After 100 hours of prompting AI for UI design, I discovered most designers are doing it completely wrong.
The difference between getting generic templates vs. production-ready components comes down to 10 specific techniques.
Here's what I learned:
𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝟭: 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆
Bad prompt: "Design a dashboard"
Good prompt: "SaaS analytics dashboard, dark theme, 3-column layout, card-based metrics, Tailwind CSS"
The AI needs constraints to be creative.
𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝟮: 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁 (𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆)
Don't ask AI to "be creative."
Reference real products:
"Design like Linear's issue view but for customer support tickets"
AI understands patterns better than aesthetics.
𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝟯: 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 > 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀
Start with: "Create a pricing card component"
Not: "Build me a pricing page"
𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝟰: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘇𝘇𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗰𝗸
Generic words = generic results.
Specific buzzwords = sharp designs.
Instead of "modern": use "glassmorphism", "brutalist", "neubrutalism"
Instead of "clean": use "minimal", "Swiss design", "monospace"
Buzzwords are design shortcuts.
𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝟱: 𝗔𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸
"React component with Tailwind CSS" hits different than just "component."
AI knows framework patterns.
It'll give you proper JSX, class names, and structure.
The more technical context, the better the output.
𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝟲: 𝗜𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 (𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗜)
Don't hide in private chats.
Build in Lovable. Share the process.
Real feedback > perfect prompts.
Users care about function over form anyway.
𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝟳: 𝗠𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲-𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
"Mobile-first responsive" isn't enough.
Be explicit:
"Mobile: single column, touch targets 44px minimum"
"Desktop: 3-column grid, hover states"
Design for thumbs first. Scale up second.
𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝟴: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟴𝟬/𝟮𝟬 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲:
80% of results come from these 4 elements:
Component type
Visual style
Tech stack
Layout structure
Master the basics first.
𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝟵: 𝗔𝗜 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱
"Make it better" = vague feedback.
"Increase contrast, larger text, more padding" = actionable.
Treat AI like a junior designer.
Be specific, patient, and iterative.
𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟬: 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘁𝘀
Don't try to get perfect results in one shot.
First prompt: "Create a login form component"
Second prompt: "Add error states and loading animations"
Third prompt: "Make it mobile-responsive with proper spacing"
Build complexity step by step. AI works better with focused, layered requests than one-shot prompts.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀.
It’s just exposing who can’t think in systems, structure, and intent.
Which lesson hit hardest? Comment the number (1-10) and I'll share my best prompt template for that specific use case.