Concepts
Working definitions for the main ideas used in AI Intent Capture.
This section defines the terms used across the design history. These definitions should remain stable enough to support shared understanding, but they may change as the programme learns more.
Related concept pages
- Glossary and terminology history gives shorter working definitions and records terms that have changed.
- Architecture explains how Intent Capture relates to navigation, orchestration and onward NHS services.
- Decisions shaping Intent Capture explains material choices that affect scope, safety, interaction and architecture.
Working definitions
Intent
An intent is what a person is trying to do, express, resolve or understand at a particular point in their journey.
An intent may involve a symptom, but it is not the same as a symptom. For example, “I have chest pain” is a symptom expression; “I need to know whether this is an emergency” is closer to an intent.
Intent Capture
Intent Capture is the capability to understand a person’s goal, need or problem well enough to help them move to an appropriate next step.
It may involve free text, structured questions, clarification and handover into another service or pathway. See also Architecture.
Triage
Triage is the process of assessing clinical urgency or priority. Intent Capture may identify that someone needs triage, but it should not be treated as triage itself unless the service is explicitly designed, governed and clinically assured to do that.
See also Intent Capture is not triage.
Navigation
Navigation is helping someone move through the NHS system. It includes signposting, routing, handover and helping people understand where to go next.
Orchestration
Orchestration is the system capability that coordinates movement between services, channels, rules, pathways and responsibilities.
Intent Capture can provide structured understanding that helps orchestration work better. This is described further in Architecture.
Intelligent Navigation
Intelligent Navigation is broader than Intent Capture. It describes the wider capability to route and coordinate people across services and pathways based on what is known about their need, context and available options.
Editorial note
Where terms are uncertain or contested, design history posts should record how the terminology changed over time rather than silently replacing earlier language. See Glossary and terminology history for naming changes.