Personality with Purpose: The Product Thinking That Shapes AI Products
Generative AI turns your product strategy into your product experience. If it’s unclear, the cracks will show.
The way products look, feel, and speak sets expectations: Here’s who I am. Here’s how I can help. These impressions don’t happen by accident. They’re intentional. They’re the result of choices informed by strategy—decisions about who the product is for, what it promises, and how it fits into people’s lives.
In generative AI-powered products, strategy doesn’t just influence the experience—it is the experience. Every response, every moment, is guided by prompts that distill the products intent. When these prompts are an expression of a clearly articulated product strategy, your AI feature becomes a living embodiment of your product’s thinking—seamless, trustworthy, and human. When that strategy is unclear, things fall apart: personality drifts, purpose blurs, and trust erodes. When your product strategy becomes a living, breathing, part of your product experience, there’s no glossing over gaps.
In this edition of Signal Path, I explore why clear, intentional product strategy has never been more critical—or more visible—than when building generative AI-driven features. We'll look at what happens when strategy moves out of meetings and product artefacts and becomes embodied in every interaction—and how teams can rise to meet the challenge.
The First Words Are Unspoken
Every product says something about itself before you even touch it.
The first impression comes in quiet ways. You pick up a book, and before you read a word, the paper tells you something. Weight, thickness, texture. Are we in for a commitment or just a pleasant distraction? A paperback can slip into a back pocket, live in your coat—no fuss. A hardback? Well, a hardback wants you to clear a spot on the table.
It’s the same with spaces. Walk into a grocery store, and you know where you are before you even notice what’s on the shelves. The lighting in a Whole Foods tells you everything is curated and wholesome. The chill of a Costco warehouse tells you it’s about quantity, not curation. You know how to act and what to expect just from the way things look, feel, and sit.
Products work the same way. You tap an app open, and it greets you—not with words, but with presence. A startup animation, a colour palette, the way the interface shifts under your thumb: these things say something. They whisper what the product is about and what it expects from you. Efficiency. Care. A bit of fun, maybe?
Here’s the trick, though: you don’t notice you’re noticing. You don’t stand in a grocery store and analyse the lights, or muse over the weight of the book in your hand. These little signals work because they’re quiet. They work on you, not at you.
A product’s personality is its first handshake. It tells you, in that fleeting instant, whether this is something you want to engage with. If it’s familiar or alien, inviting or cold, worthy of your trust or just another thing in the way.
And that handshake matters, because it sets the tone for the relationship to come.
Intent Made Visible
If a product’s personality is its first handshake, then what happens next is the conversation. And like all good conversations, there’s more happening beneath the surface than the words being said.
When you sit across from someone, you don’t just hear what they say—you pick up on how they say it. Tone, pauses, what’s said plainly and what’s left unsaid. These things add up. They create a sense of who you’re talking to and how you should respond. If they speak softly, you lean in. If they bark orders, you tense up. If they offer warmth and clarity, you exhale and say, Ah, we’re going to get along.
Products are no different. Personality—the voice of a product—is more than a collection of words or design choices. It’s intent made visible. It’s what the product says about itself, what it promises, and how it behaves to keep that promise.
It could go like this:
A budgeting tool says, “I’m careful and clear—I’ll help you get control.”
A creative assistant says, “Let’s try something together—I’ll keep the ideas coming.”
A medical app says, “I’m precise, reserved, and humble. This is serious, and I respect that.”
Personality signals what the product is, what it’s for, and how it expects to work with you. You could call it a voice, but it’s more than that. It’s the guide rails on the relationship. It tells you what the tool can do, what you can expect of it, and what it expects of you.
Here’s the thing: Personality isn’t just a flourish. It’s not “funny microcopy” or a “playful tone” you slap on at the end like sprinkles on a cake. Personality starts deeper—it’s a reflection of the product’s purpose, its audience, and its role in their lives. Personality, in other words, is strategy.
Personality Reflects Strategy
Personality, done right, answers a fundamental question: What kind of tool is this, and what kind of relationship does it want with me?
To answer that question, the team behind the product has to first answer these:
Who are we serving? Who are our users, and what are they hoping for when they arrive?
What is the product’s role? Is it a coach, a helper, a quiet assistant, or an expert?
How do we want to make people feel? Empowered? Focused? Supported? Inspired?
What do we promise to do—and, importantly, not do? What are our boundaries?
These are the building blocks of product strategy, and when they’re clear, they shine through in the product’s personality.
If the strategy says, “Our product is a safety net for busy small-business owners who need to feel in control,” then the personality shows up as calm and steady—never hurried, never panicked.
If the strategy says, “We’re here to encourage experimentation and make the blank page less scary,” the product speaks with enthusiasm, tossing out ideas like sparks: “Here’s a start! Want to keep going?”
Personality is the system taking its strategy and saying, “Here. This is me, made real.”
AI Brings Product Strategy to Life
Here’s a funny thing about strategy: it’s supposed to be the backbone of a product, but for most of its life, it’s just words. Words in a slide deck, words in someone’s notebook, words hanging in the air after a meeting. Who we serve. What we promise. How we behave.
The team nods. Maybe someone writes the words on a whiteboard. Then, the work begins. And somewhere along the way, the strategy slips into the background. It becomes abstract. It becomes scaffolding—useful while the product is being built, but something you’re not meant to see once the work is done.
For most products, that’s fine. A budgeting app doesn’t have to declare its intent at every turn. You don’t need it to explain itself as it moves you from input to report. You just need it to work. The strategy lives behind the curtain, influencing decisions but invisible to the user.
But generative AI? That drags strategy out of the slide deck and puts it centre stage. It makes the scaffolding part of the experience—something you can see, feel, and interact with.
Every time a generative AI system responds, it’s expressing what the team behind it believes:
What’s the role of this product in a user’s life?
What are its strengths? What are its limits?
How does it communicate its intent?
If strategy is the blueprint, then AI makes the house live and breathe. Every response—every word it chooses, every tone it strikes, every boundary it respects—is an expression of that blueprint. It’s product strategy in motion.
The Living Product Strategy
AI tools introduce ambiguity: their outputs are dynamic, probabilistic, and sometimes unpredictable. They don’t deliver pre-written answers. They generate responses dynamically, shaping themselves around the user’s input and needs. That’s where the power lies—and the risk.
In a traditional product, the product team builds a fixed experience. It’s sturdy and static, like a bridge:
A button leads to a screen.
A screen leads to a confirmation message.
The user gets what they need, and everyone moves on.
But AI is different. It’s fluid. It adapts. It improvises. A user asks a question, and the product replies. They clarify or pivot, and the product adjusts. It’s a dance—a back and forth.
And because AI responds dynamically, every interaction is an opportunity to either align with the product’s strategy or drift away from it.
If the AI says too much, it feels overeager.
If it says too little, it feels dismissive.
If it misreads the moment—cheerful when it should be serious, confident when it should be cautious—it undermines trust.
The system is only as good as the instructions it’s given. Those instructions—how it speaks, what it does, where it stops—are the embodiment of the product strategy. A well-articulated strategy acts like a compass, guiding the AI to behave in ways that feel intentional and aligned.
Where Strategy Meets System Prompts
AI products rely on prompts to shape their responses: the system’s “instructions” for how to behave, what tone to strike, and what role to play. In other words, prompts turn strategy into something actionable:
If the strategy says, “We’re here to simplify complex tasks for overwhelmed users,” the prompt might phrase: “Respond simply and step-by-step. Don’t overwhelm. Break things down into manageable pieces.”
If the strategy says, “Our product is a creative partner for users who feel stuck,” the prompt becomes: “Offer encouragement and spark new ideas. Suggest ways forward, but leave room for the user to shape the direction.”
If the strategy says, “We provide reliable, cautious guidance for serious decisions,” the prompt sets boundaries: “Be reserved and transparent. Signal uncertainty when confidence is low. Always defer critical decisions back to the user.”
The prompt is where the product team’s thinking lives. It turns the team’s intentions into real, lived experiences. It shapes every output, response, and moment of interaction.
The user never sees the prompt itself—but they feel it. They feel it in the way the product behaves. They feel it in the tone, the pacing, the boundaries.
In AI products, prompts are where the abstract becomes alive. They’re where product strategy stops being a plan and becomes the product itself.
What Happens When Strategy Is Fuzzy?
Generative AI doesn’t make decisions on its own. It behaves according to the rules and boundaries it’s given. If the product strategy is fuzzy, the AI will reflect that fuzziness back to the user.
If the strategy is unclear about the product’s role, the AI might overreach, offering opinions where it shouldn’t.
If the team hasn’t defined boundaries, the AI might respond in ways that feel reckless or inappropriate.
If no one can articulate how users are meant to feel, the AI’s tone may wander—playful one moment, formal the next.
The result? Confusion. Misalignment. Mistrust. The user feels like the product doesn’t know what it’s doing, because, well... it doesn’t.
An AI product can’t hide a weak strategy. It makes the gaps visible.
Navigating Personality
This is what I love about AI products: they hold a mirror to the product strategy. They show you exactly what the team believes about the product—its purpose, its users, and its promise.
If the strategy is clear and thoughtful, the product will feel that way too. It will behave in ways that make sense. It will feel intentional, dependable, and aligned.
But if the strategy is muddled—if the team can’t say who they’re serving or what role the product plays—the product will drift. It will feel uncertain and unreliable.
AI raises the stakes. There’s nowhere to hide.
Personality isn’t fluff—it’s the voice of your strategy. It says what the product is, how it behaves, and why it exists. AI doesn’t hide anything. It puts your thinking right in front of the user, moment by moment. So let's get it right.
Make Personality Intentional
Personality is the first impression, but first impressions are rarely accidental. They’re crafted, honed, and fussed over until they feel natural. So, start at the beginning:
What do I want the user to feel in this first moment?
A first moment is loaded. You don’t need to explain everything—just enough to signal: This is the place you were looking for. Do you want the user to feel calm? Inspired? Curious? Choose one, and let it guide you.What kind of relationship am I inviting them into?
Think of the product like a person at the table. Is it here to collaborate? To lead? To quietly assist? The way it behaves should signal this role.The coach: encouraging and supportive. “Let’s figure this out together.”
The assistant: efficient, quiet. “Here’s what I found. Let’s keep moving.”
The expert: precise and reserved. “This is my best recommendation. Let’s review it together.”
Does the first impression match what comes next?
Nothing breaks trust faster than mixed signals. If the product starts with a warm handshake, don’t hit them with cold formality on the next screen. If it feels smart in the first moment, it shouldn’t waffle later.
Define the Role Your Product Plays
If you’re building a system that adapts and responds in real time, it helps to know what kind of job it’s here to do. Users don’t want to feel like the product’s making it up as it goes along.
What relationship does the user want from this product?
Are they looking for a partner to bounce ideas off of? A quiet helper to lighten their workload? A reliable guide to lead the way? The role shapes everything: tone, behavior, and boundaries.How does that role shape the way the product behaves?
A helper stays out of the way and works quietly.
A collaborator nudges, suggests, and refines.
A guide takes initiative, offering clear next steps.
What signals—tone, design, outputs—reinforce that role?
Tone: Does the product speak like a peer, a mentor, or a service professional?
Design: Is it fluid and open-ended, or structured and systematic?
Outputs: Does it deliver options to explore or decisions to act on?
A product can’t be everything to everyone. The clearer the role, the more confident the product feels.
Be Ruthless About Clarity in Your Product Strategy
If personality is the voice of strategy, you can’t let the strategy itself be murky. Ambiguity up top turns into chaos downstream. Here’s where to sharpen your thinking:
Who is this product for?
Get specific. What do your users need? What’s their mindset when they come to you? A tired small-business owner doesn’t want the same experience as a curious creative professional.What does the product promise?
What value does it deliver—and what doesn’t it promise to do? Be clear about its limits. A product that over-promises undermines itself when it inevitably falls short.How do you want users to feel?
Supported? Empowered? Inspired? Calm? The emotional goal should shape every moment of the experience—but may also need to flex given the task at hand and what’s at stake.
Clarity is an act of respect for your end users. It says, “I know what I’m doing, and I know how to help.”
Stress-Test Personality Across Edge Cases
Personality is most important when the system reaches its edges—when it’s unsure, when it’s wrong, or when the stakes are high. That’s where trust is made or broken.
What tone does it use when it’s unsure?
Ambiguity isn’t failure, but pretending to be certain is. AI systems that can’t be honest about their limits feel like they’re guessing. Build in humility. “Here’s what I think, but I’m not 100% sure—want to double-check?”Does it know when to step back?
Some moments call for restraint. If the stakes are high—financial decisions, medical information—the AI should know its place. It’s here to assist, not to decide.Does the personality adapt to context?
Low stakes? Playful nudges are fine: “Here’s an idea to get started!”
High stakes? The tone should shift: “Let’s review this carefully before moving forward.”
A thoughtful personality knows when to speak and when to let the user take the lead.
Use Personality to Navigate Ambiguity Gracefully
AI products are messy by nature. They deal in probabilities, not certainties. Personality helps smooth the rough edges.
Be honest about limitations.
Don’t bluff. If the system isn’t sure, say so. Confidence meters, disclaimers, and hedges like “This might not be perfect—let’s refine it together” build trust through transparency.Invite collaboration.
Treat ambiguity as an opportunity to partner with the user. Offer pathways to refine outputs: “Does this look right? Let’s tweak it.”Communicate clearly.
Ambiguity feels chaotic when it’s hidden. Make the process visible. Show your work: “I looked at X, Y, and Z to arrive at this suggestion.”
A product that’s honest about its uncertainty feels trustworthy, not weak.
Treat Product Strategy as a Living Part of the System
Here’s the real kicker: AI systems make your strategy visible. It’s no longer a blueprint hidden away in a file—it’s in every interaction, every word, every response.
Test your prompts and outputs against your strategy.
Are they aligned? Does the system behave in ways that reflect its role and promise?Does every word, tone, and choice reinforce the product’s purpose?
A single misstep—too playful, too formal, too confident—can break the illusion.Can everyone on your team articulate the strategy simply?
If the team can’t say it clearly, the AI won’t either. The product reflects the team’s thinking. Make sure it’s sharp. Validate that it’s been captured clearly.
Think of it this way: AI is the loudspeaker for your strategy. Every response carries your intentions out into the world. You might as well make sure they’re worth listening to.
Wrapping Up: Strategy That Lives and Breathes
For years, product strategy has been an invisible force—important, but abstract. It lived in keynote slides and product briefs, guiding decisions quietly in the background. But now, with AI, strategy becomes tangible. It steps out from behind the scenes and takes a seat in the experience itself. It shapes every word the system generates, every nudge it gives, and every pause it takes.
That’s thrilling. It means product strategy is no longer just the groundwork—it’s the product, alive and unfolding in real time. It’s not something you leave behind at the end of planning; it’s something you encounter in every interaction.
But here’s the catch: AI systems are unforgiving. They don’t gloss over gaps in strategy. They amplify them. If your team isn’t clear on the product’s purpose, users will feel that lack of clarity—frustrated, confused, and unsure of what the system is trying to do. If the product doesn’t know its own limits, users will find themselves misled. Ambiguity in your thinking becomes chaos in their experience.
This is the moment to elevate product strategy to its rightful place—at the very center of how we build. Because now more than ever, it matters:
Who are we building for? What do they need? How do they think?
What role does our product play? A guide, a coach, a partner?
What promise does it make? What’s the value it delivers, and where are its boundaries?
How do we want people to feel? Supported, inspired, in control?
These questions aren’t window dressing. They’re the foundation that generative AI products are built on. If the answers are strong, the product will feel intentional—like it was designed with purpose and care. If they’re weak, the cracks will show.
So, let’s get sharper. Let’s treat strategy not as a box to check, but as the living, breathing core of what we build. Let’s give ourselves better tools to articulate it—simple frameworks, shared language, and clarity of purpose that runs through every part of the product.
Let’s hold ourselves to a higher standard, because we need one. AI doesn’t let us fake it. It doesn’t let us paper over poor thinking or undefined intent. It makes our strategy visible—and that’s a gift, if we’re ready to accept it.
What a time to be a product thinker. For years, we’ve worked in abstractions, trusting that strategy would trickle down into the final product. Now, AI brings strategy to life. It makes it dynamic and visible. It makes product thinking the central, active force in how systems behave.
That’s the opportunity. We get to design tools that are not just functional, but intentional. We get to build systems that are aligned with our users—meeting their needs, respecting their boundaries, and acting with clarity and care.
It’s a challenge, yes. But it’s also a call to do what we’ve always wanted: to build products that reflect the best of our thinking, and products that help people feel like the best versions of themselves.
Signal Path
AI is reshaping the way we design—our products, our tools, our jobs. Signal Path is a weekly exploration of the challenges and opportunities in making AI products intuitive, trustworthy, and a little more human. Written by Andrew Sims, a design leader working in Fintech, it’s for designers, product thinkers, and technologists grappling with AI’s impact on their work and the products they make. I’m not claiming to have all the answers—this is a way to think through ideas, articulate challenges, and learn as I go. Thank you for joining me as I navigate this path.