I’m a UX/UI Designer here at Box UK, and if there’s one thing that gets me genuinely excited (okay, maybe a little bit obsessed), it’s crafting truly brilliant digital experiences. The kind that just works.
Recently, I’ve been undertaking a lot of research, including the excellent in-depth “AI for Designers” course from the Interaction Design Foundation, led by the incredibly insightful Ioana Teleanu. Alongside this, I’ve had a front-row seat to the exciting research and development we’re doing here at Box UK. All of this has completely transformed how I see technology’s role in shaping businesses and, of course, design!
So, if you’re curious about how AI can be a powerful ally, especially when we sprinkle some human design magic on top, I’d love to share with you what I’ve learned.
In this new series, “AI for Decision-Makers,” I’ll be exploring how Artificial Intelligence can genuinely empower organisations like yours to design smarter, move faster, and build with even greater impact. Whether you’re a business leader, a hands-on product owner, or simply curious about the vast potential of AI, my aim is to break down complex ideas into practical, human-centred insights.
Expect a sprinkle of excitement, a big dose of strategic value, and absolutely no baffling jargon!
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Whether you’re taking your first steps or looking to advance your existing AI strategy, our team is here to provide the knowledge and support you need.
Welcome back to my “AI for Decision-Makers” series – your no-fluff guide to navigating the AI revolution with confidence, creativity, and practical know-how.
In a previous article, we explored how AI can become your creative partner. Today, we’re getting hands-on with one of the most important skills in that partnership: prompt engineering – the art of crafting clear, effective instructions for AI.
Here’s the simple truth: AI is only as helpful as the prompt you give it. The quality of your output depends entirely on the clarity of your input.
So whether you’re generating content, visual concepts, or interface flows, the way you “talk” to AI makes all the difference – from the relevance of what you get to how quickly you can move forward.
Let’s dive in!
What is prompt engineering?
Prompt engineering is the practice of structuring your inputs (or “prompts”) in a way that helps an AI tool deliver useful, relevant, and high-quality results.
It’s not coding. It’s not technical. It’s about being intentional, clear, and user-centred—something designers already excel at.
If you’ve ever written a UX microcopy brief or filled out a creative brief, guess what? You’re already 80% of the way there!
Why prompts matter so much
AI models (like ChatGPT, Gemini, Midjourney, or Figma’s AI assistant) don’t know what you want unless you tell them—precisely.
Compare these two examples:
“Write an error message.”
“Write a friendly and concise error message for a checkout page that says the user’s credit card was declined. Keep it under 100 characters.”
The second one gets you much closer to usable copy. Why? Because it provides context, tone, and boundaries.
The better your prompt, the more usable your output—and the less editing, guesswork, or rework you’ll need.
The Anatomy of a Good Prompt
Effective prompts usually include the following building blocks:
Element
Example
Instruction
“Generate…” / “Write…” / “List…”
Context
“…for a mobile app onboarding screen”
Format
“…as bullet points” / “…in markdown”
Tone or style
“…in a playful, informal tone”
Constraints
“…no more than 30 words” / “avoid technical jargon”
Audience
“…for first-time users who aren’t tech-savvy”
Think of these as levers you can adjust depending on your needs.
Prompt templates you can use straight away
📝 UX Copy
“Write [type of text] for [context], in a [tone] tone, no longer than [length]. Target audience: [who].”
Example: “Write an empty state message for a dashboard with no saved reports, in a friendly tone, under 20 words. Target audience: junior marketers.”
🧭 User Research
“Summarise this [transcript/survey] into [key insights, themes, quotes]. Highlight patterns around [topic]. Use bullet points.”
Example: “Summarise this interview transcript into 5 key pain points related to onboarding new clients.”
🎨 Visual Design
“Create 3 layout ideas for [design type], using [style reference], for a [brand personality] brand. Focus on [feature/function].”
Example: “Create 3 homepage layout ideas for an e-commerce site, using minimalist design, for a luxury skincare brand. Focus on storytelling.”
🧠 Strategy and Ideation
“List 10 creative ideas for [goal], inspired by [industry trend]. Keep them practical and innovative.”
Example: “List 10 creative ideas to increase engagement in a design tool’s onboarding process, inspired by gamification.”
Tips to level up your prompts
Start broad, then refine → Treat it like a conversation; iterate on the results.
Give examples → Show the AI what “good” looks like.
Avoid ambiguity → Be specific about tone, audience, and purpose.
Use constraints → Word limits, style rules, and format requests help keep the AI focused.
Reference personas or real use cases → The more user-centred your prompt, the more relevant your result.
Being too vague → “Make this better” isn’t enough.
Overloading one prompt → Break it into parts: generate → refine → rewrite → polish.
Assuming AI will “get it” → Context is key. Set the scene like you would for a human teammate.
Not reviewing the output critically → Just because AI sounds confident doesn’t mean it’s correct or suitable.
Why prompting is a design skill
Prompting is a form of interface design—except the interface is language, and the user is the AI.
It’s about:
Knowing your audience (in this case, the AI)
Communicating intent clearly
Iterating toward better outcomes
Balancing creativity with constraints
Sound familiar? These are the same principles behind great UX.
For teams and businesses: why it matters?
Teaching your team to prompt well doesn’t just improve AI outputs—it:
Speeds up workflows
Reduces dependency on experts
Enables junior designers to move faster
Helps non-designers generate quality input
Enhances collaboration between people and AI tools
Want to scale AI impact? Start with better prompts.
What’s Next?
Prompt engineering is the gateway to getting real value from AI tools—and this is just the beginning.
In the next article, we’ll dig into “Crafting Killer Text Prompts for Design: Let’s Get Specific!” covering advanced techniques, real-world examples, and tips for designing prompts with accessibility and inclusive language in mind.
Final Thoughts
Start small. Experiment freely. Iterate like a designer. The more you prompt, the better you get—and the more AI can enhance your work.
Think of prompts as your new design brief—but for a non-human collaborator. The clearer the brief, the better the result.
Need help scaling AI knowledge across your design team?
At Box UK, we’re helping teams build smarter, faster, and more creatively—with AI embedded from day one. Let’s talk.
With 6 years of experience in digital agencies, Federica brings a unique blend of Italian and British UX/UI design, grounded in a strong academic foundation in user experience, psychology, and front-end basics. Her passion for user-centred design and Agile methods shines through in her commitment to creating intuitive, impactful prototypes through iterative design.
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