Artificial Intelligence
Prompt Engineering
Plain English
Writing better instructions for AI.
Definition
guidePrompt EngineeringWhat prompt engineering involves, how it shapes AI output quality, and what product and design teams need to know to do it well.Open guide is the practice of designing and refining glossaryPromptA prompt is the input or instruction given to an AI system to guide its output or response.Open glossary term to produce better, more reliable outputs from AI glossarySystemA system is a collection of interconnected components that work together to achieve a specific function or outcome.Open glossary term.
In practice
Used to structure inputs with glossaryContextContext is the set of surrounding conditions that shape how someone behaves and decides, including their goal, their environment, their time pressure, and what happened immediately before. The same action can mean different things in different contexts.Open glossary term, rules, examples, and glossaryConstraintsConstraints are limitations or restrictions that impact how a product or solution can be designed or built.Open glossary term to improve glossaryConsistencyConsistency is the use of uniform patterns, behaviours, and visual elements across a product to create familiarity and predictability. It helps users learn once and apply that knowledge throughout the experience.Open glossary term and performance.
In context
It stops being a trick and becomes engineering at the point where glossaryPromptA prompt is the input or instruction given to an AI system to guide its output or response.Open glossary term are versioned, tested against examples, and changed with the same care as code.
The reality
It often involves trial and error, and results can vary depending on the glossaryModelA model is a system or representation used to process data and generate outputs, often trained to perform specific tasks.Open glossary term and glossaryContextContext is the set of surrounding conditions that shape how someone behaves and decides, including their goal, their environment, their time pressure, and what happened immediately before. The same action can mean different things in different contexts.Open glossary term.
Compared with
Prompt Engineering vs Fine-tuning
Prompting shapes glossaryBehaviourBehaviour refers to how users interact with a system, including actions, patterns, and responses.Open glossary term at glossaryRequestA request is an action sent from a client to a server asking for data or a service.Open glossary term time and is cheap to change. guideFine-tuningWhat fine-tuning does to an AI model, when it is worth doing, and what product and design teams need to know before commissioning it.Open guide changes the model itself, costs more, and needs data. Reach for prompting first; fine-tune when the behaviour must be consistent at scale.
FAQ
Common questions
A few practical answers to the questions that usually come up around this term.
What is prompt engineering?
It is the glossaryProcessA process is a defined sequence of steps used to achieve a specific outcome.Open glossary term of designing glossaryPromptA prompt is the input or instruction given to an AI system to guide its output or response.Open glossary term to improve glossaryAI OutputAI output refers to any result generated by an AI system, including text, images, predictions, or decisions.Open glossary term.
Why is prompt engineering important?
It helps produce more accurate and consistent results.
What techniques are used in prompt engineering?
Providing examples, glossaryConstraintsConstraints are limitations or restrictions that impact how a product or solution can be designed or built.Open glossary term, and structured instructions.
Is prompt engineering difficult?
It can be, as small changes can significantly affect results.
Related Services
Related Guides
Related Terms
