Here’s a theory: it’s hard to trust what you can’t see. Clippy, Microsoft’s notoriously clumsy paperclip assistant, may have been useless, but people remember it fondly because it had a face, a presence. Siri, on the other hand, has struggled with precisely this problem. It exists as a voice and a waveform—functional, yes, but lacking warmth or familiarity. Designer Ben Geskin thinks that needs to change, and his concept for a Siri avatar in Vision Pro could be exactly what Apple’s AI assistant has been missing.
For Vision Pro users today, Siri manifests as a floating orb of light, pulsing with colorful waveforms. It’s abstract and elegant, but also impersonal. Geskin’s redesign swaps this out for a smiling avatar inspired by the MacOS Finder icon—a colorful orb with a friendly face that feels approachable, trustworthy, and, most importantly, present. The concept blends Apple’s gradient-rich “Apple Intelligence” color palette with a personality cue borrowed from one of the company’s most recognizable icons. The result is something that feels both familiar and futuristic, giving Siri a face without making it uncanny.
Reactions to the concept have been immediate and varied. Some compared it to Clippy, praising the idea of a digital helper you can actually “see.” Others drew parallels with Miss Minutes from Marvel’s Loki, pointing out how a cartoon face can humanize even the coldest code—sometimes to dystopian effect. But in this context, the Finder-face orb feels charming rather than unsettling. It animates subtly, shifting colors while Siri processes requests, and could even morph into Apple’s infamous beach ball if something went wrong. It’s playful without undermining the assistant’s purpose.
Whether Apple will ever adopt something like this is another question. Cupertino has traditionally leaned toward sleek, abstract UI rather than anthropomorphic ones.
via Ben Geskin / Yanko Design
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