Contextual Ingress

Overview

Contextual Ingresses serve as entry points to AI capabilities that are directly integrated within a user’s specific workflow, task, or page content. Unlike the Global Ingress pattern, these are not always present but appear when AI can offer relevant, targeted assistance for the user’s immediate context. They proactively guide users, offer shortcuts for content generation, and provide help within focused tasks like completing a form in a modal.

Usage Guidance

When To Use This Pattern

• To proactively guide users toward common or high-value interactions with an AI assistant.
• When assistance is specific to a particular page, section, or contained workflow and needs to be offered in context.
• To present timely, AI-powered suggestions or shortcuts relevant to a user’s current view or task.
• To offer a primary, high-demand AI content generation feature directly within a rich text editor.
• To offer targeted guidance or suggested autofills related to a specific field or UI object.

When To Use Something Else

• For presenting critical system alerts or errors that demand immediate user attention without an intermediary AI step.
• For interrupting focused, multi-step tasks like data entry with non-critical suggestions.
• In situations that require comprehensive help or detailed instructions not suitable for a small tip.
• For contexts outside of a rich text editing or content creation interface.

Variants

Contextual Header Icon Button

The Contextual Header Icon Button provides a dedicated entry point to Workday Assistant from within the header of a Modal or other situations in which access to the Global Header Icon Button is obscured, typically due to an overlay or scrim. This component provides immediate access to conversational assistance, allowing users to ask both context-specific and context-agnostic questions without ever leaving their current task or interrupting their workflow.

Anatomy

The Contextual Header Icon Button consists of the following:

• Container: Houses the contents of the Button
• Icon: A visual indicator representing Workday Assistant.

Usage Guidance

• Ensure the icon clearly affords interaction to launch Workday Assistant.
• Taking action on the Button should always open the Workday Assistant Panel.

When to Use

• Use to provide access to Workday Assistant when a user is in a Modal or in other situations in which access to the Global Header Icon Button is not accessible, typically due to an overlay or scrim.
• To offer the means to invoke the Conversational Panel to get contextual help specific to a particular workflow or data set presented in a Modal.
• To offer the means to invoke the Conversational Panel to execute quick actions through Workday Assistant relevant to the current screen’s content.
• To present an unobtrusive means to access help resources without cluttering the primary interface of the focused task.
• Situations where immediate, AI-powered conversational assistance can significantly improve task completion rates or user understanding.
• Answer context-agnostic questions on the spot to keep users in their workflow and focused on their task and reduce task abandonment rates.

When to Use Something Else

• A different form of contextual help, such as inline instructions or a help link, is more appropriate for the user’s needs in that specific scenario.

Best Practices

• Do provide a Tooltip that appears on hover to inform the user of the Button’s function, such as “Open Workday Assistant”.

• Do position the button consistently within the header of a modal, specifically to the left of the “X” (Close) button.

• Don’t use it in a way that clutters the primary interface; it is meant to be an unobtrusive way to access help.

Product Examples

Inverse Contextual Header Icon Button

The Inverse Contextual Header Icon Button is a specialized variant of the standard Contextual Header Icon Button. It is designed to maintain optimal color contrast and visibility when placed on dark backgrounds or within dark-themed UI components, such as modals or overlays. This variant ensures that users can consistently access the Workday Assistant, even when the global header is obscured due to an overlay or scrim, by providing an alternative color scheme that meets accessibility standards for dark interfaces.

Intended Use

This variant is intended for use in situations where the standard Contextual Header Icon Button would not meet color contrast requirements against dark backgrounds, such as dark-themed modals or overlays. It ensures visibility and accessibility of the Workday Assistant entry point in diverse visual contexts.

Anatomy

1. Default State: When the Workday Assistant Conversation Panel is closed, the inverse variant button receives an ‘inverse’ fill, making it a prominent and easily identifiable target. The “Core/Sparkle Assistant” icon itself receives the strongest primary background fill.
2. Hover State: Upon hover, the “Illuminate” gradient sweeps across the icon, and the sparkle spins 180 degrees.
3. Active State: On click, the “Illuminate” gradient extends outwards, illuminating the Button with a glow. This illumination effect indicates that the Workday Assistant conversation panel is currently active and engaged. The button receives the strongest primary background fill.

Usage Guidance

When to Use

• To provide access to Workday Assistant within dark-themed modals or other UI elements with dark backgrounds where the standard icon button would have insufficient color contrast.
• To ensure accessibility for all users by meeting WCAG color contrast guidelines on dark surfaces.
• When the global header icon button is obscured by an overlay or scrim, and immediate access to conversational assistance is required within a dark-themed context.

When to Use Something Else

• When the background is light or of a color that provides sufficient contrast with the standard (dark) Contextual Header Icon Button.
• When the global header is always visible and accessible, and there is no need for a dedicated contextual entry point.

Best Practices

• Ensure the icon receives a lighter, inverse fill to stand out prominently against the dark button container and background.

• Maintain the “Core/Sparkle Assistant” icon to ensure consistent brand recognition across all variants.

• Apply the defined hover and active states (“Illuminate” gradient, sparkle spin, and glow) to provide clear visual feedback, adapting them to work effectively on a dark background.

• Treat this button as a toggle to open and close the Assistant panel from the same control.

• Don’t use this variant on light backgrounds, as it would likely result in poor contrast and a cluttered or visually jarring appearance.

• Don’t modify the icon’s shape or core animation beyond adapting its color and gradient for dark backgrounds, as this breaks recognition.

• Don’t place the button in arbitrary or inconsistent locations within a dark UI; stick to dedicated header areas (Modals, View/Edit pages) or approved contextual placements.

• Don’t duplicate this button within a single view, as it creates confusion about the primary entry point to the Assistant.

Suggested Prompt Buttons

Suggested Prompts are interactive, contextual Buttons that proactively suggest relevant queries and actions, guiding users to the right AI capabilities for a faster and more intuitive experience.

Anatomy

• Container: Houses the contents of the Button. Button container grows with the text, which wraps according to the width of its parent container, for example the fixed width of the Assistant Panel or the Search Typeahead.
• Icon (Conditional): Visual indicator positioned to the left of the text within the Button. Offers immediate visual context for the suggested prompt or action. An arrow is used for all Suggested Prompt ingresses unless the Button is in a QuickTip Popup.
• Label: A clear and concise text description of the suggested query or action. Labels should articulate the button’s function, typically starting with a verb or forming a verb-noun phrase (e.g., “View my recent payslips,” “Generate team status report”). Text should be written in sentence case. Note that although these Suggested Prompts are currently manually authored, these prompts will soon be automatically generated by the LLM to ensure recommendations remain highly contextual and relevant.

Usage Guidance

When to Use

• Anticipate user needs by providing smart, contextual prompts that guide them toward common and high-value conversations with Workday Assistant.
• Provide starting points that also serve as examples of well-written queries, helping users learn to formulate complex prompts more effectively.
• Accelerate task completion by providing direct shortcuts to relevant information or AI-driven actions.
• To introduce users to new or underutilized AI features by suggesting them contextually.
• To offer logical next steps or related actions based on the user’s current step in a workflow.
• To enhance user engagement by proactively surfacing relevant AI capabilities.

When to Use Something Else

• Situations requiring detailed, free-form text input from the user that cannot be encapsulated by pre-defined prompts.
• To present critical system alerts, errors, or notifications that demand immediate and direct user attention without an intermediary AI step.
• To display static, non-interactive information or content that does not logically lead to an AI-driven query or action.
• Instances where the number of potential or relevant suggestions is excessively large, making a button-based selection impractical or overwhelming.
• Workflows that require user confirmation or further input before an AI assistant should be invoked. The output of a Suggested Prompt should be made immediately available to the user.

Best Practices

• Ensure suggestions remain highly relevant to the user’s immediate task or the data they are currently viewing. If Suggested Prompts become stale or irrelevant, the user will learn to ignore them.

• Verify that any AI-generated suggestions adapt appropriately to changes in the user’s context or workflow.

• Ensure Prompt labels are clear and concise, and communicate the outcome of taking action on the Button.

• Offer a limited and manageable number of suggestions (typically 1-3) to prevent choice paralysis.

• Position these buttons in a noticeable yet unobtrusive manner, where users would naturally look for contextual actions or assistance.

• Maintain consistency in the styling and placement of suggested prompt buttons across different parts of the application.

• Employ icons strategically to aid rapid recognition and comprehension of the suggested action or query.

• Don’t use Suggested Prompts to replace primary navigation elements or core application functionalities that users expect to access directly.

• Don’t offer suggestions that are too generic, lack specific relevance to the user’s current context, or provide minimal value.

Product Examples

Global Search Results

The AI-powered Top Result Card in Global Search prominently displays direct answers or summarized insights generated by AI in response to a user’s query. Positioned at the top of search results, this card aims to provide immediate value by offering concise information and suggesting relevant follow-up questions or actions through Contextual Suggested Prompt Buttons, streamlining information discovery.

Anatomy

The Global Search Top Result Card component typically includes:

1. Card Container: The distinct UI element that groups the AI-generated answer and related actions, displayed prominently at the top of the search results page.
2. AI-Generated Answer/Insight: The core text content, providing a direct answer, summary, or key insight derived by AI in response to the user’s search query.
3. Source Attribution (Optional yet Recommended): A brief mention or link indicating the source(s) of the information used by AI to generate the answer, enhancing transparency and trust.
4. Contextual Suggested Prompt Buttons: A set of interactive buttons or links offering relevant follow-up questions or actions. Examples: “Explain in more detail,” “View related reports,” “Define [term from answer]”. Labels typically start with a verb or are verb-noun phrases. Icons, if used, appear to the left of the text. There’ll be an “Ask a Follow-up” button to open the side panel without a pre-existing prompt.

Usage Guidance

• Ensure the Top Result Card is clearly distinguishable from standard search results.
• The AI-generated answer should be concise, directly addressing the user’s likely intent.
• Suggested prompt buttons should offer relevant, logical next steps for the user.
• Prioritize displaying a Top Result Card when AI can provide a confident, accurate, and significantly more direct answer than standard results alone.
• Provide a mechanism for users to proceed to the full list of search results easily.

When to Use

• Presenting a direct, AI-synthesized answer to a factual or “what is” type of query (e.g., “What is Workday’s travel policy for international trips?”).
• Offering a concise AI-generated summary when a search query spans multiple data sources or returns extensive information that can be distilled (e.g., “Summarize recent updates on Project Phoenix”).
• Guiding users toward deeper exploration or related actions by providing relevant follow-up prompts based on the initial query and the AI-generated answer.
• Situations where an AI can extract and present key information or insights more efficiently than a user sifting through multiple result links.
• Augmenting search results with readily available, actionable information derived from structured data or knowledge bases.
• Providing direct access to personal data from a report or profile, such as displaying details from the user’s last payslip.

When to Use Something Else

• User queries that typically return a single, definitive, and easily accessible link or transactional item (e.g., searching for a specific known report by its exact name).
• Instances where the AI cannot generate a sufficiently accurate or reliable answer, or where ambiguity in the query makes a summary potentially misleading.
• Displaying simple lists of navigable search results where no summarization or direct AI answer adds significant value (e.g., a search for “all active employees in finance”).
• Cases where the query is highly subjective or opinion-based, and an AI-generated answer might not be appropriate.
• When the user’s intent is clearly exploratory and benefits more from Browse a diverse set of results rather than a single summarized answer.

Examples

• Policy Clarification Search: A Workday user searches “What is the company policy on remote work?” The Top Result Card prominently displays: “Workday’s remote work policy allows eligible employees to work remotely up to 3 days a week, subject to manager approval and role suitability. [Source: Employee Handbook, p. 12].” Contextual Suggested Prompt Buttons might include “View full remote work policy,” “Check my eligibility,” and “Find remote work request form.”
• Financial Data Inquiry: A finance manager searches “Q1 revenue performance for North America.” The Top Result Card could show: “North America Q1 revenue was $15.2M, a 5% increase YoY, primarily driven by software subscriptions. [Source: Financial Data Mart].” Suggested prompts could be “Compare with EMEA Q1 revenue,” “View detailed revenue breakdown,” and “See Q1 expense report for NA.”
• HCM Process Guidance: An employee searches “How to update my personal contact information?” The Top Result Card provides: “To update your contact information, navigate to Personal Information > Contact Information and select Edit. [Source: Workday Help Portal - Article #402].” Suggested prompts might include “Go to Personal Information,” “What information can I update?,” and “Who to contact for help?”
• ** Admin Search for Preventing Duplicate Work**: A Workday Administrator receives a request for a new report on recruiting effectiveness. Before building it, they search “report on average time to fill by the recruiter for last year.” The Top Result Card provides: “The standard report ‘Recruiting Activity - Time to Fill’ already provides this data. It can be filtered by date and the results can be grouped by ‘Recruiter’. [Source: Workday Standard Report Library].” Suggested prompts might include “Run ‘Recruiting Activity - Time to Fill’ report,” “Share this report’s details,” and “Show custom reports using

Feature Highlight

The Feature Highlight is a page-level notification originating from the Workday Assistant Global Header icon. Its purpose is to introduce users to the Conversational Panel and other Generative AI features, providing a clear entry point to relevant AI assistance and specific Assistant capabilities. The user can opt to dismiss the Popup so that it doesn’t appear again.

Anatomy

1. Container: Houses text and buttons.
2. Caret: Visually points to the Global Header Icon Button.
3. Close: Button to dismiss Popup.
4. Heading
5. Body: Supplemental description. Explains capability in greater detail.
6. Button Group: Selecting the Primary Button will execute the Assistant capability. Selecting the Secondary Button will dismiss the Popup during that user’s session.

Usage Guidance

• A few Feature Highlight variants support different purposes.:
  • First Time: a generic message that introduces users to new Generative AI features and encourages them to try it out to drive engagement.
  • Autofill: notifies the user that the Assistant can automatically fill in information to complete the current task faster.
  • Walkthrough: informs the user that the Assistant can provide step-by-step guidance on this page.

When to Use

• To present timely, AI-powered suggestions relevant to the user’s current view or task.
• To offer a shortcut to an AI capability that directly enhances the user’s current context or workflow.
• To guide users toward more efficient methods of task completion using AI assistance available for their workflow.

When to Use Something Else

• Situations where a more persistent or prominent form of guidance, like an embedded banner or a dedicated help section, is more appropriate.

Best Practices

• Do provide action Buttons to allow the user to engage with Workday Assistant and its capability or dismiss it.

• Do ensure suggestions are highly relevant to the user’s current page or task flow.

• Maintain a clear and concise message, enabling users to quickly understand the value proposition.

• Provide a single, clear call to action that directly relates to the suggestion.

• Should appear in a way that is noticeable but not overly disruptive to the user’s workflow.

• Do offer an easily discoverable way to dismiss the popup.

• Don’t use to alert the user of critical system alerts requiring immediate and mandatory user action.

• Don’t use to communicate general announcements or information not specific to the user’s immediate context.

• Don’t interrupt focused, multi-step tasks (e.g., data entry forms) with non-critical suggestions or suggestions that might not be helpful to the user’s task at hand.

Product Examples

AI-Generated QuickTip

AI-Generated QuickTips are an AI-powered contextual hint tied to specific UI fields that appear on tasks supported by Workday Assistant. They deliver targeted guidance, suggest autofills, provide action prompts for deeper AI engagement (e.g., with Workday Assistant), or directly offer an AI enhancement. This component aims to give immediate, element-specific assistance and create a pathway for more extensive AI interaction related to that element.

Anatomy

The AI-Generated QuickTip component typically consists of:

1. QuickTip Badge: Interactive icon to view QuickTip.
2. Container: Houses QuickTip content and buttons.
3. Generated Title: Ideally matches the label of the element the QuickTip is tied to.
4. Close: Button to close Popup.
5. Generated Content (Conditional): The initial release of AI-Generated QuickTips includes generated rich text only, although future iterations may include generated imagery, video, links and ML suggestions.
6. Workday Assistant Ingress: Button that opens the Assistant Side Panel, presenting the user with Suggested Prompts relevant to the QuickTip and prompting them to ask their own queries.

Usage Guidance

• Ensure the AI-Generated QuickTip is directly relevant to the UI element it stems from.
• Keep the text extremely brief and easily scannable.
• Provide clear, actionable CTAs, such as suggesting an autofill or a prompt for an AI assistant.
• AI-Generated QuickTips should be placed beside the supported form field, providing help without disrupting user flow.
• The mechanism to engage with or dismiss the tip should be straightforward.

When to Use

• Offering a specific, AI-generated suggestion for a single input field (e.g., suggesting a recommended value).
• Giving a succinct piece of AI-powered advice for completing a particular field or aspect within an overall task or flow.
• Guiding users to a more in-depth AI interaction (like Workday Assistant) with a pre-contextualized prompt related to a specific UI object.

When to Use Something Else

• Situations requiring comprehensive help, detailed instructions, or extensive documentation.
• Displaying information or suggestions that are not directly tied to a specific, focused UI element.
• Presenting multiple complex actions, choices, or a series of suggestions simultaneously.
• Communicating critical system status, errors, or validation messages requiring immediate, direct attention.
• When the guidance involves a broader workflow or concept rather than a pinpointed UI interaction.
• Instances where a user explicitly requests help through a dedicated help mechanism.

Examples

• Expense Report Field Autofill: When a user is filling out an expense report and focuses on the “Merchant Name” field after entering a date and location, if Assistant is supported on this task, an AI-Generated QuickTip might appear: “Popular nearby? Suggestion: The Corner Cafe.” It could offer an “Autofill Merchant” button and a “See more options” link that opens Workday Assistant with context.
• HCM Skill Suggestion: While an employee is updating their profile in Human Capital Management and hovers over an empty “Skills” field, if Assistant is supported on the task, an AI-Generated QuickTip could appear with multiple ML generated suggestions, including: “Based on your role ‘Senior Analyst’, add ‘Data Analysis’?” with an “Add Skill” button or a “Suggest more skills” link to an AI-powered skill recommender.

Floating AI Action Button (FAAB)

The Floating AI Action Button (FAAB) is a flexible, multicomponent button that can be used in any text field or text area within Workday. It enables your application to generate text based on prompts you define and context pulled directly from the page.

Anatomy

The Floating AI Action Button (FAAB) component includes:

1. Primary Prompt Button: The Primary Prompt Button serves as the default, most impactful starting point for content generation within a field. Use it to provide the single, primary action that helps users quickly achieve optimal results.
2. Prompt Button & Menu: Once the text field contains content, the Primary Prompt Button transforms into a smaller Prompt Action Button. Clicking this button reveals a menu, which provides a range of options for further content generation and refinement.

Usage Guidance

• Position the FAAB in the bottom right corner of a text area.
• When the text field is empty the Primary Prompt Button should be displayed with the intended user action as the button text.
• When a text field is blank, the Primary Prompt Button should be visible, displaying the desired user action (the prompt) as its label.
• When the text area is populated with text, the Primary Prompt Button transforms into a smaller Prompt Action Button.
  • If only one prompt exists, on hover the tooltip will display the desired user action (the prompt).
  • When there’s just a single prompt available, hovering over it will reveal a tooltip that shows the expected user action, which is the prompt itself.
  • If multiple prompts exist, clicking this button reveals a menu, which provides a range of options for further content generation and refinement.

When to Use

• Offering a high-demand AI content generation or refinement feature directly within a text area.
• Enabling users to easily initiate AI-powered adjustments to their written content, such as changing the tone or improving clarity.
• Streamlining the initial step of content creation by allowing users to generate a first draft with AI.
• Presenting a clear starting point for users to engage with generative AI capabilities related to text they are actively working on.

When to Use Something Else

• For use cases that require a conversation back and forth between the LLM.
• Contexts outside of a rich text editing or content creation interface.
• Creating charts or other non-text, multi modal content.
• Performing standard text editing functions like bold, italics, or formatting, which belong in a traditional editor toolbar.

Best Practices

• Always place the FAAB in the bottom right corner of the text area.

• When the text field is empty, clearly label the Primary Prompt Button with the most impactful user action.

• Once content is present, transform the Primary Prompt Button into the smaller Prompt Action Button.

• For single prompts, show a clear tooltip with the expected user action when hovering over the Prompt Action Button.

• When multiple prompts exist, offer a well-organized menu of further content generation and refinement options.

• Don’t replace typical text editing functions like bold or italics with the FAAB.

• Don’t use the FAAB in a way that is disruptive to the user’s workflow.

Product Examples