Hey everyone, Mike Ball here! Today, I'm doing a unique onboarding breakdown for Perplexity AI, a product that's a bit different from the usual. Instead of a typical walkthrough, I’m diving into what makes this tool special starting with the fact that they really don't have an onboarding experience.
Perplexity AI functions like a large language model (LLM), but it's structured around a question-and-answer format. When you visit the site, it doesn't bombard you with sign-up requirements. Instead, it takes you straight to the product experience.
As a new user, I’m exploring Perplexity AI in an incognito window, ensuring no prior setup influences my experience. The interface immediately provides useful shortcuts and tools, such as a keyboard shortcut for starting new threads and a 'discover' feature. However, to access certain features like a personal library, you’ll need to create an account.
Now, let’s see Perplexity AI in action. I tried searching for my new hobby, farm animals, Kunikuni pigs. What stood out is how Perplexity AI curates responses, providing images, source links, and detailed snippets. This is incredibly useful for gathering reliable information quickly.
One of the coolest features is the ability to share or copy content directly. You can also edit your questions and get suggestions for follow-up queries, making it a dynamic tool for continuous learning. If you’re on the pro plan, you can even generate images, which adds another layer of utility.
Signing up for an account unlocks additional features like saving threads to collections and setting system prompts for the AI. This makes organizing your research and content much more efficient. For instance, I created a collection for Kunikuni pigs, adding details and even a pig emoji for fun.
From a practical standpoint, Perplexity AI excels in pre-research and content generation. It’s more effective than GPT in finding and integrating high-quality, non-generic content. This saves a lot of time when preparing prompts or writing detailed reports.
Overall, while this wasn’t a traditional onboarding breakdown, it highlighted how Perplexity AI provides immediate access to its core functionalities, making it user-friendly from the start. As AI products evolve, I believe this seamless, intuitive experience will become more common, shifting the focus from initial activation to sustaining user engagement.
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