AI prompts for UX and product design

Draft an interview guide

Research

Act as a senior UX researcher. Write a 45-minute interview guide for [research goal] with [participant type]. Include a warm-up, 8 to 10 open, non-leading questions ordered from broad to specific, suggested follow-up probes, and a closing question. Avoid questions that ask people to predict their future behaviour.

Replace the goal with a real decision you need to make.

Turn notes into themes

Research

Here are raw notes from [number] user interviews about [topic]:

[paste notes]

Group them into themes. For each theme give a short name, a one-sentence summary, 2 to 3 supporting quotes, and how many participants mentioned it. List anything that contradicts a theme separately.

Remove names and personal data before pasting.

Spot leading questions

Research

Review these survey or interview questions for bias:

[paste questions]

Flag any that are leading, double-barrelled, loaded, or ask about hypothetical future behaviour. Rewrite each flagged question in a neutral way and explain the change in one sentence.

Run your own questions through this before every study.

Plan a usability test

Research

Create a usability test plan for [product or prototype]. Include the research questions, 5 realistic task scenarios (without giving away the interface wording), success criteria for each task, the metrics to capture, and how many participants I need and why.

Then adapt the scenarios to your real users.

Critique a flow

Design

Act as a UX reviewer. Here is a description of a user flow for [task]:

[describe each step and screen]

Identify friction points, missing states (empty, loading, error), and places where users might get lost. Rank the issues by severity and suggest one improvement for each.

The more detail you give per step, the better the critique.

Generate edge cases

Design

List edge cases and unhappy paths for [feature]. Cover very long or very short input, no data, slow or lost connection, permission problems, concurrent edits, and users on small screens. For each, say what the interface should do.

Great for completing a design before handoff.

Explore alternative layouts

Design

I am designing a [screen type] for [audience] whose main goal is [goal]. Describe 4 genuinely different layout approaches. For each, explain the trade-offs for scanning, task completion and mobile, and tell me when you would choose it.

Use this to widen options before you start drawing.

Check against heuristics

Design

Evaluate this design against Nielsen's 10 usability heuristics:

[describe the screen or paste the copy and layout]

For each heuristic, say whether there is a problem, quote the evidence from my description, and rate severity from 0 to 4.

Treat the output as a first pass and verify it yourself.

Rewrite an error message

UX writing

Rewrite this error message so it is clear, calm and helpful:

[paste message]

It should say what happened, why if known, and exactly what the user can do next, in under 25 words. Give me three versions with different tones: neutral, friendly, and very brief.

Never blame the user.

Tighten button and label text

UX writing

Here are the buttons and labels on a [screen]:

[paste list]

Make each one a clear, specific action that starts with a verb, keeps to 1 to 3 words where possible, and avoids jargon. Point out any that are ambiguous or inconsistent.

Check the result against how your users really speak.

Plain-language rewrite

UX writing

Rewrite this text at a reading age of about 12 without losing accuracy:

[paste text]

Use short sentences and common words. Keep every legal or safety-critical detail. List anything you removed or simplified so I can check it.

Always have a subject expert confirm accuracy.

Write onboarding copy

UX writing

Write the copy for a 3-step onboarding for [product] aimed at [audience]. For each step give a headline under 6 words, one supporting sentence, and a button label. Focus on what the user gains, not on features.

Test the headlines with a few real users.

Review a design for accessibility

Accessibility

Review this interface description for accessibility against WCAG 2.2 AA:

[describe layout, colours, interactions, media]

List likely failures for colour contrast, keyboard access, focus order, target size, text alternatives, error identification and motion. Say how to fix each one.

Follow up with real testing using assistive technology.

Write alt text

Accessibility

Write alt text for this image in a [type of page]:

[describe the image and why it is on the page]

Give one version under 125 characters that conveys its purpose. Tell me if the image is decorative and should have empty alt text instead.

Alt text should serve the purpose of the image, not describe every pixel.

Plan a keyboard test

Accessibility

Create a keyboard-only test script for [page or component]. List the exact key presses to check, the focus order I should expect, how to open and close any dialogs or menus, and what visible focus should look like at each step.

Run it with the mouse unplugged.

Make a form inclusive

Accessibility

Here are the fields of a form for [purpose]:

[paste fields]

Suggest changes so it works for people using screen readers, voice control and cognitive support: labels, grouping, hints, error messages, required indicators and sensible autocomplete values.

Ask only for what you really need.

Frame the problem

Strategy

Help me frame this problem before I design a solution: [describe situation].

Produce a problem statement, who is affected, the evidence I have and the evidence I am missing, 3 assumptions to test, and 3 questions to ask stakeholders.

This is the first diamond of the Double Diamond.

Prioritise with a scoring model

Strategy

I have these candidate features: [list]. Score each from 1 to 5 on user value, effort, risk and confidence, using this context: [context]. Show the table, the reasoning for each score, and suggest a sensible order.

Challenge the scores with your team.

Prepare stakeholder questions

Strategy

I am meeting [stakeholder role] about [project]. List 10 questions that uncover goals, constraints, success measures and past decisions. Mark the 3 most important and suggest how to follow up if the answers are vague.

Share the list in advance if you can.

Define success metrics

Strategy

For [feature or product], propose 3 to 5 metrics that show whether it is working for users. Separate behavioural from attitudinal metrics, say how each would be measured, and name one misleading metric to avoid and why.

Agree the metrics before building, not after.

Structure a case study

Career

I want to write a portfolio case study on [project] where my role was [role]. Propose a structure with section headings and a word budget for each. Ask me the questions you need answered so the story shows my decisions, trade-offs and results rather than only screens.

Hiring managers want your thinking, not only the visuals.

Practise a design interview

Career

Act as an interviewer for a [level] UX designer role at a [type of company]. Ask me one question at a time, wait for my answer, then give brief feedback on structure, depth and communication before moving on. Start with a portfolio walkthrough question.

Answer out loud for better practice.

Turn a bullet into impact

Career

Rewrite this CV bullet to show impact, using the pattern action, method and result:

[paste bullet]

Give 3 versions. If a number is missing, tell me what to measure or estimate honestly rather than inventing one.

Never include figures that are not true.

Plan a 90-day learning path

Career

I am a [current role] who wants to move into [target role] in 90 days. I have [hours] per week. Create a week-by-week plan with specific skills, small projects, and ways to get feedback. Keep it realistic and flag what I should skip.

Share your plan with a mentor for a reality check.