Modern AI Chat Interface

Build a stunning AI chat interface with Lovable that rivals ChatGPT and Claude:

Main Chat Interface

Chat Container

• Full-height layout: Fills viewport
• 3-column layout: Sidebar, Chat, Panel (optional)
• Responsive: Collapses on mobile
• Dark/Light theme: Smooth toggle

Sidebar (Left Panel)

Header

• App logo & name
• New chat button: + icon, prominent placement
• User menu: Avatar dropdown

Conversation List

• Recent chats: Scrollable list
• Chat preview:
  • Title (first message or custom name)
  • Timestamp
  • Message snippet (2 lines max)
  • Unread indicator if applicable
• Active state: Highlighted current chat
• Hover actions:
  • Rename (pencil icon)
  • Delete (trash icon)
  • Archive (box icon)
• Search conversations: Filter by content
• Grouped by date: Today, Yesterday, Last 7 Days, Older

Chat Organization

• Folders/Categories:
  • Work
  • Personal
  • Research
  • Archived
• Drag & drop: Move chats to folders
• Star favorites: Quick access section

Main Chat Area (Center)

Chat Header

• Conversation title: Editable inline
• Model selector: Dropdown (GPT-4, Claude, Gemini)
• Settings: Temperature, max tokens controls
• Actions: Share, Export, Delete chat

Message List

• Auto-scroll: To latest message
• Infinite scroll: Load older messages on scroll up
• Date dividers: "Today", "Yesterday", timestamps

Message Bubbles

User Messages (Right-aligned):

• Your message text
• Timestamp (smaller, gray)
• Edit button (on hover)
• Regen button (request new response)

Assistant Messages (Left-aligned):

• AI avatar with model icon
• Streaming text animation (word-by-word or letter-by-letter)
• Markdown rendering:
  • Headers, lists, tables
  • Code blocks with syntax highlighting
  • Math equations (LaTeX)
  • Images (inline display)
• Action buttons:
  • Copy (clipboard icon)
  • Regenerate (refresh icon)
  • Good/Bad feedback (thumbs up/down)
  • Edit prompt
• Code blocks:
  • Language label at top
  • Line numbers
  • Copy button
  • Syntax highlighting (Prism.js or Highlight.js)
  • Optional: Run code button

Message Input Area (Bottom)

Input Box:

• Multi-line textarea: Expands as you type
• Placeholder: "Message AI..." with helpful hints
• Rich text support: Bold, italic, code (optional)
• Attach files: Paperclip icon
  • Image preview thumbnails
  • PDF preview
  • Max file size indicator
• Voice input: Microphone button (speech-to-text)
• Send button: Large, always visible
  • Disabled until text entered
  • Loading spinner when waiting
  • Submit on Cmd/Ctrl + Enter

Quick Actions Row (Above input):

• Prompt suggestions: Chips with common prompts
  • "Explain this code"
  • "Write an email"
  • "Summarize this"
  • "Help me debug"
• Model switcher: Quick access
• Attach context: Upload documents

Character/Token Counter:

• Show remaining tokens
• Warning when approaching limit

Right Panel (Optional, Collapsible)

Context Panel

• Uploaded files: List with previews
• Current conversation context: Token usage
• Web search results: If enabled
• Related documents: Suggestions

Tools & Plugins

• Web search: Toggle on/off
• Code interpreter: Run Python code
• Image generation: DALL-E integration
• File analysis: Parse PDFs, spreadsheets
• Custom tools: API integrations

Special Features

Streaming Responses

• Word-by-word animation: Smooth typewriter effect
• Stop generation: X button to halt mid-response
• Continue button: If response was cut off
• Cursor blinking: Shows AI is "typing"

Code Execution

• Run code button: For Python, JavaScript
• Output display: Console below code block
• Error handling: Red error messages
• Variable inspector: See variable values

Multi-modal Support

• Image input: Drag & drop images into chat
• Image generation: Display generated images in chat
• PDF viewer: Inline PDF display with annotations
• Audio playback: For TTS responses

Conversation Branching

• Fork conversation: Start new branch from any message
• Branch visualization: Tree view of conversation paths
• Switch branches: Navigate between forks

Collaboration Features

• Share conversation: Generate public link
• Collaborate in real-time: Multiple users in same chat
• Comments: Add notes to specific messages
• Export: Markdown, PDF, JSON formats

Settings Modal

General

• Default model: Select preferred AI
• Theme: Light, Dark, Auto
• Font size: Adjust readability
• Send on Enter: Toggle Cmd+Enter requirement

AI Behavior

• Temperature: Slider (0-1)
• Max tokens: Number input
• System prompt: Custom instructions
• Memory: Enable conversation context

Integrations

• API keys: For different AI providers
• Connected apps: Notion, Google Drive, Slack
• Webhooks: Send chat logs

Privacy

• Data retention: How long to keep chats
• Analytics opt-out: Disable tracking
• Clear history: Delete all conversations

Animations & Polish

Message Animations

• Messages slide in: From bottom
• Typing indicator: 3 animated dots
• Fade in/out: Smooth transitions
• Scroll behavior: Smooth auto-scroll
• Highlight: Flash new message briefly

Loading States

• Skeleton screens: While loading chats
• Progress bar: File upload progress
• Shimmer effect: On loading messages
• Pulse: Waiting for response

Micro-interactions

• Button hover effects: Scale, glow
• Message hover: Show action buttons
• Sidebar hover: Reveal chat actions
• Copy animation: Checkmark replaces icon
• Send button: Particle effect on click

Mobile Optimization

Mobile UI

• Full-screen chat: No sidebars by default
• Swipe gestures:
  • Swipe right: Open sidebar
  • Swipe left: Close sidebar
  • Swipe down: Dismiss keyboard
• Bottom nav: New chat, History, Settings
• Floating action button: New chat (bottom-right)
• Sticky input: Always visible at bottom
• Touch-friendly: 44x44px minimum tap targets

Mobile-Specific Features

• Voice input: More prominent on mobile
• Camera access: Take photo to send
• Haptic feedback: On send, copy
• Pull to refresh: Update conversation

Technical Stack

Core Components

• shadcn/ui: UI components
• Framer Motion: Animations
• React Markdown: Message rendering
• Prism.js / Highlight.js: Code highlighting
• Lucide React: Icons
• Sonner: Toast notifications
• Zustand: State management

AI Integration

• Vercel AI SDK: Streaming responses
• OpenAI API: GPT models
• Anthropic API: Claude models
• Google AI: Gemini models
• Supabase: Store conversations

Features

• React Hook Form: Input handling
• TipTap or Lexical: Rich text (optional)
• React Dropzone: File uploads
• React Virtuoso: Virtual scrolling for messages
• KaTeX: Math rendering

Performance

Optimizations

• Virtual scrolling: Handle thousands of messages
• Lazy load: Old messages on demand
• Debounced search: Reduce API calls
• Code splitting: Per route
• Image optimization: WebP, lazy loading
• Memoization: Prevent unnecessary re-renders

Caching

• Cache conversations: Local storage
• Offline support: Queue messages
• Optimistic updates: Show messages immediately

Accessibility

WCAG Compliance

• Keyboard navigation: Full keyboard support
• Screen reader: ARIA labels on all elements
• Focus management: Clear focus indicators
• Color contrast: AA compliant
• Reduced motion: Respect preferences

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Cmd/Ctrl + K: Open command palette
• Cmd/Ctrl + N: New chat
• Cmd/Ctrl + /: Search conversations
• Cmd/Ctrl + Enter: Send message
• Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + C: Copy last code block
• Esc: Cancel generation

Generate a production-ready AI chat interface that users will love spending time in!