> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.modularmind.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quick Start Guide

> Get started with Maia in minutes with this hands-on example

## Your First Workflow

Let's walk through a practical example that showcases Maia's capabilities: researching CRM tools and creating a comparison document.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Start a Conversation">
    Open Maia and describe what you need:

    ```
    Research the top 5 CRM tools for a bakery business 
    and create a comparison PDF with pricing and key features.
    ```

    Maia will acknowledge your request and start building a strategy.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review the Plan">
    Maia presents a visual workflow showing:

    * **Web Research**: Search for "best CRM for bakeries"
    * **Data Collection**: Visit product pages and gather information
    * **Comparison Analysis**: Structure findings into a table
    * **Document Generation**: Create a styled PDF presentation

    You'll see each step connected in a logical flow.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Execute">
    If you have already provided enough detail, Maia will automatically run the workflow. Otherwise, you can confirm by saying something like:

    ```
    Looks great! Run it.
    ```

    or using the "Run Workflow" button, located bottom left corner of the board.

    Maia will then begin execution. You'll see real-time updates as each agent:

    * Searches multiple sources simultaneously
    * Extracts relevant information
    * Compiles comparison data
    * Generates your PDF
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review Results">
    Within minutes, you'll receive:

    * A polished PDF comparison document you can download
    * Source links for verification
    * A workflow you can run again, or deploy with routine, webhook, or action triggers
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What Just Happened?

Behind the scenes, Maia:

1. **Analyzed** your request to understand the goal
2. **Planned** a multi-step research and creation workflow
3. **Instructed** multiple agents to work in parallel
4. **Searched** the web with multiple query strategies
5. **Extracted** structured data from various sources
6. **Generated** a professional document with proper formatting

All without you needing to:

* Write any code
* Configure integrations
* Manage multiple tools
* Copy and paste between applications

## Try These Next

<CardGroup cols={1}>
  <Card title="Automate Email Workflows" icon="envelope">
    ```
    Every Monday, check my Gmail for unread messages 
    from customers, summarize them, and add to a 
    Google Sheet with priority levels.
    ```
  </Card>

  <Card title="Competitive Analysis" icon="chart-line">
    ```
    Monitor competitor websites weekly and create 
    a report on any pricing changes or new features.
    ```
  </Card>

  <Card title="Social Media Content" icon="image">
    ```
    Analyze my top 3 performing Instagram posts from last month,
    generate 5 new bakery content ideas based on those themes,
    create captions with trending hashtags.
    ```
  </Card>

  <Card title="Data Entry Automation" icon="table">
    ```
    Extract invoice data from PDFs in my Drive folder 
    and populate a Google Sheet with organized records.
    ```
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Tips for Success

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Be Specific About Your Goal" icon="bullseye">
    Instead of "research CRM tools," say "research CRM tools for a small bakery with 10 employees that needs inventory tracking."
  </Card>

  <Card title="Describe Your Current Process" icon="list-check">
    Tell Maia how you currently do the task manually. This helps it understand the nuances and optimize the workflow.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Start Simple, Then Expand" icon="arrow-trend-up">
    Begin with a straightforward workflow. Once you see how Maia handles it, you can add complexity.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Review Before Automating" icon="magnifying-glass">
    Run a workflow once manually to verify results. Then deploy it for scheduled automation.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<br />

<br />

<br />

<Card title="Next: Learn About Planning & Workflows" icon="diagram-project" href="/planning/conversation-interface">
  Dive deeper into how to interact with Maia effectively
</Card>