Why Mel isn't a chatbot

When I originally began ideating with Mel, I was tempted to create a chat bot. I was also wrong.

When you open a chat box, the app is asking you to do the work. It’s saying: tell me what you want, in your words, and I’ll go figure it out. That’s a fine trade for a coding assistant or a research tool. It isn’t a fine trade for a working mom with ten seconds and three hands.

Mel is a dashboard. She prefers deterministic, reliable information over potential mistakes that are common with current AI models. Our highest priority is providing moms with accurate information when they need it so we’ve been very selective about where AI is applied. Mel is meant to be your assistant. She listens, she takes notes, and she gets out of the way as quickly as possible. The interface is opinionated. The buttons say what they do.

A chatbot might feel clever, but Mel knows you’re busy and is here to get the job done.

That’s the difference.