I have some prompt tips to share

Prompting is everything in the age of vibe coding. Knowing how to guide AI precisely and efficiently is the key to getting the results you want. Today, I’m sharing some of my favorite prompting tips, plus a handy cheatsheet I put together.

Prompting Tips That Actually Work

• Be spatially specific. Use keywords like "left", "right", "centered", "aligned to bottom", "spaced evenly" to help the model place elements correctly.

• Mention device behavior. If it should behave differently on mobile vs desktop, say so. Ex: "stacks on mobile, grid on desktop".

• Use visual vocabulary. Mention familiar UI terms like "modal", "toast", "card", "hero section", or "split view" to tap into known design structures.

• Give UX intent. Add the why: "Add white space for readability", "Add a hover effect for feedback", "Use a progress bar to show completion".

• Sequence your ideas. For complex prompts, list in steps: "First, add a header. Below that, place a form with two inputs...". AI loves structure.

• Say what not to do. If you want to avoid scrollbars, animations, shadows, etc., say so.

• Don’t forget empty states. Great design considers what happens when nothing is there — say "show a placeholder when list is empty".

• Test prompt variants. Swap words like "tile" vs "card", "modal" vs "popup" to see which gives cleaner structure.

• Use active voice. Start with a verb: "Add", "Place", "Make", "Create", "Animate", "Style". It helps guide generation.

You can try out these prompts directly on Trickle.so to see how they work in action.

Hope it helps! If you have better ideas or go-to prompt tricks, feel free to drop them in the comments.