Global Ingress

Overview

A Global Ingress provides users with consistent, platform-wide entry point to AI capabilities. These are designed to be ubiquitous and always available, offering on-demand access to a system-wide assistant by integrating AI into global components like the header and search. The primary goal is to provide a single, easily recognizable way for users to initiate an interaction with AI, irrespective of their current location within the application.

Usage Guidance

When To Use This Pattern

• To provide ubiquitous, on-demand access to a system-wide assistant or help feature.
• To steer users toward AI capabilities for queries they initiate through a global search bar.
• To offer a consistent entry point for users to perform quick actions or get contextual help without navigating away from their current task.

When To Use Something Else

• When the header is already significantly dense with other critical navigation items.
• When the user’s primary and evident goal is direct navigation to a specific, known page, and AI suggestions might be a distraction.
• If the performance implications of fetching and displaying AI suggestions introduce a noticeable lag in the typeahead experience.

Variants

Global Header Icon Button

The Assistant Icon Button, prominently and persistently located in the global header, is the primary and easily recognizable entry point for the Workday Assistant conversation panel. This dedicated, crucial navigational element ensures users have seamless and immediate access to contextual help, information retrieval, and action execution. It provides this support through a conversational interface, allowing users to get assistance at any point in their workflow without losing the context of their current application.

Anatomy

The Workday Assistant Icon Button utilizes the “Core/Sparkle Assistant” AI extended system icon to represent the AI-powered assistant. To enhance its findability, the Workday Assistant Icon Button is designed to be prominent in its default state. The visual treatment of the Workday Assistant Icon Button is not static, it thoughtfully changes to provide users with immediate feedback on its current state. These states and their typical visual representations include:

1. Default State: State of the Button when the Workday Assistant Conversation Panel is closed. In its default, the button receives the strongest primary background fill, making it a prominent and easily identifiable target in the global header. The “Core/Sparkle Assistant” icon itself receives the ‘inverse’ fill.
2. Hover State: Animation, 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.

Usage Guidance

• The button’s primary function is to open the Workday Assistant conversation panel. Do not use this button for any other purpose than launching the Workday Assistant.
• Ensure the icon button is persistently visible in the global header across all application views.
• Only place the button in the global header or within a dedicated entry point such as the header of a Modal, View page, or Edit page. Refer to the Contextual Header Icon Button for implementation guidance.
• This component functions as a toggle, allowing users to open and close the Assistant panel.
• The button should provide clear visual feedback upon interaction (e.g., hover and active states).

When to Use

• Providing ubiquitous, on-demand access to a system-wide assistant or help feature.
• Offering a consistent entry point for users to perform quick actions or get contextual help without navigating away from their current task.
• Facilitating a conversational user experience as a prominent mode of interaction or support.
• Situations where users benefit from immediate assistance to complete tasks or understand information within any part of the platform.
• Presenting a simple, intuitive way to access a broad range of assistance features.

When to Use Something Else

• A different, more contextual help mechanism (e.g., inline help text, tooltips for specific elements) is more appropriate for the user’s immediate need.
• The primary interaction model for help or actions does not involve a conversational panel or a dedicated assistant.

Best Practices

• Do place the Workday Assistant Icon Button consistently in the global header across all views to ensure predictable and persistent access.

• Do follow defined placement exceptions for Modals and View/Edit pages using the Contextual Header Icon Button variant when the global header is not present.

• Do use the Workday Assistant Icon Button with the defined visual states (default, hover, active)to reinforce recognition and branding consistency.

• Do treat the button as a toggle, allowing users to open and close the Assistant panel from the same control.

• Don’t use the button for any other purpose than launching the Workday Assistant.

• Don’t modify the icon, button, or animation visual treatment, these are standardized for recognizability, brand consistency, and user trust.

• Don’t place the button in inconsistent or arbitrary locations, stick to the global header or approved exceptions only.

• Don’t duplicate the button within a single view, this creates confusion and breaks the expected entry point.

Examples

• Accessing Workday Assistant for Human Capital Management (HCM) Tasks: An employee clicks the Global Header Workday Assistant Icon Button to ask, “How do I submit my timesheet?” or to initiate an action like “Request time off.” The Workday Assistant panel appears, providing guidance or directly enabling the task.
• Utilizing Assistant for Financial Information: A financial analyst, while reviewing dashboards, uses the icon button to activate the Workday Assistant and queries, “Show me the latest expense report for Q2” or “What is the current budget status for the marketing department?” The Workday Assistant retrieves and presents this information within its panel.
• Getting Platform Navigation and General Support: A new user, unsure how to find a specific feature, clicks the Workday Assistant icon button. They can then ask, “Where do I update my personal contact information?” or “Explain how to set up a new supplier.” The Workday Assistant provides direct links or step-by-step instructions.

Global Search Typeahead

The Global Search Typeahead component is enhanced to proactively assist users by integrating AI capabilities directly into the search experience. As users type, it dynamically presents contextual suggested prompt buttons or direct AI-driven answers alongside traditional search suggestions. This aims to provide immediate value, guide users towards efficient AI assistance, and offer quick pathways to information or conversational AI interactions.

Anatomy

1. Search Input Field: Standard text input field where users articulate their search queries by typing.
2. Typeahead Suggestion List: A dynamic panel appearing below the search input, which populates with suggestions as the user types. This list comprises:
   • Most Recent Searches: After the user clicks on the search bar and before they start typing, a list of their most recent searches will appear here (Max 5 items)
   • Traditional Search Suggestions: Conventional suggestions derived from keywords, user history, or popular searches (e.g., direct links to application pages, specific tasks, or relevant reports).
   • AI-Powered Section: A clearly distinguishable area within or adjacent to traditional suggestions, which may feature:
     • Contextual Suggested Prompt Button(s): Interactive button elements designed to propose relevant AI-driven queries or actions based on the user’s input.
       • Icon (Optional): A visual symbol, always positioned to the left within the button, that provides immediate context about the AI suggestion (e.g., a chat bubble icon to indicate a conversational AI pathway, a lightning bolt icon for a quick AI action).
       • Label: Succinct text that describes the suggested AI query or action. Labels should clearly communicate the button’s purpose, often beginning with a verb or structured as a verb-noun phrase (e.g., “Ask Assistant about [user’s typed query],” “Find [user’s typed query] in my files”).
     • Direct AI Answer Snippet (Optional): A concise, AI-generated piece of information or a direct answer displayed prominently within the typeahead. This appears if the system has high confidence in addressing the user’s partially typed query instantly.

Usage Guidance

• Visually distinguish AI-powered suggestions (whether buttons or direct answers) from standard search results within the typeahead list to ensure clarity for the user.
• Confirm that suggested AI prompts are contextually appropriate and highly relevant to the user’s partially entered query and inferred intent.
• Supply direct AI-generated answers in the typeahead only when the confidence in the accuracy and relevance of the answer is exceptionally high for the given partial query. = Restrict the quantity of AI suggestions (prompts or answers) shown at any one time to prevent cluttering the typeahead interface and overwhelming the user.
• Prioritize the performance of AI suggestions so they appear seamlessly and without noticeable delay as the user is typing.
• Furnish unambiguous pathways for users to engage further with AI capabilities, such as a smooth transition to a full conversational interface if an AI-suggested prompt is selected.
• Strive for a harmonious balance between traditional search suggestions and the new AI-powered assistance features.

When to Use

• Proactively steering users to employ AI capabilities for queries they initiate through the global search bar.
• Supplying quick, direct answers to simple factual questions as the user types, where a high-confidence AI response is feasible.
• Presenting users with clear, AI-driven next steps or related queries that are contextually derived from their search terms.
• Creating a more fluid transition for users moving from a traditional keyword search to a conversational AI experience.
• Boosting the visibility, understanding, and adoption of available AI assistance features within the broader platform.
• Aiding users in formulating more effective or comprehensive queries for the AI by suggesting well-structured and relevant prompts.
• Surfacing pertinent AI-driven actions or information snippets that can offer immediate resolution or value for the user’s active search.

When to Use Something Else

• If the performance implications of fetching and displaying AI suggestions introduce a noticeable slowdown or lag in the typeahead experience.
• Circumstances where the user’s typed query is highly ambiguous or too brief, making the generation of relevant AI suggestions or answers impractical within the typeahead.
• When the user knows upfront that they need a complex, highly interactive, multi-turn conversational experience or a dedicated training module that demands their full attention
• Instances where the user’s primary and evident goal is direct navigation to a specific, known page, item, or application task, and AI suggestions might unnecessarily distract.
• Queries that are fundamentally transactional and more effectively handled by immediate, direct navigation or predefined task links rather than AI interpretation at the typeahead stage.
• Situations requiring the presentation of extensive or complex AI-generated content that cannot be adequately or clearly summarized in a concise typeahead snippet.
• Contexts where AI suggestions, based on partial input, might lead to user privacy concerns if sensitive information is inferred or displayed prematurely.
• When traditional search results are overwhelmingly more likely to satisfy the user’s intent, especially for very common navigational or highly specific keyword queries.

Examples

• Human Capital Management (Searching for Employee Information): A manager begins typing “Performance review for…” into the global search bar. The typeahead could display traditional links to performance review templates or policy documents. Concurrently, it might also feature an AI Suggested Prompt Button like “Ask Assistant for [Employee Name]‘s latest performance review summary” or a Direct AI Answer Snippet if the context is clear, such as “John Doe’s review due: Oct 15. Access full review?”
• Financial Information (Querying Expense Details): An employee types “My Q1 travel ex…” in the global search. Alongside standard links to their expense reports or the expense submission system, the typeahead could offer an AI Suggested Prompt Button: “Show my Q1 travel expenses via Assistant” or “Query status of my Q1 expense reports.”
• General Task (Finding a Report or Process): A user types “How to update my add…” into the global search. The typeahead might list direct links to profile update pages. Additionally, an AI Suggested Prompt Button could appear: “Guide me through updating my address with Assistant” or a Direct AI Answer Snippet: “Go to Personal Information > Contact Details to update your address.”
• Admin Finding a Security Role or Permission: An admin types “Assign security ro…” into the global search bar. The typeahead might list direct links to security role assignment pages. Additionally, an AI Suggested Prompt Button could appear: “Guide me through assigning a security role with Assistant” or a Direct AI Answer Snippet: “Go to Security Groups > Assign Roles to Security Group to manage assignments.”