Verso: Building an AI writing partner that helps you develop your voice
2025
Concept
Verso is an AI-powered writing platform that helps people develop their own voice. Instead of generating text for you, Verso acts as an editor that helps you think through your ideas, find the gaps in your writing, and build your confidence over time.
Starting a new draft
New notes start with a conversation. Users can ask Verso to brainstorm topics or organize their thoughts, and Verso helps the user define their piece by asking questions. Their answers become raw material they can shape into a first draft.
Asking for line-by-line feedback
While working on a draft, users can create a comment that @mentions Verso, just like tagging a collaborator in Google Docs. Verso responds directly in the comment thread with feedback.
Discussing document-level feedback
For longer back-and-forth conversations, users can ask questions in the chat panel. This gives Verso room to offer broader structural suggestions without cluttering the comments section with long threads.
Reviewing a completed draft
Once a draft is complete, users can ask Verso to review the entire piece. Verso flags where an argument needs support, what's working well, or where an idea needs more space. The feedback appears just like notes from an editor.
Designing the AI and user relationship
Through this project I learned that designing with AI involves defining the relationship between the user and the AI. Decisions about naming, presence, and capability all shape how people engage with AI within a product. I developed three principles for designing with AI in Verso:
Make it easy to collaborate
I believe AI is most useful when it enhances the user’s thinking instead of replacing it. Every feature in Verso is designed around collaboration—the user asks, Verso responds, and the user decides what to do next.
Add a human touch
Details like Verso’s handwritten typeface and conversational tone signal that it’s a peer, not just a tool. These choices make it feel natural to engage with Verso the way you would with a real editor.
Give users agency
The user stays in control since Verso only suggests and never replaces the user's writing. This preserve’s the user’s voice and ownership of the piece, which is ultimately what builds the confidence to keep writing.