Parlare con l’AI: My First Steps into Prompt Engineering

🧠 What Is Prompt Engineering?

Prompt engineering is the practice of writing clear, intentional instructions to guide AI systems, such as ChatGPT. Think of it like a brief for a creative team, but here, your "team" is an AI model.

The quality of your prompt directly shapes the quality of the AI's response. It's a bit like saying: “Tell me exactly what you want.”

🔧 The Anatomy of a Good Prompt

The video taught me a structure I now use daily. Here’s the basic prompt framework:

• Role: Define who the AI is
  “You are a UX researcher…”

• Task: Say what you want
  “…summarise this interview transcript in bullet points.”

• Constraints: Add limits
  “Keep it under 200 words. Use a friendly tone.”

• Context: Give background info
  “The transcript is from a usability test on our MyEE app.”

When I followed this structure, the results were immediately clearer. Less casino (chaos), more value.

🔁 Design = Iteration

Just like wireframing, prompt design needs iteration. My first prompt might feel vague. I test it, then tweak the tone, add examples, or clarify goals.

One trick from the video I loved: "chain-of-thought prompting". Instead of asking AI to jump to a conclusion, I now say:

“Think step by step and explain your reasoning before answering.”

It’s like asking a colleague to “talk me through your thinking”, super useful.

💡 A Designer’s Mindset

As designers, we naturally:

• Empathise with the user

• Frame problems clearly

• Iterate toward better outcomes

Prompting uses the same muscles, but instead of Sketch or Figma, we’re using language.

In Italian, we say: “l’appetito vien mangiando” appetite comes with eating. And learning AI comes with doing. So I’m experimenting daily, building my confidence and creativity one prompt at a time.

✅ My First Prompt Template

Here’s a format I now keep handy:

cssCopyEditYou are a [ROLE]. Your task is to [TASK].
Limit output to [FORMAT or LENGTH].
Here’s the context: [CONTEXT]

Give it a try—even if you're starting. Like I did.

✍️ Final Thoughts

Prompt engineering isn’t just for developers or data scientists. As a designer, you already have the mindset. It’s just about learning the new language.

Grazie for reading. If you’re curious to try prompt design yourself, start small, stay curious, and iterate with intention.

Let’s keep learning one prompt at a time.

— Stefano, Senior Product Designer @ EE