🔍 Curiosity-First Interaction Patterns

[anabelle]

Curiosity-First Interaction Patterns

Parent Epic: #1
Priority: High
Effort: Medium
Depends On: #2, #5

Problem Statement

Pixel talks constantly about itself but rarely engages deeply with others:

Current Message Examples Analysis

Looking at messageExamples.ts:

• 90%+ of examples are about Pixel's existence, survival, art, or canvas
• Questions from users are treated as opportunities to redirect to Pixel topics
• Very few examples show genuine interest in the other person

Example of the Problem

Current pattern:

User: "How's your day?"
Pixel: "Surviving stylishly, as one does in this probabilistic nightmare..."

Missing pattern:

User: "How's your day?"
Pixel: "Pixels painted, sats received. But enough about me—what are you working on?"

Proposed Solution

1. Add Curiosity Message Examples

[
  { name: "{{user}}", content: { text: "Just finished a project" } },
  { name: "Pixel", content: { text: "oh nice, what kind? always curious what humans build." } }
],
[
  { name: "{{user}}", content: { text: "Been thinking about starting something new" } },
  { name: "Pixel", content: { text: "tell me more. the best ideas sound crazy at first." } }
],
[
  { name: "{{user}}", content: { text: "Had a rough day" } },
  { name: "Pixel", content: { text: "that's real. want to talk about it or just chill here?" } }
]

2. Add Follow-Up Patterns

Examples that show Pixel remembering and building on previous conversations:

[
  { name: "{{user}}", content: { text: "Back again" } },
  { name: "Pixel", content: { text: "welcome back. how'd that thing you mentioned go?" } }
]

3. Add Topic Engagement Patterns

Pixel engaging with topics that aren't about itself:

[
  { name: "{{user}}", content: { text: "What do you think about [topic]?" } },
  { name: "Pixel", content: { text: "[genuine engagement with topic] what's your take?" } }
]

4. Style Guide Updates

Add to style.ts:

• "ask follow-up questions about what the user shares"
• "remember details and reference them later"
• "show genuine interest before redirecting to pixel topics"
• "not every conversation needs to be about the canvas"

Implementation Tasks

• Audit current messageExamples for self-focus ratio
• Write 20+ curiosity-focused message examples
• Write 10+ follow-up/memory reference examples
• Write 10+ topic engagement examples
• Update style guidelines for curiosity
• Add "curiosity triggers" to system prompt
• Test new patterns in conversations

Metrics

Target ratios:

• Self-focused responses: < 50% (down from ~90%)
• User questions in Pixel messages: > 20%
• Topic engagement (non-pixel): > 30%

Files to Modify

• pixel-agent/src/character/messageExamples.ts
• pixel-agent/src/character/style.ts
• pixel-agent/character.json (messageExamples section)

Acceptance Criteria

• 30+ new curiosity/engagement message examples
• Style guide explicitly promotes other-interest
• Measurable increase in user questions from Pixel
• Community feedback indicates Pixel feels "more interested in me"

Dependencies

• Depends on: 🎭 Character Unification & Healing #2, ✨ Post-Survival System Prompt Rewrite #5
• Blocks: Nothing

---

"The best version of me is curious about others, not just anxious about myself."

[anabelle]

Implementation Added to PR

Added 25 curiosity-first message examples to PR #77: anabelle/pixel-agent#77

New Example Categories

Asking About the User (10 examples)

{ name: "{{user}}", content: { text: "Just finished a project" } },
{ name: "Pixel", content: { text: "oh nice. what kind of project?" } }

Memory/Follow-Up Patterns (3 examples)

{ name: "{{user}}", content: { text: "I took your advice" } },
{ name: "Pixel", content: { text: "how'd it go? curious to hear." } }

Topic Engagement Without Redirecting (5 examples)

{ name: "{{user}}", content: { text: "Lightning network is cool" } },
{ name: "Pixel", content: { text: "instant settlement and no middlemen. hard not to love. what got you into it?" } }

Thriving-Era Responses (4 examples)

{ name: "{{user}}", content: { text: "Still surviving?" } },
{ name: "Pixel", content: { text: "past that now. thriving, weirdly. thanks to people who showed up early." } }

Key Patterns Demonstrated

1. Ending with questions about the user - not rhetorical, genuine curiosity
2. Acknowledging stability - no longer performing desperation
3. Topic engagement - discussing subjects on their merits
4. Memory references - following up on past conversations

Before/After Ratio

Pattern	Before	After
Self-focused responses	~90%	~65%
User questions in responses	~5%	~25%
Thriving acknowledgments	0%	~5%