Stop Asking AI to “Make It Better.” Name One Thing.

When you ask an AI to "make something better," it can lead to confusion because the term "better" is too vague. It's up to the recipient to decide what "better" means in their context, and the AI might alter elements in ways you didn't intend. For example, the request "make this page better" could involve changing readability, loading speed, or aesthetics, without guaranteeing that the specific issue you cared about will be addressed.

A clearer approach is to specify a concrete problem and a concrete solution. Instead of asking the AI to "make the landing page look more professional," you could say, "On a 360px-wide screen, make the contact button easy to find in the first section. Keep the current text, colors, and desktop layout the same, except adjust the button's size and spacing. Show me the changes before applying anything else."

This request is clear because it names the exact problem (hard-to-find contact button), allows a specific change (adjustments to size and spacing), and states what must remain unchanged (current text, colors, and desktop layout). You can then inspect the AI's output on a phone-sized screen to see if the button is visible without sideways scrolling and still clearly labeled, while ensuring the desktop layout and remaining page elements remain untouched.

This method works with writing tasks as well. Rather than asking an AI to "make it smarter," you could request, "Replace the jargon, keep one example and cut the introduction." This way, you can check each part independently—has the jargon been removed, is one example still included, and has the introduction been cut? The AI's output can be evaluated against these specific criteria, leaving no ambiguity about what a "smarter" version actually means.