Designing the 10-second decision moment between an AI agent asking for approval and a business owner confidently tapping back.
As AI agents evolve from simply chatting to actively taking actions for businesses, the challenge is no longer just automation — it’s trust.
This project explores how SMB owners can stay in control of high-stakes AI actions without slowing down their workflow.
Instead of limiting the experience to a simple Approve / Deny, we designed a mobile-first approval system that supports:
- quick approvals,
- conditions,
- modifications,
- AI guidance,
- takeovers,
- deferrals,
- and learning loops.
Arjun Mehta — Manager of The Willow Boutique Hotel, handling guests mid-shift.
Maria Gonzalez — Returning guest requesting a booking change and room upgrade through WhatsApp.
Lily — The hotel’s AI assistant.
Lily checks availability and pricing, but since the booking upgrade exceeds the auto-approval threshold, the request is escalated to Arjun.
Arjun receives a lock screen notification:
🏨 Lily needs your call
Maria G. · Booking change + upgrade · +€255 · June 7–10He taps and sees a fast, glanceable approval interface.
Maria Gonzalez ★ Returning Guest (3rd stay)
────────────────────────────────────────────────────
CURRENT → REQUESTED
June 3–5 June 7–10
Standard Room Garden Suite
€180 total €435 total
────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+€255
[ 🟢 Low Risk ]
────────────────────────────────────────────────────
What would you like Lily to do?The owner sees only what matters:
- action,
- customer history,
- pricing impact,
- and risk level.
Additional details are revealed progressively only when needed.
The system supports a full spectrum of responses:
- ✅ Quick Approve
- 🔢 Approve with Conditions
- 💬 Whisper to the AI
- ✏️ Modify Request
- 👋 Take Over Personally
- ⏰ Defer
- ❌ Deny with Reason
This creates collaboration between human judgment and AI automation.
While the owner decides, Lily keeps the customer informed naturally:
“Thanks for your patience — I’m just confirming a few details for you.”
This prevents silence from feeling like failure.
After repeated approvals, Lily learns preferences over time:
“Should I auto-approve future upgrade requests under €300 for returning guests?”
The AI gradually becomes more personalized and trustworthy.
- Mobile-first interaction design
- Notification UX
- Progressive disclosure
- Emotional trust
- Human-AI collaboration
- Failure handling
- Adaptive automation
The future of AI products is not just about automation.
It’s about designing moments where humans and AI can make decisions together — quickly, confidently, and naturally.
This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.