AI/General prompt advice.md

Effective AI Prompts: A Practical Guide

Core Principles

1. Be Specific and Clear

• State exactly what you want, not what you don't want
• Include relevant constraints, format requirements, and scope
• Avoid ambiguity that could lead to multiple interpretations

Poor: "Tell me about dogs" Better: "Write a 200-word summary of the top 3 health considerations for senior Labrador Retrievers"

2. Provide Context

• Give background information relevant to the task
• Specify your knowledge level or intended audience
• Include why you need this information if it affects the approach

Poor: "Explain quantum computing" Better: "I'm a software developer with no physics background. Explain quantum computing in terms of how it differs from classical computing for solving optimization problems"

3. Define the Output Format

• Specify structure (bullet points, paragraphs, table, code, etc.)
• Set length expectations (word count, number of items)
• Request specific elements to include or exclude

Poor: "Give me marketing ideas" Better: "Provide 5 marketing ideas for a local coffee shop, formatted as: [Idea name] - [Brief description] - [Estimated cost: low/medium/high]"

Advanced Techniques

Chain of Thought

Ask the AI to work through problems step-by-step rather than jumping to conclusions.

Example: "Solve this problem step-by-step, showing your reasoning at each stage: [problem]"

Role Assignment

Give the AI a specific role or perspective to adopt.

Example: "You are an experienced project manager reviewing this timeline. What risks do you see?"

Few-Shot Examples

Provide 2-3 examples of the input/output pattern you want.

Example:

Convert these casual phrases to professional email language:
"thanks a bunch" → "Thank you for your assistance"
"let me know" → "Please advise at your convenience"
"ASAP" → "at your earliest convenience"

Now convert: "can you check this out?"

Constraints and Boundaries

Explicitly state limitations or requirements.

Example: "Suggest 3 dinner recipes that: are vegetarian, take under 30 minutes, use no more than 8 ingredients, and don't require an oven"

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Vague or Open-Ended Requests

Avoid: "Help me with my code" Instead: "This Python function is throwing a KeyError on line 42 when the input dictionary is missing the 'name' key. How should I handle this gracefully?"

2. Assuming Context You Haven't Provided

Avoid: "What should I do next?" (after describing a problem without your goals) Instead: "Given that my goal is to reduce page load time to under 2 seconds, and I've already optimized images, what should I prioritize next?"

3. Overloading a Single Prompt

Avoid: Asking for 10 different unrelated things in one prompt Instead: Break complex requests into sequential prompts, building on previous responses

4. Not Specifying Expertise Level

Avoid: "Explain machine learning" Instead: "I'm a beginner programmer. Explain what machine learning is using simple analogies without mathematical notation"

Prompt Patterns

For Analysis

"Analyze [subject] focusing on [specific aspects]. Identify [what to look for] and explain [what insights you need]."

For Creation

"Create a [type of content] about [topic] that [specific requirements]. It should include [elements] and be [tone/style]."

For Problem-Solving

"I'm trying to [goal] but encountering [problem]. I've already tried [attempts]. What alternative approaches would you suggest?"

For Comparison

"Compare [A] and [B] in terms of [criteria 1], [criteria 2], and [criteria 3]. Present as a table with pros and cons."

For Review/Critique

"Review this [content type] for [specific aspects like clarity, accuracy, tone]. Provide specific suggestions for improvement."

Iterative Refinement

Good prompting is often iterative:

1. Start with a clear but basic prompt
2. Review the output - what's missing or incorrect?
3. Refine your prompt with more specific instructions
4. Add constraints based on what went wrong
5. Provide examples if the format isn't right

Example progression:

• First: "Write a product description for a coffee maker"
• Second: "Write a 100-word product description for a premium automatic coffee maker, highlighting ease of use and quality"
• Third: "Write a 100-word product description for a premium automatic coffee maker. Start with a compelling benefit, include 3 key features (ease of use, programmable settings, quality brewing), and end with a call to action. Tone should be enthusiastic but professional."

Special Considerations

For Code Generation

• Specify the programming language and version
• Mention any frameworks, libraries, or dependencies
• State coding standards or style preferences
• Include error handling requirements
• Specify if you need comments or documentation

Example: "Write a Python 3.11 function using type hints that validates email addresses with regex. Include error handling for invalid inputs and docstring documentation. Follow PEP 8 style guidelines."

For Creative Writing

• Specify genre, tone, and style
• Define target audience
• Set word count or structure
• Mention any themes or elements to include/avoid

Example: "Write a 300-word science fiction short story opening for young adults. Tone should be mysterious and intriguing. Include a protagonist discovering something unexpected. Avoid graphic violence."

For Data and Research

• Specify what timeframe or sources are relevant
• Request citations or sources if needed
• State if you need current information vs general knowledge
• Define the level of technical detail required

Quick Checklist

Before submitting a prompt, verify:

• Have I clearly stated what I want?
• Have I provided necessary context?
• Have I specified the desired output format?
• Have I set appropriate constraints (length, style, scope)?
• Is my prompt specific enough to avoid ambiguity?
• Have I indicated my knowledge level if relevant?
• Am I asking for one clear thing, or should I break this into multiple prompts?

Examples: Poor vs Good

Example 1: Technical Help

Poor: "My website is slow" Good: "My React website's homepage takes 8 seconds to load. Chrome DevTools shows the main bottleneck is a 3MB bundle.js file. What's the best approach to reduce this bundle size?"

Example 2: Content Creation

Poor: "Write about climate change" Good: "Write a 500-word article explaining the connection between climate change and extreme weather events for a general audience. Include 3 specific examples from the past year and conclude with actionable steps individuals can take. Tone should be informative but not alarmist."

Example 3: Learning

Poor: "Teach me Spanish" Good: "I'm planning a trip to Spain in 3 months and know zero Spanish. Teach me 10 essential phrases for ordering food at restaurants, with pronunciation guides and cultural tips on when to use them."

Example 4: Decision Making

Poor: "Should I use React or Vue?" Good: "I'm building a dashboard application for internal business users that needs real-time data updates, will be maintained by a team of 3 developers, and needs to integrate with our existing REST API. Compare React and Vue for this specific use case, considering learning curve, ecosystem, and real-time capabilities."

Remember

• Garbage in, garbage out: The quality of AI responses is directly proportional to the quality of your prompts
• Experiment: Don't be afraid to try different phrasings or approaches
• Iterate: Refine based on what you get back
• Be conversational: You can build on previous responses and ask follow-up questions
• Leverage AI strengths: Pattern recognition, summarization, explanation, and transformation tasks work particularly well