Improve AI Suggestions UI/UX: GitHub Diff View
In the realm of modern software development, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming a valuable assistant, offering suggestions and improvements to code. However, the effectiveness of these suggestions hinges not only on their accuracy but also on the user experience (UI/UX) of presenting them. A well-designed UI/UX can significantly enhance a developer's workflow, while a poorly designed one can lead to confusion and frustration. This article delves into the challenges of the current AI suggestion UI and proposes enhancements centered around a GitHub PR-style diff view with a unified display.
The Problem with the Current AI Suggestion UI
The current AI suggestion UI suffers from several usability issues that hinder its effectiveness. Addressing these issues is crucial for creating a seamless and intuitive experience for developers. Let's break down the key problems:
Split Display: A Source of Visual Confusion
Currently, AI suggestions are presented in a split format, which divides the suggestion into two distinct parts. The first part typically consists of an explanation of the suggestion, often formatted as "*** Begin Patch." The second part is the code block itself, which includes syntax highlighting. This separation creates a visual disconnect, forcing the user to mentally piece together the explanation and the code. This split display can be particularly confusing for complex suggestions, making it difficult for developers to quickly grasp the proposed changes. The lack of visual cohesion increases cognitive load and detracts from the overall user experience. To truly improve the AI suggestion UI, we need a unified display that presents all relevant information in a single, cohesive view.
Non-GitHub-Style Diff: A Departure from Familiarity
One of the most significant drawbacks of the current UI is its deviation from the familiar GitHub PR review UI. The current format employs custom markers like "*** Begin Patch," which are not widely recognized or used in standard code review workflows. This departure from established conventions can create a learning curve for developers and make it harder for them to quickly understand the suggested changes. GitHub's PR review UI, with its unified diff view and +/- indicators, has become an industry standard for code review. By adopting this familiar format, we can leverage developers' existing knowledge and intuition, making the AI suggestion UI more accessible and efficient. The transition to a GitHub-style diff view is crucial for improving the usability and acceptance of AI-driven code suggestions.
Unnecessary Scrollbar: A Minor but Annoying Obstacle
A seemingly minor but persistent issue is the presence of an unnecessary scrollbar in the suggestion area. Even for short code snippets that easily fit within the viewport, the scrollbar appears, creating visual clutter and a sense of incompleteness. This behavior is distracting and detracts from the overall polished feel of the UI. The scrollbar should only be visible when the content exceeds the available space, providing a clear indication that scrolling is necessary. Implementing smart scrollbar behavior, where the scrollbar is hidden when not needed, can significantly improve the visual aesthetics and usability of the AI suggestion UI.
Poor Visual Continuity: A Challenge for Contextual Understanding
The current UI struggles to establish a strong visual connection between the suggested changes and the surrounding context code. This lack of visual continuity makes it challenging for developers to understand how the changes fit into the larger code structure. Without adequate context, it's difficult to assess the impact and validity of the suggestions. Implementing a GitHub-style diff view can help address this issue by displaying context lines (unchanged code) alongside the changes. This provides developers with the necessary context to evaluate the suggestions effectively. Better visual continuity is essential for fostering trust and confidence in the AI's suggestions.
Desired Behavior: A Vision for Improvement
To address the shortcomings of the current AI suggestion UI, we envision a set of desired behaviors that will create a more intuitive and efficient user experience. These improvements are centered around a unified display, a GitHub PR-style diff view, smart scrollbar behavior, and better context integration.
Unified Display Box: A Single Source of Truth
The core of our vision is a unified display box that consolidates all relevant information into a single, cohesive UI component. This component should include a description or explanation section at the top, followed by the suggested code changes in a unified diff format below. This clear visual hierarchy within a single container will eliminate the confusion caused by the current split display. By presenting the explanation and the code changes together, developers can quickly grasp the suggestion and its implications. A unified display box will significantly enhance the clarity and usability of the AI suggestion UI.
GitHub PR-Style Diff View: Embracing Industry Standards
Adopting the familiar GitHub/GitLab style unified diff format is crucial for improving the usability of the AI suggestion UI. This format has become an industry standard for code review, and developers are already accustomed to its conventions. The key elements of this view include: showing context lines (unchanged code) in a neutral color, highlighting removed lines with a red background and a "-" prefix, and highlighting added lines with a green background and a "+" prefix. Additionally, including line numbers for easy reference will further enhance the clarity and precision of the suggestions. By embracing the GitHub PR-style diff view, we can leverage developers' existing knowledge and make the AI suggestions more accessible and understandable.
Smart Scrollbar Behavior: Keeping the UI Clean and Focused
To enhance the visual aesthetics and usability of the UI, we propose implementing smart scrollbar behavior. This means hiding the scrollbar when the code fits within the viewport and only displaying it when scrolling is necessary. This subtle but important improvement will reduce visual clutter and create a more polished user experience. By ensuring that the scrollbar is only visible when needed, we can keep the focus on the code and the suggestions themselves. Smart scrollbar behavior contributes to a cleaner, more efficient, and more professional AI suggestion UI.
Better Context Integration: Providing the Big Picture
To foster trust and confidence in the AI's suggestions, it's essential to provide adequate context. This means showing sufficient context lines before and after the changes, allowing developers to see how the suggestions fit into the larger code structure. Visual indicators can also be used to highlight the location of the changes within the file. By providing a clear view of the context, developers can more effectively evaluate the suggestions and assess their impact. Better context integration is crucial for making AI suggestions a valuable and trusted tool for software development.
Example of Desired Format: A Glimpse into the Future
To illustrate the desired format, consider the following example, which showcases how a suggested change might be presented in a GitHub PR-style diff view:
File: analysis.R
Lines 5-8
plot(mtcars$mpg, mtcars$hp,
main = "MPG vs Horsepower",
col = "steelblue",
pch = 19)
-abline(lm(hp ~ mpg, data = mtcars), col = "red", lwd = 2)
+abline(lm(hp ~ mpg, data = mtcars), col = "blue", lwd = 2)
This example demonstrates how the unified diff format, with its context lines, +/- indicators, and syntax highlighting, can provide a clear and concise view of the suggested change. The context lines allow developers to see where the change fits within the code, while the +/- indicators clearly highlight the added and removed lines. This format is both familiar and intuitive, making it easy for developers to understand and evaluate the suggestion.
Implementation Considerations: Navigating the Technical Landscape
Implementing the desired improvements to the AI suggestion UI will require careful consideration of various technical factors. Here are some key considerations to keep in mind:
Research GitHub's Diff Rendering CSS/Components
To ensure a faithful implementation of the GitHub PR-style diff view, it's essential to research GitHub's diff rendering CSS and components. This will provide valuable insights into the styling and structure of the diff view, allowing us to create a UI that closely resembles the familiar GitHub experience. By studying GitHub's approach, we can leverage their expertise and create a high-quality and consistent user experience.
Consider Using Existing Diff Libraries
Several excellent diff libraries are available, such as react-diff-view and diff2html, which can simplify the implementation of the diff view. These libraries provide pre-built components and functions for generating and rendering diffs, saving valuable development time and effort. By leveraging existing libraries, we can focus on the overall UI/UX design and integration, rather than reinventing the wheel.
Ensure Responsive Design
In today's multi-device world, it's crucial to ensure that the AI suggestion UI is responsive and adapts seamlessly to different screen sizes. This means designing the UI to be flexible and adaptable, so it looks and functions well on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices. A responsive design will ensure that all users have a positive experience, regardless of their device.
Maintain Accessibility Standards
Accessibility is a critical consideration in any UI design. The AI suggestion UI should be designed to be accessible to users with disabilities, following established accessibility standards such as WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). This includes providing alternative text for images, ensuring sufficient color contrast, and making the UI navigable with a keyboard. By prioritizing accessibility, we can create a more inclusive and user-friendly experience for everyone.
Test with Various Code Snippet Lengths
Thorough testing is essential to ensure that the AI suggestion UI functions correctly and provides a good user experience for code snippets of varying lengths. This includes testing with short snippets, long snippets, and snippets with complex changes. By testing with a variety of scenarios, we can identify and address any potential issues and ensure that the UI is robust and reliable.
Priority: A Critical Enhancement
The priority for improving the AI suggestion UI is P0 (Demo Critical). The current UI/UX significantly impacts user perception during demos, as it is a core feature that users interact with frequently. The current implementation creates friction and confusion, detracting from the overall user experience. Addressing these issues is crucial for showcasing the full potential of AI-driven code suggestions.
Estimated Time and Difficulty
The estimated time for implementing these improvements is 6-8 hours, and the difficulty is rated as ⭐⭐⭐ (Complex). This is due to the need for UI/UX redesign, component refactoring, and CSS work. However, the benefits of these improvements far outweigh the effort required.
Conclusion: A Path to a Better User Experience
Improving the AI suggestion UI/UX is essential for making AI a valuable and trusted tool for software development. By adopting a GitHub PR-style diff view with a unified display, we can create a more intuitive, efficient, and user-friendly experience for developers. This will not only enhance their workflow but also foster greater trust and confidence in AI-driven code suggestions. The journey towards a better user experience requires careful consideration of design principles, technical implementation, and accessibility standards. By embracing these considerations, we can unlock the full potential of AI in software development.
For more information on UI/UX best practices, consider exploring resources from the Nielsen Norman Group, a trusted authority in the field.
