1.2 Understanding Claude
Time: ~10 minutes
What You'll Learn
- The three Claude products (Chat, Code, Cowork) and when to use each
- Why Cowork is the right tool for knowledge work
- How to change your AI model
- Choosing between Sonnet, Opus, and Haiku
Key Concepts
The Three Claude Products
Claude comes in three flavors, each designed for different workflows:
Claude Chat Your conversational AI. Answer questions, brainstorm ideas, get advice. Works on web and mobile.
Claude Code Built for coding workflows. AI pair programmer with inline editing and terminal integration. Perfect for developers building software.
Claude Cowork Built for knowledge work. You're here. Designed for analyzing files, creating documents, researching, and building real deliverables. Works with your entire file system, document creation tools, and web research.
Why Cowork?
Cowork is special because it's designed for knowledge work — the kind of work you probably do. You inherit messy folders, need to extract insights, create documents, and present findings. That's what Cowork is built for.
- File access: Analyze entire folders at once
- Document creation: Generate Word docs, Excel sheets, and PowerPoint presentations
- Web research: Search, fetch pages, take live screenshots
- Agents: Spin up parallel workers to process files simultaneously
- Iteration: Build something, get feedback, improve it
Choosing Your Model
Claude comes in three speeds. All three work in Cowork. Choose based on task complexity:
| Model | Best For | Speed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonnet (default) | Most everyday work — file analysis, document creation, research | Fast | Efficient |
| Opus | Complex analysis, nuanced writing, challenging logic problems | Slower | Higher cost |
| Haiku | Quick tasks, summaries, simple questions | Very fast | Very cheap |
Rule of thumb:
- Starting out? Sonnet is perfect. It handles 95% of tasks.
- Hit a wall? Try Opus. It's more powerful but slower.
- Quick question? Use Haiku. Why wait for Sonnet?
Where to Find the Model Selector
In Claude Desktop, look at the bottom right corner next to the send button. You'll see the model name (usually "Sonnet"). Click it to switch between Sonnet, Opus, and Haiku.
In the web version, the model selector is in your account menu (top right).
In Your Scenario
You don't need to change models for this course — Sonnet is perfect. But now you know you can switch if you want to experiment. Some folks prefer Opus for complex analysis. That's fine. Use whatever feels right.
The key is: you have options. As you work through the course, you'll develop a feel for which model works best for which task.
Real-World Applications
- Sonnet for production: Most of the time, for most tasks
- Opus when you get stuck: Complex analysis, writing that needs nuance
- Haiku for quick lookups: "What's the capital of Montana?"
How to Start
start lesson 1.3Wait — notice we skipped 1.2? That was this lesson. You're now ready to explore files with Claude!