Establishing meaningful defaults

Default settings in AI interfaces are what users see first when they start using the system. Good defaults work well for most people without any changes needed. They represent the designer's best guess of what will satisfy most users in common situations. Creating good defaults requires learning about typical users through research. While it might seem ideal to personalize everything for each user, starting with settings that work well for most people reduces mental effort. Look at which settings produce good results for the largest number of users. The few users with special needs can still adjust settings if needed. Defaults should also consider safety and ethics. In generative AI, default settings usually prioritize safe, reliable outputs over maximum creativity. Privacy settings often start with more protection, even if some users might prefer to share more data for better features. Remember that defaults influence user behavior. Users often keep the default settings even if they aren't perfect because changing settings takes extra effort.