1.2 Use a Fill-in-the-Blank Template to Write the First Version of Your Requirements

Why not have you write a prompt from scratch

For readers with no prior experience, the most common obstacle is not “having no ideas,” but this:

I can picture it in my head, but I don’t know how to turn it into a coherent description.

So in this section, you are not required to write a prompt from scratch. Instead, you will start with a fill-in-the-blank template.

Its purpose is not to help you write “the most professional prompt,” but to help you place the most important information in the right places.

What kinds of information should the template include

In the previous section, what you prepared was a collection of scattered material. What you need to do in this section is not think everything through again, but put that material into a structure that the platform can understand more easily.

Think of it first as five questions: what do you want to build, what absolutely needs to appear on the page, who will view it, what should the digital avatar know, and what overall feeling do you want. As long as these five categories of information are clearly explained, the first version will already be more than sufficient.

A ready-to-use template

Copy the template below into your note-taking tool, then start filling in the blanks:

I want to create a personal homepage with a digital avatar chat area on it.

[About Me]
- Name: ______
- One-line introduction: ______
- What I’m mainly working on right now: ______
- My interests: ______
- One memorable trait about me: ______

[Who this homepage is for]
- Main visitors: ______

[The page must include at least]
- Avatar
- Name and a one-line introduction
- A simple personal information display section
- A digital avatar chat area where people can ask questions

[What the digital avatar needs to know]
- My profession or identity: ______
- What I’ve been doing recently: ______
- Areas I’m good at or care about: ______
- The 3 questions people are most likely to ask me: ______

[Style requirements]
- I want the overall feel to be: ______
- My preferred colors: ______
- Should it be mobile-friendly: Yes
- Other requirements: ______

Please help me generate a first-version prototype first.
Requirements:
1. First make sure the structure is clear and usable
2. Don’t make it overly complex
3. Create a previewable version first

A completed example

The example below is essentially a translation of the scattered facts from the previous section into a set of requirements that the platform can execute more easily:

I want to create a personal homepage with a digital avatar chat area on it.

[About Me]
- Name: Lin An
- One-line introduction: A content strategist learning to build products with AI
- What I’m mainly working on right now: Organizing my portfolio and writing direction
- My interests: AI applications, writing, travel
- One memorable trait about me: I like explaining complex problems in plain language

[Who this homepage is for]
- Main visitors: Friends, potential collaborators, interviewers

[The page must include at least]
- Avatar
- Name and a one-line introduction
- A simple personal information display section
- A digital avatar chat area where people can ask questions

[What the digital avatar needs to know]
- My profession or identity: Content strategist
- What I’ve been doing recently: Building my personal homepage and organizing my portfolio
- Areas I’m good at or care about: Content expression, AI applications, knowledge organization
- The 3 questions people are most likely to ask me: What are you working on right now? What work have you done? How can people contact you?

[Style requirements]
- I want the overall feel to be: Minimal, clean, and slightly tech-forward
- My preferred colors: Dark blue and white
- Should it be mobile-friendly: Yes
- Other requirements: Don’t make it too flashy; the information hierarchy should be clear

Please help me generate a first-version prototype first.
Requirements:
1. First make sure the structure is clear and usable
2. Don’t make it overly complex
3. Create a previewable version first

Why this template works

Because it is not trying to make your writing “look polished.” It is helping you accomplish three things: add context, so the AI knows who you are; narrow the scope, so the AI does not generate too many complex features at once; and clarify priorities, so the first version focuses on being previewable, presentable, and capable of chatting.

Its most important value is not how standard the format is, but that it prevents you from leaving out key information in the very first step. You can also think of it as a transitional layer: the previous section contains your raw material, while this section organizes that material into a version the platform can digest more easily.

Want to go a little deeper?

If you want to systematically understand how to define requirements and how to turn ideas into more stable documentation, you can jump to the advanced version and keep reading:

• Chapter 3: Product Thinking and Document-Driven Development

What you need to do now

Don’t keep reading for too long. Pause now and actually fill out one version of the template.

Even if you feel that what you fill in right now is not good enough, complete the first version anyway. Because in the next section, we are going to actually put it into the platform and generate the first version.

You do not need to write a prompt from scratch. Starting with a fill-in-the-blank template is enough. Its purpose is simple: add the context, keep the scope under control, and clearly state the goal of the first version. After you finish writing it, the next step is to hand it over to the platform and generate the first version.

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Next section: Generate your first version on the platform →