Designing an AI-Assisted Workflow for Wix Channel Partners
This case study details the user-centric design process for an AI-powered content generation feature, aimed at transforming the manual workflow of Wix channels who build websites at scale.
THE PROBLEM
Wix Channels partners are agencies and companies who build and manage large numbers of websites for their clients. Through user research, we identified a major pain point in their fulfillment process: the manual transfer of content.
Partners would receive business information from their clients in various formats (forms, documents, etc.) and then painstakingly copy and paste this text into the new website templates. This process was described as a "velocity killer," as it was not only incredibly time-consuming but also prone to human errors like incorrect pasting or lost information. The average time to get a site ready was approximately 50 days, a metric we aimed to decrease.
The UX Challenge: Designing for Trust and Agency
The challenge was more than just automating a task. We needed to answer a key UX question: How might we use AI to drastically accelerate the content creation process while ensuring our users feel empowered and in control, not replaced by the technology?
The goal was to design a feature that felt like a collaboration between the user and the AI, where the AI does the heavy lifting and the user provides the crucial guidance and final approval.
The Input: Setting the AI up for Success
The user's journey begins after they select a custom template for a new client project.
The user is presented with two clear options: "Create from default content" or the new AI-powered choice, "Generate content". This simple choice architecture makes the new feature discoverable without disrupting the existing workflow.
When "Generate content" is selected, the user is prompted to upload a business information file. To ensure the best possible output from the AI, the UI provides clear guidelines on supported file types, recommended fonts, and simple layouts. This step is a critical part of the user experience, as it manages expectations and helps the user give the AI the best chance of success.
The Trust Indicator: Making the Process Transparent
To build user trust, it's vital to communicate what the system is doing.
After uploading a file, the user is taken to their main dashboard where the new site appears with a "Generating content" loader. The site is not editable during this time. This visual feedback is crucial; it manages user expectations about the time required and makes the AI's process transparent rather than a "black box."
The "Human in the Loop" Handoff
The success banner includes an "Edit site" button, serving as an explicit handoff from the AI back to the human user. We intentionally did not make the AI's output final and published.
This checkpoint places the user in the role of an editor and approver. They are empowered to review all the AI-generated copy, make any necessary refinements, and use their expertise to finalize the site before it's published.
Final Outcome
By focusing on a user-centric design that prioritizes transparency, guidance, and user agency, we transformed a frustrating manual process into a fast and collaborative AI-assisted workflow. This feature allows Wix Channel partners to significantly decrease the time it takes to build a content-complete website, while ensuring they always maintain the high level of quality and control their clients expect.
Key takeaways: for AI automation to be successful and adopted by expert users, the design must prioritize their sense of control and trust.