First Steps
You've signed in. This page walks you through the first few minutes in Arketic AI — where you land, how the screen is organised, and the handful of things worth doing right away.
:::info Where you land After you sign in, Arketic opens on the Chat screen. There is no separate welcome or setup wizard — you can start working immediately. :::
1. Get to know the layout
Every screen in Arketic uses the same two-part layout.
| Area | What you'll find there |
|---|---|
| Sidebar (left) | The Arketic logo, the New Chat button, your navigation menu, your recent conversations, and your user card at the very bottom |
| Content area (right) | The screen you're currently on — a conversation, your tasks, your documents, and so on |
| Notification bell (top right) | Your notifications, with a red badge when you have unread ones |
:::tip Give yourself more room On a computer, click the toggle button next to the Arketic logo to collapse the sidebar down to icons only. The button is labelled Collapse sidebar, and Expand sidebar once it's collapsed. :::
:::note On a phone or tablet The sidebar is hidden by default. Tap the menu button in the top bar to slide it in. It closes again automatically as soon as you pick a menu item or a conversation, so you get the full screen back. :::
2. Start your first chat
The quickest way to see what Arketic can do is to ask it something.
- Click New Chat at the top of the sidebar.
- Arketic selects an assistant for you automatically — your organisation's Arketic AI assistant if it's available, otherwise another active assistant.
- Type your question into the message box at the bottom (it shows "Ask Arketic anything...").
- Press Enter to send. To add a line break instead of sending, press Shift + Enter.
:::tip Not sure what to ask first? Try something simple like "What can you help me with?" and take it from there. :::
Want to pick a different assistant, or see which ones your organisation offers? Open Assistants from the sidebar.
Read more in Starting a Chat and Using AI Tools.
3. Find your way around the menu
Your sidebar menu depends on your roles, so it may look a little different from a colleague's. Here's what each primary role sees by default — your administrator can add items on top of this for individual people.
| Your role | What your menu looks like |
|---|---|
| Member | A single flat list: Projects, Assistants, Tasks, My Documents |
| Executive | Dashboard at the top, then Projects, Assistants, Tasks, Blueprints, My Documents, Knowledge Base and Org Chart (view only), plus Analytics near the bottom |
| Admin | The same items organised into collapsible groups — WorkSpace, Platform and Organization — plus Dashboard and Analytics |
:::note If you manage a department Even as a member or executive, managing a department gives you extra menu items: Knowledge Base and Blueprints. :::
:::info Settings and Help & Support are there for everyone
Whatever your role, the bottom of the sidebar has Settings — your profile, AI preferences, notifications and interface language (see Account Settings) — and Help & Support, the in-app help page where you can ask the help assistant how something works (see Help & Support). You can also open it by pressing ?.
:::
Below your menu you'll always find Recent, your latest conversations, and an All Chats link that opens your full history. If you haven't chatted yet, you'll see No conversations yet.
For a full tour of every menu item, see Interface Overview.
4. Check your tasks
If your team already works in Arketic, some tasks may be waiting for you.
- Click Tasks in the sidebar. If you're an admin, open the WorkSpace group first.
- Open the My Tasks tab.
- Switch between the Kanban and List views using the toggle above the board.
Tasks is part of your organization's package. If the package doesn't include it, the item isn't in anyone's menu.
Learn more in Tasks Overview and Kanban Board.
5. Add a document
Documents you add can be used as a reference in your conversations.
- Click My Documents in the sidebar. Admins will find it inside the WorkSpace group.
- Click Upload and choose the file (or files) you want to add.
For file types, access levels and everything else, see Uploading Documents.
6. Watch for notifications
The notification bell sits at the top right of the screen — and in the top bar on a phone or tablet. A red badge tells you how many unread notifications you have, and clicking one takes you straight to whatever it's about.
See Interface Overview for the full notification panel.
7. Your user card and signing out
At the very bottom of the sidebar is your user card. It shows:
| What you see | Details |
|---|---|
| Your avatar | Your photo if you've set one, otherwise your initials |
| Your name | Your full name, as it is on your profile |
| Your role | Your primary role — for example Member, Admin or Executive |
Click the card — or the ⋮ button next to it — to open its menu. It has two actions:
| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Profile | Opens your profile, where you change your name, photo and password |
| Sign Out | Ends your session and returns you to the sign-in screen |
:::info Need your details changed? You can update your name, photo and password yourself — see Profile. Your email, department and role are managed by your administrator; contact them if those need updating. :::
What's next?
Now that you've found your way around, keep going:
| If you want to... | Go to... |
|---|---|
| Learn every part of the screen | Interface Overview |
| Get help without leaving Arketic | Help & Support |
| Chat with AI | Starting a Chat |
| Find an older conversation | Chat History |
| Manage your work | Tasks Overview |
| Learn about AI tools | Using AI Tools |
| Upload files | Uploading Documents |
| Set up your team | Organization (Admin) |