Writing your initial prompt

When creating a new app project in Draftbit the journey begins with your initial natural‑language prompt. The agent turns that seed into a to‑do list and starts building right away. A clear prompt communicates intent to the AI agent, reducing re‑work and confusion.

Want to start from scratch?

If you’d prefer to start with a blank app we’ve got you! Just click the Skip & start with blank app button.

Core principles

A great initial prompt shines when it does five things well:

• Clarity — use specific words instead of vague adjectives.
• Completeness — cover goals, users, constraints, and edge cases.
• Context — point to existing examples, data, and brand voice.
• Constraints — name platforms, legal or policy rules, speed targets, and offline use.
• Criticality — separate must‑haves from later ideas so v1 stays realistic.

What to include

Begin with a short paragraph that explains the problem and the outcome you want. Then cover these elements so the agent can turn it into a concrete to‑do list:

• Who it’s for — who benefits, where they’ll use it, and their comfort with tech.
• How people use it (step by step) — the key steps that deliver value.
• Features (what it should do) — group related items; say what “done” looks like for must‑haves.
• Data and connections — what you store, where it lives, and any outside services.
• App quality — speed, accessibility, reliability, and security expectations.
• How we’ll know it works — simple measures of success.
• Unknowns and assumptions — things that might change scope or feasibility.
• Links and examples — designs, docs, data samples, and brand voice.

Prompting best practices

Explain your idea as you would to a thoughtful colleague with no background in the concept. Keep sentences focused, and use short bullet lists when they improve readability:

• Answer the basic questions — who, what, why, when, where, how.
• Describe steps, not just features — e.g., “A user opens the app, sees an empty dashboard, and is prompted to connect a bank account.”
• Include examples — sample data, sketches, or links to docs.
• Say what’s out of scope — “Do not include social login in v1.”
• Use one idea per sentence — avoid long, complicated sentences.

Before you click Start Building

Run this quick self‑check:

• Does every feature map back to the problem statement?
• Are must‑haves, stretch goals, and exclusions unmistakable?
• Have edge cases and failure states been acknowledged?
• Could a new teammate understand and execute without follow‑up meetings?
• Are data and privacy notes clear (what’s stored and where)?

Example Prompt

Below is the bare minimum initial prompt that checks all the boxes, but providing even more details would produce greater results.

Build a simple mobile app for tracking personal expenses.

Audience: Individuals managing monthly budgets; non-technical; iOS and Android.

Core flows:
- Add an expense with amount, category, date, and optional note.
- View a list of expenses filtered by month.
- See a monthly total and category breakdown.

Must-haves (v1):
- Local-only storage (no login).
- Categories: Food, Transport, Rent, Utilities, Other.
- Accessibility: readable text, high contrast.

Out of scope (v1):
- Cloud sync, account creation, or bank integrations.
- Recurring expenses.

Constraints:
- Works offline.
- Launch icons + app name “PennyTrack.”

Success:
- A user can add, view, and understand monthly spend in <30 seconds.

Risks:
- Categories might need customization later.

References:
- [PennyTrack](https://www.pennytrack.app)
- [Figma design](https://www.figma.com/design/1234567890/PennyTrack)
- [API docs](https://api.pennytrack.app)
- [Brand voice](https://www.pennytrack.app/brand-voice)

Bad → Better phrasing

Bad	Better
Add payments.	Let users pay invoices with Stripe using one-time card payments.
Add login.	Email code login only (no social). Limit attempts. Stay signed in for 7 days.
Integrate calendar.	Show a monthly calendar of tasks; allow adding and editing tasks by tapping a date.
Use AI to summarize.	Summarize each note into 2–3 sentences and include action items if found.
Store photos.	Store photos locally on the device (no cloud). Max 10MB per photo.
Make it fast.	Screens should load in under 1 second on a mid‑range phone.