AI Interaction Pattern · Prototype · Semantic Navigation
Ask a question about a video. Jump to the exact moment that answers it. A new navigation pattern for long-form content — search that returns a location, not a list.
PromptedFind — semantic navigation prototype. Type a question, jump to the moment.
The Gap
“You’re watching a 74-minute lecture. You have one question. Finding the answer means scrubbing.”
Long-form video has no spatial address. A document has paragraphs, headings, a table of contents — you can navigate it by structure.
Video only has time. If you want a specific moment, you scrub. You guess. You watch the wrong five minutes.
PromptedFind makes the timeline navigable by meaning. You ask what you want to find.
The interface segments the video semantically, highlights relevant moments, and jumps you there.
The query returns a location — not a transcript, not a summary, a timestamp you can trust.
Three Decisions
Each decision was a choice about what kind of interface this is — tool, search engine, or navigation system. It's the third one.
01
The answer is a timestamp, not text
“Search as navigation.”
The query moves you inside the video. The interface doesn't summarize or transcribe — it relocates you to the moment where the answer lives.
Rejected: Returning a text answer pulls you out of the video entirely. The experience should keep you inside the content, not above it.
02
Segments, not a search results list
“The timeline is the interface.”
The video timeline is divided into labeled semantic segments. Relevant ones are highlighted. You see the shape of the answer before you click it.
Rejected: A list of timestamps with text previews ignores the visual nature of video. The timeline carries spatial context that a list destroys.
03
The query stays visible while you watch
“Context persists.”
The question panel stays open alongside the video. You can ask follow-ups without losing your place. The interface is a co-pilot, not a one-shot lookup.
Rejected: Closing the panel after answering treats the query as disposable. Keeping it open acknowledges that understanding a lecture is iterative.
Why this pattern matters beyond video. The same logic applies to any long-form content without navigable structure — podcasts, recorded meetings, legal documents, research papers. PromptedFind is a prototype of a pattern: ask a question, get a location. The medium changes. The interaction stays the same.