Stay AI
2026
Giving a friendly face to AI
I designed the character, chat experience and asset system behind Stay AI’s first AI analytics chatbot, and built trust into an AI that was still learning.
Problem
Let's not be just another sparkle or atom icon
During product planning for Stay AI’s in-app chatbot, the initial direction was a fairly standard AI chat experience. Functionally solid, but emotionally neutral. I saw an opportunity to improve the user experience by giving the chatbot a clear personality and face.
I proposed Staylien as the character behind the chat. At the time, sentiment around AI was becoming increasingly negative, with users associating it with job loss, cold automation, and faceless systems. This was less a usability problem and more a perception problem. My goal was to address the emotional side of UX by shaping how users felt before they even sent their first message.
What I wanted to avoid because it was overdone and not resonating
Concept
Designing a unique and friendly identity
Staylien is not just a cute pun. The alien concept was very intentional. A friendly alien sharing futuristic tech with the user felt far more approachable than a cold bot or abstract icon like many other AI agents. Aliens often signal curiosity, friendliness, and futuristic knowledge shared openly. HI conceptualized him with our cultural sentiment toward aliens in mind; the idea that they could possibly save us from ourselves or be friendly guides to advanced technology. There’s a shared, almost whimsical optimism in the idea of meeting an alien, or even having one as a helper. That emotional context mattered.
Putting together a moodboard for our 3D artist
I led the art direction for Staylien, starting with a mood board that translated UX goals into visual decisions. The character needed to feel friendly, optimistic, and intelligent without feeling intimidating or overly tech-forward.
I commissioned and worked closely with an artist through multiple rounds of iteration, refining expression, proportions, lighting, and texture to ensure emotional clarity and brand alignment. Every decision was made with perception in mind.
Design
Staylien lands on Earth, ready to help you abduct— erm acquire more subscribers
After several rounds of back and forth, distilling our CEO and Director of Product's feedback alongside my own, Staylien's final image crystalized and was approved. We had made some changes along the way, like changing him from green to gray and letting him have a nose.
A star is born 💫 Staylien's final rendering
Building a Self-Serve Staylien Gemini Gem
As a faced-paced start-up, waiting weeks for individual assets or spending years building a robust library wasn’t realistic. After the original 3D render was delivered, I expanded the system by training a custom Google Gemini Gem using the final model. I set clear generation rules so anyone in the company could create new Staylien imagery while preserving visual and emotional consistency. This turned a single character into a scalable, self-serve UX asset.
Gallery of images that show Staylien interacting with merchant products. The personlization delighted them and made them feel like they were special to Stay.
Outcomes
Emotional Design Driving Product Adoption
Staylien was met with immediate enthusiasm from both internal teams and customers. The chatbot beta featuring Staylien became one of our most opted-in beta features, signaling strong emotional buy-in alongside functional use.
More importantly, Staylien changed how users experienced the AI. The chatbot felt more approachable, less intimidating, and more human.
He added delight and personality to an otherwise utilitarian interaction and brought consistency and character to Stay AI’s brand across channels.
This project reinforced a core UX principle. User experience is not just about flows and efficiency, but about emotion, trust, and perception.
