Story
When an answer is close but not right, I want to try again or change my ask without losing what I had, so I can compare and keep the best one.
Tom, who runs a bike repair shop in Leeds, writing a sign on his phone.
- 01 Setting
Tom asks for a 1-line tagline for his shop.
- 02 Trigger
It is fine, but he wants to see another.
- 03 Without it
He taps Try again, and the first line is gone. He liked it more.
- 04 With it
The new line arrives as version 2. Arrows let him go back to version 1.
- 05 Outcome
He picks version 1, edits 1 word, and prints the sign.
Live demo
This demo follows a script, so it plays the same every time - there is no real AI behind it. Change a setting to see the same moment play out differently.
What happens, step by step
| State | The person sees | The AI is | When | Screen reader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The answer streams in (arrives word by word). | Writes. | 0-1 s | “Generating a response” |
| 2 | Try again and Copy appear under the answer; a pencil sits by the ask. | Idle. | when done | “Response complete” |
| 3 | Try again replays the same ask. Edit opens the ask in place, with Cancel and Send. | Idle. | on tap | - |
| 4 | A new answer streams in the same place. | Writes again. | - | “Generating a response” |
| 5 | Arrows and "2 / 2" under the answer. Both versions are kept. | Idle. | when done | “Version 2 of 2” |
| 6 | The first answer, unchanged. Anything after it follows the version on screen. | Idle. | on tap | “Version 1 of 2” |
On each device
- phone
- Try again sits in a row under the answer, 44 px tall. The pencil appears under the ask on tap or long press. Version arrows sit at the end of the row.
- tablet
- As on the phone, with the actions always visible rather than on tap.
- desktop
- Actions appear on hover and stay for the latest answer. Arrows show "2 / 2". A "Branch in new chat" option suits long chats.
When to use it
- The same ask can give different good answers - names, taglines, drafts, images.
- People often want to change 1 detail of what they asked, not start again.
- Earlier versions might be the best ones, so throwing them away costs people.
- People want to change a part of the answer, not all of it. Use Edit output and revert to AI instead.
- People want shorter, longer or a different tone - give them those as 1 tap. Use Adjust length and tone instead.
- People need to compare several options side by side at once. Use Variations instead.
The parts of the pattern
- ATry againReplays the same ask for a fresh answer. 1 tap, under every answer.
- BEdit the askOpens the ask in place, so 1 detail can change without retyping.
- CVersion switch"2 / 2" with arrows. Every try is kept and 1 tap away.
- DThe new versionArrives in the same place as the old one, so comparing is easy.
Do and Avoid
Your bike, back on the road by Friday.
↻ Try again ‹ 2 / 2 ›
Your bike, back on the road by Friday.
↻ Try again
The first tagline is gone.
…a bike repair shop in Leeds
Edit the ask in place, then send.
Write a 1-line tagline for a bike repair shop
To change it, type the whole ask again below.
Writing and accessibility
- Say "Try again", not "Regenerate". It says what people get.
- Show versions as "2 / 2" with arrows. No version names to learn.
- If trying again will remove later messages in a branch (a side path of the chat), say so before it happens: "Messages after this will move to version 1."
- Try again is a button named "Try again"; the arrows are named "Previous version" and "Next version".
- Announce the version on change: "Version 1 of 2".
- The edit field takes focus when it opens; Escape cancels and returns focus to the pencil.
- Actions that only show on hover also show on focus, and are always visible on touch screens.
Seen in real products
- ChatGPTWeb · Sep 2025"Branch in new chat" makes a new chat with everything up to the chosen message, so a side idea does not change the main thread.BleepingComputer, Sep 2025 ↗
- ChatGPT canvasWeb, Windows and macOS · Oct 2026Canvas has version arrows, Restore, and "Show changes" to see what moved between versions.OpenAI Help: Canvas ↗
- PerplexityWeb · Jun 2026"Rewrite" sits in the action bar under each answer, beside share and copy.AI UX Playground teardown, Jun 2026 ↗
Each example comes from the product’s help pages, release notes or teardowns, with the month it was checked. Products change every month - tell us when 1 is out of date.
Check yourself
Seen this pattern done better, or a product that changed? Press Suggest next to any heading, or tell us about the whole page.