Effective communication with AI chatbots requires a thoughtful approach to prompt structure. Most prompts contain a combination of key components: the core request, references to previous responses or external sources, format specifications, and framing context. Prompts that lack certain elements can lead to inefficient, meandering conversations that require constant query refinement.
Designers can support users by providing interface elements that make including the different prompt components easy. Allowing users to select and reference parts of previous responses, upload documents, and specify desired output formats can significantly improve the user experience.
The goal is to make it as easy as possible for users to articulate their information needs in a way that allows the AI to provide the most relevant and helpful responses. Understanding the key components of effective prompts and designing interfaces to support them can create more seamless and productive conversations between humans and generative AI systems.
