SUMMARY
Purpose: AI-generated assets help design teams rapidly explore, visualise, and validate content and layout ideas without upfront commitment to high-fidelity production.
Design Thinking Phase: Prototype
Time: 30–60 min prompt refinement + ongoing iteration as needed
Difficulty: ⭐⭐
When to use: Speeding up content and layout ideation during prototyping Mapping placeholder visuals to test UX flows early on Exploring copy variations for CTA, onboarding, or UI messaging
What it is
AI-Generated Assets refer to using generative AI tools (like GPT-4, Midjourney, or DALL·E) to produce design inputs — such as headlines, UI component copy, illustrative icons, and layout concepts — to support fast iterations. These tools help designers bypass creative blocks or bandwidth constraints by generating visual and textual assets aligned with early ideas or user goals.
📺 Video by NNgroup. Embedded for educational reference.
Why it matters
Generating visual and content assets using AI accelerates the experimentation stage of product design. Rather than waiting days for assets from design or content teams, product designers can generate multiple versions in minutes, enabling faster feedback from users, stakeholders, or testing tools. It also unlocks thoughtful design exploration for solo designers or lean teams without in-house resources.
When to use
- During early-stage prototyping where time or resources are limited
- When testing different content tones, naming, or UI structure rapidly
- To replace lorem ipsum or generic placeholders with plausible, user-centred content
Benefits
- Rich Insights: Clarifies content structure, intent, and user needs in context early on
- Flexibility: Easily adjusted based on stakeholder feedback or test insights
- User Empathy: Enables realistic task flows with meaningful microcopy
How to use it
- Define the UX challenge or screen state (e.g., onboarding, error feedback, upgrade prompt)
- Outline key user intent, messaging goals, and product constraints
- Use C.S.I.R.-based prompts to generate visual or textual assets
- Review for tone, clarity, and UX heuristics — edit collaboratively where needed
- Test assets in low- or high-fidelity mocks to observe usability or comprehension
Example Output
In a prototype for a fictional fintech app onboarding screen, an AI-generated CTA section might look like:
- Title: "Start saving smarter. It takes less than 2 minutes."
- Description: "Link your first bank account to activate real-time insights."
- Primary CTA: "Connect account"
- Secondary link: "Explore demo mode first"
Common Pitfalls
- Overreliance on AI: AI might generate plausible but misinformation-prone content. Always review with a content strategist or subject matter expert.
- Style over substance: Visually striking assets might overshadow usability or accessibility.
- Misaligned tone: AI sometimes "hallucinates" brand voice. Calibrate with examples and user personae.
10 Design-Ready AI Prompts for AI-Generated Assets – UX/UI Edition
How These Prompts Work (C.S.I.R. Framework)
Each of the templates below follows the C.S.I.R. method — a proven structure for writing clear, effective prompts that get better results from ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, or any other LLM.
C.S.I.R. stands for:
- Context: Who you are and the UX situation you're working in
- Specific Info: Key design inputs, tasks, or constraints the AI should consider
- Intent: What you want the AI to help you achieve
- Response Format: The structure or format you want the AI to return (e.g. checklist, table, journey map)
Level up your career with smarter AI prompts. Get templates used by UX leaders — no guesswork, just results. Design faster, research smarter, and ship with confidence. First one’s free. Unlock all 10 by becoming a member.
Prompt Template 1: “Write onboarding microcopy for quick task completion”
Write onboarding microcopy for quick task completion
Context: You are a Senior UX Designer prototyping onboarding flows for a mobile budgeting app.
Specific Info: Users need to complete 3 small actions (e.g., set income, add expense category, link account) in under 60 seconds. Target audience is tech-savvy but time poor. Tone = confident and encouraging.
Intent: Surface action-oriented microcopy with low friction and simple language.
Response Format: Provide onboarding copy for each step, including labels, brief instructions, and CTA wording.
If tone, platform, or segment is unclear, ask for clarification.
Suggest one tweak for testing a more casual tone.
Prompt Template 2: “Generate empty-state content for a dashboard UI”
Generate empty-state content for a dashboard UI
Context: You are a Product Designer creating an investment dashboard for new users.
Specific Info: At launch, users will have no charts/data. System should offer reassurance and suggest next actions. Tone: expert-guided but friendly.
Intent: Write persuasive but calm copy to reduce early friction and prompt action.
Response Format: Provide 1 title line, 1–2 sentence body, and a CTA for the primary empty state.
Ask if user segment skews to beginner or intermediate so messaging can adapt.
Suggest a tooltip or illustration idea as a follow-up.
Prompt Template 3: “Create alternative loading text for skeleton UI screens”
Create alternative loading text for skeleton UI screens
Context: You are designing loading states for a complex analytics tool used by eCommerce teams.
Specific Info: Load times range 2–5 seconds. Avoid spinner clichés. Add subtle value indicators or humour.
Intent: Write progress-supportive placeholder copy that retains user focus.
Response Format: Draft 3 variations for loading copy paired with use-case context (e.g., "Fetching sales by category...").
Ask whether branding is casual or formal to match tone.
Propose one way to animate these lines.
Prompt Template 4: “Draft multi-language support microcopy (EN/ES/FR)”
Draft multi-language support microcopy (EN/ES/FR)
Context: You are localising an FAQ module for a global fintech app.
Specific Info: Provide translations for short action messages and status labels. Target reading level = Grade 6.
Intent: Ensure consistency in tone while adapting meaning per language.
Response Format: Return a 3-column table with English, Spanish, French versions.
Ask if cultural tone or formal register is preferred in Spanish/French.
Flag labels that may need icon backup.
Prompt Template 5: “Brainstorm call-to-action button text for signup screen”
Brainstorm call-to-action button text for signup screen
Context: You are redesigning a conversion-focused signup screen for a premium journaling app.
Specific Info: Free trial, no card required. Emphasis on privacy. Signup completion rate currently at 58%.
Intent: Improve CTA clarity and value perception.
Response Format: Provide 5 alternative CTA texts with rationale for each.
Ask what other nearby copy exists for retention.
Suggest testing short vs long CTAs.
Prompt Template 6: “Suggest icon-image pairs for feature explanation cards”
Suggest icon-image pairs for feature explanation cards
Context: You are designing hover cards that explain analytics features to first-time users.
Specific Info: 6 key features, ranging from forecasting to segmentation. Tone = data-savvy but not technical.
Intent: Provide matching icon prompts and image examples for DALL·E or Midjourney.
Response Format: Give list of cards with 1-sentence description and AI image prompt per.
Confirm if colour style or image ratio is set.
Propose one variation targeting power users.
Prompt Template 7: “Create alt text and accessibility tags for UI content”
Create alt text and accessibility tags for UI content
Context: You are adding accessibility markup to a dark-mode dashboard of a finance tool.
Specific Info: Includes graphs, CTA buttons, and component icons (e.g., alert bell, trending arrow).
Intent: Improve screen reader usability and WCAG alignment.
Response Format: Provide element list with alt text and aria-label examples.
Ask if tab-focus order or form feedback is included.
Suggest one learning tool on WAI-ARIA best practices.
Prompt Template 8: “Structure headline variants for feature marketing”
Structure headline variants for feature marketing
Context: You are writing multiple UX headlines for a feature launch landing page.
Specific Info: Feature = offline mode for a productivity app. Audience = remote teams. Goal = adoption spike.
Intent: Deliver attention-grabbing headline alternatives with varied emotional drivers.
Response Format: Output 5 variations labelled by emotional appeal (e.g., trust, curiosity, FOMO).
If tone guide is available, ask for it to match.
Add two social proof CTA options as follow-up.
Prompt Template 9: “Optimise system status/error messages for clarity”
Optimise system status/error messages for clarity
Context: You are redesigning error and success messages in a customer onboarding form.
Specific Info: Fields include identity verification, credit check, and T&C consent. Legal tone required but softened.
Intent: Help users interpret next steps while reducing anxiety.
Response Format: Show revised status messages grouped by action and outcome.
Ask which type of errors occur most often for prioritisation.
Mention 1 idea for inline validation format.
Prompt Template 10: “Generate product walkthrough content script”
Generate product walkthrough content script
Context: You are designing a 4-step In-App walkthrough for new users of a goal-tracking tool.
Specific Info: Each step highlights 1 feature: goal creation, progress bar, weekly reports, motivational quotes.
Intent: Write a concise, clear guidance flow with personality.
Response Format: Script 1 headline, 1 subline, and CTA per screen.
Check if tone should skew uplifting or professional.
Propose 1 gamified progress indicator idea as follow-up.
Recommended Tools
- ChatGPT (GPT-4) — for content prompts, microcopy generation, UX strategy support
- RunwayML — for AI-generated UI videos and visual assets
- Designer by Diagram (Figma Plugin) — AI layout generation and wireframing
- Notion AI — for writing specs, summarising user interviews, and versioning content variants
