When to open this page: You already know how to use Claude Chat and want to see Claude Cowork (Claude with Hands) / Dispatch (controlling your computer from your phone) / Design (visual creation) / Excel (Claude inside Excel) how these "new Claude product family members" work, and what "concrete use cases look like". This wiki compresses 14 tutorials + 16 use cases =30 operation scenarios into "4 product functional areas + 5 use case themes".
One-sentence core:In 2025–2026, Anthropic is expanding Claude from a "chat box" into a "product family": Chat (conversation) / Cowork (agent with hands) / Code (terminal agent) / Design (visual) / Excel (spreadsheet) / Dispatch (phone remote control for computer) —— 6 product names, 4 shared underlying Claude models — which one a user should pick depends on "which work scenario you are in".
Boundaries with other wikis: For Claude Code workflows + a synthesis across 6 perspectives, see Claude Code Workflows (Cross-Author Thematic Synthesis); for the interview perspective with Cat Wu, Anthropic Head of Product for Claude Code, see Lenny's Newsletter / 2026 Three-Person Discussion on Organizational Operations in the AI Era (Anthropic + OpenAI); for product release history, see Claude Product Release Evolution (Complete 2024–2026 Opus / Sonnet / Haiku 4.x Collection + Max Plan + Design). This wiki focuses on Cowork / Dispatch / Design / Excel + 30 concrete use cases.
0. Overview of the 30 source categories
| Category | Count | Key sources |
|---|---|---|
| A. Cowork onboarding + basics | 6 | claude-cowork-a-research-preview / choosing-between / onboarding-guide / delegating-first-task / navigating-desktop-app / customize-claude-cowork |
| B. Cowork plugin system | 2 | how-to-build-a-plugin-from-scratch / how-to-customize-plugins |
| C. Dispatch (phone remote control) | 1 tutorial + 3 use-case | dispatch-in-claude-cowork + remote-control / operate-from-phone / kick-off-long-running |
| D. Claude Design | 2 tutorials + 1 use-case | for-presentations / for-prototypes-ux + audit-visual-assets |
| E. Claude Opus 4.7 tutorials | 1 | working-with-claude-opus-4-7 |
| F. AI Fluency education | 1 | the-4-ds-of-ai-fluency-behavioral-indicators |
| G. Claude for Excel use cases | 3 | draft-credit-memo / update-financial-model / validate-reserves |
| H. Education use cases | 3 | adapt-textbook / bring-whiteboard-lesson / plan-syllabus / apply-formula |
| I. Personal / work assistant use cases | 4 | away-from-keyboard / theory-of-change / visualize-mechanism / grant-options |
1. Boundaries of the 6 Claude products (2026)
Anthropic's current product names are easy to confuse.One diagram to clarify:
| Product | Form factor | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Claude(Chat) | Text chat box | Asking questions / writing things / thinking / organizing |
| Claude Code | Terminal agent (for developers) | Writing code / terminal tasks / long-running agents |
| Claude Cowork | Desktop app + remote computer | Letting Claude operate your computer for you (opening apps / editing files / running commands) |
| Claude Design | Anthropic Labs product(launched 2026-04) | Creating presentation documents / prototypes / UX designs together with Claude |
| Claude for Excel | Excel plugin | Calling Claude directly inside Excel (financial modeling / data analysis) |
| Dispatch(Cowork sub-feature) | Mobile app + Cowork desktop | Send tasks from your phone → Claude executes them on your desktop |
Shared underlying layer: all run on Claude models (Opus / Sonnet / Haiku); the differences lie in access interface + tool-calling capabilities + state persistence.
2. A: Claude Cowork onboarding (6 tutorials)
2.1 What Cowork is (Claude with Hands)
From claude-cowork-a-research-preview.
Cowork = "Claude with Hands" — Claude autonomously executes tasks on your computer; the difference from Chat lies in action capabilities.
Why it is called a "research preview": Anthropic is treating this as a research preview stage in 2025–2026, not GA (generally available),and expects it to change.
2.2 How to choose between Cowork and Chat
From choosing-between-claude-cowork-or-chat.Core decision criteria:
| Task characteristic | Choose Chat | Choose Cowork |
|---|---|---|
| You need thinking + answering | ✅ | (wastes Cowork's capabilities) |
| You need to operate across multiple apps | (Chat can only tell you how to do it) | ✅ |
| You need multi-file collaboration | (Chat can only read / suggest) | ✅ |
| Quick back-and-forth Q&A | ✅ | (Cowork has high startup cost) |
| Long-running tasks(several hours) | (Chat has no persistent state) | ✅ |
2.3 Onboarding (6 steps to get started)
From cowork-onboarding-guide + delegating-first-task.
6 steps(refined by me from the original text):
- Install the Claude Cowork desktop application
- Grant access to required tools / apps
- Set the default Claude model (Opus 4.7 recommended / Sonnet 4.6 for cost-effectiveness)
- Delegate your first task(start with something simple, such as "organize my Downloads folder")
- Watch Claude execute,observe the transcript(to build trust)
- Gradually let go and move on to complex tasks
2.4 Customize Cowork
From customize-claude-cowork. Cowork customizable items:
- Default model selection
- Permission levels (similar to Claude Code permissions)
- CLAUDE.md / project rule files(shared format with Code)
- Toolset toggles
2.5 Navigating Claude Desktop
From navigating-the-claude-desktop-app.Claude Desktop = integrated entry point for three products: Chat + Code + Cowork:
- Switch between Chat / Code / Cowork at the top
- Shared project sidebar
- Partial cross-product context sharing
3. B: Cowork plugin system (2 articles)
From how-to-build-a-plugin-from-scratch-in-cowork + how-to-customize-plugins-in-cowork.
3.1 What a Cowork Plugin is
Plugin = prebuilt agent templates prebuilt agent templates inside Cowork, sharing the same origin as Claude Code Plugin plugins.
Structure(SKILL-style):
- Main instruction (similar to SKILL.md)
- Callable toolset
- Trigger conditions / context
Relationship to Skills(see Claude Skill Engineering (Cross-Author Thematic Synthesis)):Plugin ): they are the productized form of Skills, used on Cowork.
3.2 Building from scratch
how-to-build-a-plugin-from-scratch:Steps to write a Cowork plugin from scratch write a Cowork plugin from scratch.
3.3 Customizing existing plugins
how-to-customize-plugins:Adapt an existing plugin to fit your workflow.
Related note: The 10 finance agents released by Anthropic in 2026-05 (see Anthropic Enterprise / Industry Product Portfolio + Strategic Partnerships (2025–2026) §1.2) are all in plugin form.
4. C: Dispatch (phone remote control for computer)
From dispatch-in-claude-cowork + remote-control-your-computer-with-dispatch + operate-any-computer-app-from-your-phone-with-dispatch + kick-off-long-running-computer-tasks-from-the-claude-mobile-app.
4.1 What Dispatch is
Dispatch = A sub-feature of Cowork that lets you send tasks to desktop Claude Cowork from your phone.
Typical scenarios:
- You think of something during your commute, send "help me organize this folder" in the Claude mobile app,and Claude immediately starts executing it on your home computer
- When you are out and need to pull a file from your computer,ask Claude to remotely open it + find it + send it by email
- "Leave running" long tasks — the "organize all invoices from the past year" type, which takes hours to complete and does not need monitoring
4.2 4 use cases
| Use case | Description |
|---|---|
| operate-any-computer-app-from-your-phone-with-dispatch | Drive any desktop app from your phone |
| remote-control-your-computer-with-dispatch | Remotely operate your computer (similar to TeamViewer but with an AI operator) |
| kick-off-long-running-computer-tasks-from-the-claude-mobile-app | Start long-running computer tasks from your phone |
| handle-a-request-while-away-from-your-keyboard | Handle requests when away from the keyboard |
Significance:Anthropic is building a "phone → AI agent → desktop" workflow, moving in the same direction as OpenAI Operator / Computer Use but taking its own mobile-first route.
5. D: Claude Design (2 tutorials + 1 use case)
From using-claude-design-for-presentations-and-slide-decks + using-claude-design-for-prototypes-and-ux + audit-a-folder-of-visual-assets-against-your-guidelines.
5.1 What Design is
Claude Design(launched 2026-04, Anthropic Labs product) = collaborating with Claude on visual work (slides / prototypes / UX / visual asset audits).
5.2 3 tutorials / use cases
| Scenario | Description |
|---|---|
| Presentations / slide decks | "Make a 10-page investor deck on topic X" → Claude generates it + you iterate |
| prototypes / UX | "Design the registration flow for this app" → Claude generates multiple versions + you choose |
| audit visual assets against guidelines | "Audit the images in this folder to check if they comply with brand guidelines" → Claude runs the audit |
Significance:Anthropic enters the design tool market(positioned against Figma / Canva). For details see Anthropic Enterprise / Industry Product Portfolio + Strategic Partnerships (2025–2026) §1.5.
6. E + F: Opus 4.7 + AI Fluency (2 education-focused pieces)
6.1 Working with Claude Opus 4.7
From working-with-claude-opus-4-7.Opus 4.7 user education:
- Opus 4.7 advantages: advanced software engineering / hardest tasks
- When to switch to Opus 4.7 (vs. default Sonnet 4.6)
- Prompt tips (extended thinking is enabled by default)
6.2 The 4 Ds of AI Fluency
From the-4-ds-of-ai-fluency-behavioral-indicators.
4 Ds(I infer from the title; details pending full reading of the source):
- D1: Discover (discover what AI can do)
- D2: (to be read in detail)
- D3: (to be read in detail)
- D4: (to be read in detail)
Significance: Anthropic is building "AI Fluency" behavioral indicator education — similar to digital literacy / information literacy, giving users and organizations a framework for assessing their own AI collaboration ability.
7. G: Claude for Excel use cases (3)
From draft-a-credit-memo-from-spreads-and-statements-with-claude-for-excel + update-your-financial-model-after-earnings + validate-reserves-and-draft-filing-narrative-with-claude-for-excel.
Claude for Excel = Excel add-in,call Claude directly inside Excel.
7.1 3 financial scenarios
| Use case | Description |
|---|---|
| draft-credit-memo | From spreadsheets + financial statements draft a credit memo(credit memo, banking / lending scenario) |
| update-financial-model-after-earnings | After a company releases earnings,update the financial model(investment banking / sell-side analysts / investors) |
| validate-reserves | Insurance reserves validation + filing narrative drafting(insurance company compliance) |
Significance:Anthropic enters Excel workflows(positioned against Microsoft Copilot for Excel). Complements Anthropic Enterprise / Industry Product Portfolio + Strategic Partnerships (2025–2026) §1.1 Claude for Financial Services.
8. H: Education use cases (4)
| Use case | Description |
|---|---|
| adapt-a-standard-textbook-page-to-every-reading-level | Adapt one page of textbook content to different reading levels(K–12 teachers) |
| bring-your-whiteboard-lesson-to-life | Turn whiteboard handwritten course materials into interactive / multimedia versions |
| plan-your-syllabus | Semester syllabus planning + which topic to lock each week |
| apply-a-formula-as-you-learn-it-in-chat-with-claude | When learning formulas,learn while using use Claude to apply them to examples |
Significance:Education use cases account for 1/4 of use cases, and are a key vertical for Anthropic (corresponding to Complete Anthropic Economic Index (AI Economic Impact Measurement, 2025–2026 Series) 81K survey data: K–12 teachers' AI usage is disproportionate).
9. I: Personal / work assistant use cases (4)
| Use case | Description |
|---|---|
| handle-a-request-while-away-from-your-keyboard | Handle things while away from keyboard (via Dispatch) |
| see-your-theory-of-change-in-chat | Visualize "Theory of Change" (a public welfare / strategic planning tool) in Chat |
| visualize-the-mechanism-behind-an-explanation-mid-chat | Midway generate visualization of explanation mechanisms (Claude Design integration) |
| work-through-grant-options-in-chat | Evaluate grant funding options (cross-checked against the Gates Foundation collaboration scenario) |
Significance: Anthropic is operationalizing "Claude is a thinking space" (see Claude Product Release Evolution (Complete 2024–2026 Opus / Sonnet / Haiku 4.x + Max Plan + Design) §2.3) into concrete "personal decision-making / public welfare / strategy" scenarios.
10. Boundary with Claude Code workflows
| Dimension | Claude Code | Claude Cowork |
|---|---|---|
| Primary user | Developers | Everyone(especially non-technical / business / design users) |
| Access surface | Terminal | Desktop app + mobile Dispatch |
| Task type | Code / debug / terminal / long-running | Cross-app operations / file management / UI tasks |
| Tool calls | Bash / Edit / Read / Grep / MCP | Desktop app operations + file system + Dispatch |
| Plugin form | claude-code plugins | Cowork plugins(same origin, different hosts) |
Used in combination: developers use both Code (coding) and Cowork (other work), and plugins are reusable across products.
For details see Claude Code Workflows (Cross-Author Topic Synthesis) + Lenny's Newsletter / 2026 Three-Person Discussion on Organizational Operations in the AI Era (Anthropic + OpenAI) Cat Wu's perspective ("4 Claude Code forms" — Chat / Code / Cowork / one still on the way).
11. Related wiki / cross-reference map
12. Meta-information
Rewriting strategy: 30 user scenarios reorganized by "4 product functional areas + 5 use case theme categories".Do not expand the detailed steps of each tutorial / use case(those change, refer to the source); instead provide "which product to use / use case type classification / boundaries with other Anthropic products".
Bilingual strategy(translation_status: bilingual): product names (Cowork / Dispatch / Design / Claude for Excel) are retained + Chinese explanation provided on first occurrence.
Phase D progress: 4 / 4 wikis completed.
- Claude Product Release Evolution (Complete 2024–2026 Opus / Sonnet / Haiku 4.x + Max Plan + Design) — models + Max Plan
- Anthropic Enterprise / Industry Product Portfolio + Strategic Partnerships (2025–2026) — enterprise products + strategic partnerships
- Anthropic Policy / Transparency / Governance (Constitution + LTBT + Transparency Hub + Economic Futures) — governance + transparency
- Claude Cowork / Dispatch / Design / Tutorials + Use Cases (Complete User Operation Layer)(this article) — user operation layer
Next steps: Phase D backfill + INDEX update + commit; then Phase E housekeeping + push.
Sources and related materials
- https://claude.com/resources/tutorials/choosing-between-claude-cowork-or-chat
- https://claude.com/resources/tutorials/claude-cowork-a-research-preview
- https://claude.com/resources/tutorials/cowork-onboarding-guide
- https://claude.com/resources/tutorials/customize-claude-cowork
- https://claude.com/resources/tutorials/delegating-your-first-task-in-claude-cowork
- https://claude.com/resources/tutorials/dispatch-in-claude-cowork
- https://claude.com/resources/tutorials/how-to-build-a-plugin-from-scratch-in-cowork
- https://claude.com/resources/tutorials/how-to-customize-plugins-in-cowork
- https://claude.com/resources/tutorials/navigating-the-claude-desktop-app
- https://claude.com/resources/tutorials/the-4-ds-of-ai-fluency-behavioral-indicators
- https://claude.com/resources/tutorials/using-claude-design-for-presentations-and-slide-decks
- https://claude.com/resources/tutorials/using-claude-design-for-prototypes-and-ux
- https://claude.com/resources/tutorials/working-with-claude-opus-4-7
- https://claude.com/resources/use-cases/adapt-a-standard-textbook-page-to-every-reading-level
- https://claude.com/resources/use-cases/apply-a-formula-as-you-learn-it-in-chat-with-claude
- https://claude.com/resources/use-cases/audit-a-folder-of-visual-assets-against-your-guidelines
- https://claude.com/resources/use-cases/bring-your-whiteboard-lesson-to-life
- https://claude.com/resources/use-cases/draft-a-credit-memo-from-spreads-and-statements-with-claude-for-excel
- https://claude.com/resources/use-cases/handle-a-request-while-away-from-your-keyboard
- https://claude.com/resources/use-cases/kick-off-long-running-computer-tasks-from-the-claude-mobile-app
- https://claude.com/resources/use-cases/operate-any-computer-app-from-your-phone-with-dispatch
- https://claude.com/resources/use-cases/plan-your-syllabus-see-which-weeks-are-locked
- https://claude.com/resources/use-cases/remote-control-your-computer-with-dispatch
- https://claude.com/resources/use-cases/see-your-theory-of-change-in-chat-with-claude
- https://claude.com/resources/use-cases/update-your-financial-model-after-earnings
- https://claude.com/resources/use-cases/validate-reserves-and-draft-filing-narrative-with-claude-for-excel
- https://claude.com/resources/use-cases/visualize-the-mechanism-behind-an-explanation-mid-chat
- https://claude.com/resources/use-cases/work-through-grant-options-in-chat-with-claude
- https://www.anthropic.com/learn
- https://claude.com/resources/courses
- Claude Product Release Evolution (Complete 2024–2026 Opus / Sonnet / Haiku 4.x + Max Plan + Design)
- Anthropic Enterprise / Industry Product Portfolio + Strategic Partnerships (2025–2026)
- Anthropic Engineering Team First-Party Perspective: Agent Engineering / Skills / MCP / Claude Code (Complete 2025–2026)
- Lenny's Newsletter / 2026 Three-Person Discussion on Organizational Operations in the AI Era (Anthropic + OpenAI)
- Claude Code Workflows (Cross-Author Topic Synthesis)