Best Practices: Custom Prompts for AI Assist

To learn how to set up a custom prompt, see: Using Assist to Create Better Card Content

Designing a custom prompt for AI Assist

Follow these strategies to improve how AI Assist generates content and tailor results to your needs.

Iterate and refine

Don't expect perfect responses immediately. Experiment with different variations of prompts to improve the accuracy and relevance of the AI assistant's generated content. Iteratively refine your prompts based on the responses received, adjusting them to yield better outcomes.

Be clear and specific

Clearly define the information you are seeking by providing specific details, including descriptive language, and avoiding ambiguous language. Vague prompts can lead to inaccurate or irrelevant responses.

Try this	Instead of this
"Make the writing in this text more engaging, professional, and clear by removing any confusing language and enumerating any action items."	"Improve the writing in this text."

Specify an author and audience

In addition to clearly defining the task, provide Assist with context around your writing persona and intended audience. Consider how a Card written by an individual contributor intended for five colleagues will have a very different style than one written by an executive and shared with an announcement to the entire company.

Try this	Instead of this
“As the Head of HR writing for an audience of a 150-person technology company, create a template for submitting travel expense reimbursement requests.”	“Create a template for submitting travel expense reimbursement requests.”

Use natural language

Write custom prompts in a conversational and natural language style. AI assistants are designed to understand human language, so avoid overly technical jargon or complex sentence structures. Use simple, concise, and easily understandable language.

Try this	Instead of this
“Describe the sights, sounds, and scents that surround you when you’re sitting in a coffee shop, and how they make you feel.”	“Construct a detailed sensory description of an environment with various decibel levels of ambient sounds and corresponding visual cues, elucidating the impact on the observer's emotional state.”

Structure prompts for desired output

Consider and specify the desired output format when crafting prompts. This helps Assist determine the specific structure you are expecting as the response.

Try this	Instead of this
"Provide a detailed, step-by-step walkthrough of the installation process for XYZ product."	“Write a process for installing XYZ product."

Include contextual information

Providing relevant context within your custom prompt helps the AI assistant determine the specific domain or topic you are referring to. If writing about a particular product, mention its name, version, or any relevant identifiers. Assist will then generate accurate and targeted responses.

Try this	Instead of this
“XYZ is a product that was created this month. It is intended to help users onboard quickly and efficiently to the Acme platform. Its latest version can be installed through the iOS App Store. Provide a detailed, step-by-step walkthrough of the installation process.”	“Provide a detailed, step-by-step walkthrough of the installation process for XYZ.”

Start with the defaults

In addition to custom prompts, take advantage of the default prompts provided out of the box with Assist. Use them as a starting point and modify them as needed to address your specific requirements.

Try this
Start with the default prompt to “Remove jargon / simplify vocabulary,” then create a custom prompt to adjust the Card to your company’s brand and voice.

For more examples of Custom Prompts for AI Assist, check out this public Guru Card Custom Prompts for Assist Cheat Sheet