How I Turn Ideas Into Products With AI Prompts
I'm an engineer. Before I build anything, I want to know what I'm building, who it's for and why. So when AI tools showed up, I never just typed one line at them. I gave them what I'd give a new teammate: the full picture. What surprised me was how rarely other people did. I kept seeing the same thing: someone types one line into ChatGPT, gets something generic back, and decides AI just isn't…
The author is an engineer who uses AI tools to help build products. However, they noticed that most people only give AI a one-line prompt, which often results in generic and incomplete responses. The author argues that AI is actually quite good at understanding what you want if you provide clear context. The key is to give AI a full picture of what you're trying to build, including the target audience, key features, and any limitations. This process of providing context is called "context engineering."
The author shares a prompt they use to turn a rough idea into a clear product plan. The prompt works by having AI interview you first, asking important questions before it writes anything. This helps catch any assumptions or misunderstandings before they shape the entire plan. The author recommends using this prompt whenever you have an idea and want a solid product plan, as it's especially useful for building web apps.
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