SUMMARY
Purpose: UI Specifications define the precise behaviours, interactions, states, and visual standards of a product before handoff, ensuring accurate implementation and design fidelity.
Design Thinking Phase: Prototype
Time: 45–60 min session + 1–2 hours documentation and validation
Difficulty: ⭐⭐
When to use:Before developer handoff to avoid ambiguity and reworkDuring high-fidelity prototyping to validate interactions and behavioursWhen onboarding new designers or engineers mid-project
What it is
UI Specifications (also called spec documentation) translate design intent into actionable, unambiguous artefacts ready for development. This includes interaction notes, edge cases, accessibility standards, component behaviours, and supporting annotations layered over or alongside visual mockups or prototypes.
📺 Video by NNgroup. Embedded for educational reference.
Why it matters
Without proper specs, even world-class designs can fall apart in implementation. UI Specifications give cross-functional teams a shared source of truth at handoff, remove guesswork during dev builds, and align quality expectations. For UX teams under pressure to ship on time, they’re also a signature of operational maturity.
When to use
- Design is finalised and ready for development handoff
- Multiple product teams or developers will be working asynchronously
- Complex interactions, state logic, or accessibility requirements exist
Benefits
- Rich Insights: Helps uncover user needs that aren’t visible in metrics.
- Flexibility: Works across various project types and timelines.
- User Empathy: Deepens understanding of behaviours and motivations.
How to use it
Follow these steps to create effective and scalable UI Specifications:
- Start with a high-fidelity prototype in tools like Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD.
- Annotate key user flows: note observable actions, transitions, and triggers for each UI element.
- Document system responses, validation states, and error feedback for each interaction.
- Add accessibility requirements (e.g., tab order, ARIA labels, colour contrast).
- Specify layout rules, breakpoints, and behaviour across screen sizes if responsive.
- Use a shared file naming convention and version log. Include links to design tokens or style guides.
- Validate specs with engineering. Walk through edge cases in a design QA session.
Example Output
Component: Date Picker
States: Default / Focused / Error / Selected
Validation: User must select a future date; past dates greyed out
Interactions:
- On focus: calendar view expands below input
- On select: value populates input field in DD/MM/YYYY
- On error: red outline + error message: “Date must be in future”
Accessibility:
- ARIA role: "combobox"
- Tab sequence: Input → Month toggle → Day grid
Common Pitfalls
- Over-documenting: Avoid bloated specs by focusing on what developers truly need to build pixel-perfect behaviour.
- Missing edge cases: Always spec out how the UI handles blank states, async loads, or invalid data paths.
- Assuming shared understanding: User stories and flows may seem obvious to designers but unclear to engineering—specify outcomes, not just visuals.
10 Design-Ready AI Prompts for UI Specifications – 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: “Document UI Behavioural Specs for a Microinteraction”
Document UI Behavioural Specs for a Microinteraction
Context: You are a Senior Product Designer preparing spec documentation for developers.
Specific Info: The component is a [multi-state toggle] used to switch between [two modes]. Each state has distinct [animations, icons, and accessibility roles].
Intent: Clearly define state transitions, accessibility labels, and animation timing to ensure parity with the prototype.
Response Format: Provide a table showing each state, trigger condition, transition style, and ARIA role.
If component usage context is ambiguous, ask for example screens.
Then, recommend a validation approach to confirm implementation accuracy.
Prompt Template 2: “Summarise Edge Case Requirements for a UI Flow”
Summarise Edge Case Requirements for a UI Flow
Context: You’re a UX Lead preparing UI specifications for a user flow that includes optional and error states.
Specific Info: The flow allows users to [submit custom data], with possible outcomes like [incomplete fields], [offline state], or [server error].
Intent: Identify and describe all necessary edge cases that the development team must accommodate.
Response Format: Return a list of edge case conditions, expected behaviours, and recommended UI responses.
If needed, prompt for clarification about data validation rules and offline handling expectations.
Prompt Template 3: “List Accessibility Requirements for Input Components”
List Accessibility Requirements for Input Components
Context: You’re designing accessible form components for an enterprise web app.
Specific Info: Inputs include [radio groups, dropdowns, and date fields].
Intent: Ensure all components meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards, especially for assistive tech users.
Response Format: Return a checklist of roles, ARIA attributes, error handling methods, and keyboard expectations per component.
Ask for preview screen or input validation logic if unclear.
Prompt Template 4: “Translate Prototype Interactions into Written Specs”
Translate Prototype Interactions into Written Specs
Context: You’ve built an interactive Figma prototype but need to translate dynamic interactions for developers.
Specific Info: The flow includes hover states, modals that appear on submit, and animated success confirmations.
Intent: Document each interaction’s trigger, target component, timing/duration, and expected result.
Response Format: Use a bullet-list structure, grouped by interaction category (hover, click, modal, etc).
Request clarification if any animations or conditional triggers are vague.
Prompt Template 5: “Create Responsive Behaviour Documentation”
Create Responsive Behaviour Documentation
Context: You’re documenting UI specs across breakpoints (mobile, tablet, desktop).
Specific Info: The layout includes a [persistent nav], [resizable cards], and a [search bar].
Intent: Capture structural changes, hiding/showing patterns, and alignment rules at each breakpoint.
Response Format: Provide a table showing screen width thresholds and corresponding layout behaviour.
Check whether content stacking order or priorities change by device.
Prompt Template 6: “Define Required Component States for Reusability”
Define Required Component States for Reusability
Context: You’re a UI designer formalising a design system.
Specific Info: The component is a [multi-use button or input] used across multiple screens.
Intent: Ensure all visual and system states are properly spec’d to support design reusability.
Response Format: Return a list of required states (e.g., hover, disabled, active, loading) with visual and behavioural rules for each.
Ask about known theming or light/dark mode requirements.
Prompt Template 7: “Generate a QA Checklist for Spec Accuracy”
Generate a QA Checklist for Spec Accuracy
Context: You are auditing a set of UI specs before developer handoff.
Specific Info: Specs cover [3 main flows] with multiple input types and modal windows.
Intent: Identify common gaps or inconsistencies that could block implementation.
Response Format: Provide a checklist by flow type. Highlight checks for completeness, clarity, and technical feasibility.
Invite the user to upload a flow map or prototype reference if available.
Prompt Template 8: “Summarise Developer Handoff Requirements”
Summarise Developer Handoff Requirements
Context: You need to align design and dev teams for an upcoming release.
Specific Info: Components include [inputs, alerts, breadcrumb nav, pagination].
Intent: Clarify the minimum viable spec set (visuals + behaviour) needed for dev readiness.
Response Format: Provide a checklist of required artefacts (Figma link, spec doc, animation guide, etc).
Request details about the dev team's preferred workflow or file-sharing platform.
Prompt Template 9: “Write Tooltip and Label Microcopy Based on Interactions”
Write Tooltip and Label Microcopy Based on Interactions
Context: You’re finalising microcopy for a multi-step web form.
Specific Info: Users may hover over icons or interact with validation messages.
Intent: Create clear, concise, user-friendly tooltip copy triggered by hover/focus.
Response Format: Return each input’s tooltip or helper text, with tone, trigger, and fallback.
Prompt user to clarify the audience tone (formal, casual, instructional).
Prompt Template 10: “Map Interaction Feedback Loops for Prototyping”
Map Interaction Feedback Loops for Prototyping
Context: You've prototyped success/fail flows that need clear visual and behavioural feedback.
Specific Info: The key actions are [submit, upload, confirm], each with success or error results.
Intent: Define how each action communicates success/failure (visually and textually).
Response Format: List for each trigger: condition, visual feedback, auditory feedback (if any), follow-up message.
Ask about feedback duration and whether user must acknowledge messages.
Recommended Tools
- Figma — for annotating prototypes and managing design specs
- Zeroheight — to publish and sync specs with dev teams
- Storybook — for spec-first component states linked to live code
- Zeplin — dev-friendly UI documentation for handoff ready screens
- Google Sheets — fast QA checklists and responsive layout matrices
