Modes
Donna’s five modes
Donna, the assistant in the Nexus Pen, has five distinct modes. Each one is built for a different way you think, learn and create, so one AI pen can answer a quick fact or walk you through a hard problem.
Hello
Hello
01
Answer mode
The short version.
Direct answers in one or two sentences. No filler, just the answer, spoken back right away.
- Best for
- Quick facts, definitions, calculations, unit conversions.
- Style
- Fast, factual, to the point. This is Donna’s default mode.
How many ounces in a pound?
16
Example answers, shortened to fit a 1.14 inch screen.
02
School mode
Helps you find it yourself.
Donna uses the Socratic method. Instead of handing over the answer, she asks guiding questions that take you through the problem step by step.
- Best for
- Homework help, test prep, concept mastery, critical thinking.
- Style
- Questioning, encouraging, step by step.
What is 15% of 80?
What is 10% of 80? Start there.
Example answers, shortened to fit a 1.14 inch screen.
03
Research mode
The long version.
Detailed, well-structured responses with depth and nuance, for when a quick answer is not enough: full explanations and analysis.
- Best for
- Research papers, deep dives, complex subjects.
- Style
- Thorough, structured, analytical.
Causes of World War I?
Militarism Alliances Imperialism Nationalism
Example answers, shortened to fit a 1.14 inch screen.
04
Creative mode
Ideas you did not ask for.
A brainstorming partner that makes unexpected connections and offers new angles on whatever you are working on.
- Best for
- Writing prompts, brainstorming, storytelling, thinking differently.
- Style
- Imaginative, playful, surprising.
Give me a story idea.
A lighthouse keeper who is afraid of the dark.
Example answers, shortened to fit a 1.14 inch screen.
05
Language mode
Practice out loud.
A language tutor you can talk to. Donna answers in your target language, with translations and pronunciation tips. Spanish now, more languages coming.
- Best for
- Language learning, translation practice, vocabulary, conversation.
- Style
- Bilingual, educational, encouraging.
Spanish for library?
biblioteca
Example answers, shortened to fit a 1.14 inch screen.
06Compare
Same question, five modes
Ask Donna the same question in different modes and see how differently she answers.
You ask “Explain photosynthesis”
Donna, in Answer mode
Photosynthesis is the process plants use to convert sunlight, water, and CO2 into glucose and oxygen. It happens in the chloroplasts, primarily using chlorophyll to capture light energy.
Answer: Direct, two-sentence answer, no filler, immediate.
Donna, in School mode
Great question! Before I explain, let me ask you something first. When you look at a green leaf, why do you think it’s green? What do you already know about how plants get their food?
School: Turns the question back on you, guides you to discover the answer.
Donna, in Research mode
Photosynthesis: A Complete Overview
Photosynthesis is the biochemical process by which autotrophs, primarily plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, convert light energy into chemical energy stored as glucose.
Two core stages:
Light-dependent reactions occur in the thylakoid membranes, capturing solar energy to produce ATP and NADPH while splitting water and releasing O2.
The Calvin cycle (light-independent) uses that ATP and NADPH in the stroma to fix CO2 into G3P, which becomes glucose.
Net equation: 6CO2 + 6H2O + light → C6H12O6 + 6O2
Research: Structured, thorough, covers mechanisms and both stages.
Donna, in Creative mode
Imagine a leaf is a tiny solar panel factory run by millions of green workers called chlorophyll. Every morning they clock in, catch photons like tiny golden balls thrown from the sun 93 million miles away, and use that energy to smash water molecules apart.
The oxygen you just breathed? That’s their exhaust. The leaf doesn’t even want it, it’s just a byproduct of building sugar from thin air. Plants are literally eating light and turning it into matter.
Creative: Analogies, vivid imagery, unexpected angles, makes you see it differently.
Donna, in Language mode (Spanish)
La fotosíntesis es el proceso que usan las plantas para convertir la luz solar, el agua y el CO2 en glucosa y oxígeno.
Translation: Photosynthesis is the process plants use to convert sunlight, water, and CO2 into glucose and oxygen.
Vocabulario clave: planta (plant), luz (light), agua (water). Can you use “luz solar” in a sentence?
Language: Responds in Spanish, includes translation, prompts you to practice.
07Which plan
Which modes are in which plan
Answer and School are in the Free plan. Plus has all five modes, and Family has all five plus custom modes. See what each plan includes, or read the questions people ask.
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