Can AI Show Users Where to Click in Software?

AI can show users where to click in software when it has enough information about the user’s goal, the product workflow and the current interface.

This is more useful than returning a paragraph that says: “Open Settings, go to Team, choose Permissions and select Edit.”

The assistant can instead point to Settings, wait for the user to continue, then guide the next step inside the application.

What does “show me where to click” actually require?

The visible highlight is the easy part.

Before an AI assistant can point to the right control, it needs to answer three questions:

1. What is the user trying to achieve?
2. What is the correct next step in the product flow?
3. Which interface element represents that step right now?

Good guidance connects all three.

User goal → workflow step → UI element

Example: a user wants to invite a teammate

A user asks:

“How do I invite someone to my team?”

A simple help bot might return:

“Go to Settings, select Team, click Invite user and enter their email address.”

An in-app AI assistant can turn that explanation into guided action:

1. highlight the Settings menu;
2. point to Team after Settings opens;
3. identify the Invite user control;
4. guide the user through the required fields;
5. stop when the workflow is complete.

The user no longer needs to memorize instructions while navigating the product.

How can AI identify the right interface element?

There are several technical approaches. Products can use one or combine them.

1. Interface and DOM information

For web applications, the system can inspect information exposed by the interface, such as labels, controls, DOM structure or accessibility information.

This helps connect a step such as “Open billing settings” to the current element that represents Billing.

2. Configured element mappings

Traditional digital adoption systems often let teams define which interface element belongs to each step in a walkthrough.

This creates predictable guidance, but it can require maintenance when the interface changes.

3. Live product learning

AI-native systems can learn from interaction with the product itself. Frigade currently describes an agent that uses the product like a user and then guides people through tasks step by step. See Frigade’s current explanation.

4. Product knowledge connected to the UI

A system can also start from structured knowledge of the product flow and then connect each relevant step to the live interface.

This is important when the assistant needs to understand more than what is visible on one screen.

Why understanding the workflow matters

A button has no meaning without context.

Imagine an ERP screen with two actions:

• Approve
• Release

The correct next click depends on the workflow, the state of the order and the role of the user.

An assistant that only recognizes interface elements can still choose the wrong action.

That is why Smartdoxx focuses on functional product flows. The interface tells the assistant where an action happens. Product knowledge explains why that action is relevant.

Why roles matter before the click

Different users can see different versions of the same product.

A finance manager may have an Approve button. A warehouse operator may not. An administrator may see additional configuration options.

Role-aware guidance should select the path that applies to the person asking the question.

This prevents an assistant from saying “click here” when the control is unavailable or irrelevant.

Can AI follow the user from screen to screen?

Yes, if the assistant can maintain workflow state and observe the user’s progress.

The guidance can then work one step at a time:

1. identify the next action;
2. point to the relevant control;
3. detect that the user completed the step;
4. re-evaluate the current state;
5. show the next action.

This is different from playing a fixed animation. The assistant stays connected to the actual task.

What can make click guidance difficult?

Real software is dynamic. Reliable UI guidance needs to handle that.

Common challenges include:

• responsive layouts;
• different user roles;
• feature flags;
• customer-specific configuration;
• renamed or moved controls;
• dynamic forms;
• multiple valid paths to the same goal;
• permissions that change available actions.

A static selector can be fragile when these conditions change. A stronger system combines UI awareness with product context.

How is this different from a product tour?

A product tour normally starts with a sequence chosen by the product team.

AI guidance can start with the user’s goal.

Product tour	AI-guided navigation
Starts from a predefined flow	Can start from a natural-language question
Usually shows the same planned sequence	Can choose a path based on context
Often used for onboarding	Can help at any point in the user journey
Team decides what to teach	User decides what they want to achieve

How current platforms approach UI guidance

Whatfix uses in-app interactive Flows to guide users inside enterprise applications. WalkMe’s current AI tools use screen context and next-best actions. Frigade describes AI-generated guidance that walks users through tasks inside the product UI.

These products use different architectures, but they confirm the broader shift from static help content toward assistance inside the live workflow.

Current references: Whatfix, WalkMe and Frigade.

How Smartdoxx approaches guided navigation

Smartdoxx connects in-app guidance to the same code-based product knowledge used across the rest of the platform.

The process starts with the user’s goal. Smartdoxx connects that question to the relevant functional flow, applies context such as the user’s role and guides the user inside the interface.

The same knowledge layer can also power documentation and AI answers.

That means the guidance is not designed as a completely separate version of how the product works.

See the Smartdoxx in-app assistant.

Where is click guidance most useful?

It has the most value when users know their goal but do not know the path.

Examples include:

• approving an order in an ERP system;
• creating a return shipment;
• changing a logistics exception status;
• configuring a robotics workflow;
• adding a new user with the correct permissions;
• finding an infrequently used setting.

Frequently asked questions

Can AI show a user exactly where to click?

Yes. If the system can connect the current workflow step to the relevant interface element, it can highlight or point to the correct menu, button, field or control.

How does AI know which button is correct?

The strongest approach combines interface awareness with product and workflow context. The assistant needs to know both what the user wants to achieve and which UI element represents the correct next step.

Can AI guidance adapt to different user roles?

Yes, if role or permission information is available. This helps the assistant choose a path that matches what the user can actually see and do.

Does guided navigation need manual selectors?

Some systems use manually configured selectors. Others learn from the live product or connect structured product knowledge to the interface. The maintenance model depends on the product architecture.