AI + UX · 6 min read
Prompts designers can reuse
Write prompts like design specs: role, goal, constraints, and examples — not vague wishes.
Explained like for kids
A prompt is like telling a friend how to build a Lego set. “Make something cool” fails. “Build a red car with 4 wheels, no stickers, and show me the top view” works.
Examples
Each example has a kid-friendly “why,” then a clear Don't and Do with a real UI mock so you can see the difference.
Vague vs specific prompts
Like for kids: “Draw a dog” could be anything. “Draw a small cartoon dog sitting, side view, no text” is a clear brief.
Don’t
“Make this UX better”
Too open. AI invents random changes you didn’t ask for.
AI invents random redesigns
Do
Role + goal + constraints + format
Same ingredients as a design brief. Predictable output.
Role: Senior UX writer
Goal: Empty-state for search
Constraints: ≤12 words, no emoji
Format: 3 options as a list
Show the shape you want
Like for kids: Teachers give a sample paragraph before the essay. AI also does better when it sees a model answer.
Don’t
Ask for a table with no sample rows
Columns wander. Naming gets inconsistent.
Make a table of user pains
Do
Include one example row / template
Few-shot examples lock structure and tone.
Columns: Pain | Evidence | Severity (1–5)
Chain small steps
Like for kids: You don’t cook a cake by yelling “cake!” once. Mix, bake, frost — one step at a time.
Don’t
One mega-prompt that does research + copy + UI
Errors compound. Hard to debug which part failed.
Too many jobs — errors stack up
Do
Step 1 research → Step 2 outline → Step 3 draft
You can check each stage. Quality goes up.
- 1Research 3 competitors
- 2Outline homepage sections
- 3Draft hero copy
Save the winners
Like for kids: When a recipe works, you write it down. Don’t reinvent dinner every night.
Don’t
Rewriting the same prompt from memory
Quality drifts. Teammates can’t reuse your best work.
Do
Named prompt patterns in a shared library
Consistency across the team. Faster onboarding.
- Empty-state writerUse
- Critique my flowUse
- User-story splitterUse
Remember these
- State role + goal + constraints + output format.
- Give one good example when the format matters.
- Break big jobs into a chain of small prompts.
- Save winning prompts as reusable patterns.
Prompt patterns used in UX Tribe AI bootcamp workflows. Rewritten in plain language for learning — not a reprint of the originals.