now offer ways for users to get a taste of what these models can do. These aren't just suggestions; they're starting points that help you explore what's possible. It's like a homepage for chat, showing you what you can do and guiding you to try new things.

Extension Buttons: Clear, Additional Control

ChatGPT's interface showing extension buttons and controls
Claude's interface displaying action buttons and extensions

ChatGPT and other apps have added action buttons like:

  • "Search"
  • "Deep Research"
  • "Create Image"

These buttons give users specific capabilities beyond just typing. They don't create whole new prompts, but extend the prompts for specific tasks. They're like mini tools built right into the chat, making it easy to take action without guessing what to do next. It's the difference between just talking to a chatbot and actually using it to get things done. We’ve seen these on the web, Buy Now and Add to Cart come to mind.

Research Planning, Process, and Comprehension

Grok's vertical timeline showing research progress
Gemini's planning interface showing research steps

Before doing a big research task, Gemini shows a "planning box" that lists the steps it will take. This helps users see what's coming and gives them more control. Grok, another app, shows a timeline of actions in progress—like a progress bar for what the AI is doing. These features make things less mysterious and help users understand what's happening behind the scenes.

NotebookLLM's mind map visualization of research topics

Notebook LLM now provides a mind map feature to visualize key ideas during research sessions. Mind maps break down big topics into smaller parts and show how everything connects. This helps you:

  • Navigate complex topics
  • Find related ideas
  • Build a clear picture from the information

Final Thought: Page-Specific UX Is Coming to Chat

Just like websites got better by having special pages for different tasks, chat interfaces are heading in the same direction. Instead of one long chat for everything, we'll see different screens and tools for certain tasks like research, image creation, planning, and coding. This change is overdue—and it's going to make chat apps much better for everyone.