[The Golden Rule]
"Change [specific thing] so that [specific outcome]." That pattern alone will cut your correction cycles in half. Never say "fix the UI" — always say what's broken and what good looks like.
> The Feedback Template
Use this structure for every piece of feedback
Change the [component / page / feature] so that [specific outcome].
Currently: [describe what it does now]
Should be: [describe what you want instead]
Do not change anything else.The "do not change anything else" line is important. Without it, agents sometimes helpfully refactor surrounding code and introduce new issues.
> Bad vs. Good Feedback
// BAD PROMPT
The header looks wrong. Fix it.
// GOOD PROMPT
Change the navigation header so it sticks to the top of the page when scrolling.
Currently: the header scrolls away when the user scrolls down.
Should be: position sticky, top-0, with a subtle background blur effect.
Do not change the header content or the mobile menu.
// BAD PROMPT
Make the colors better.
// GOOD PROMPT
Change the primary button color from the current blue to the cyan defined in the design system (var(--primary)).
Currently: buttons use a hardcoded #3b82f6 blue.
Should be: use bg-primary and text-primary-foreground from our design tokens.
Apply this change everywhere buttons appear, not just on the home page.
> Batching Multiple Changes
Group related changes into one prompt. Unrelated changes should be separate prompts:
Batch related changes together
Make these three changes to the dashboard page:
1. Change the stats cards so they display as a 2-column grid on mobile (currently 1-column).
2. Change the "Export" button label to "Download CSV" to be clearer.
3. Add a loading skeleton to the transaction list while data is fetching.
Do not touch the sidebar or the header.[Don't Mix Unrelated Changes]
Mixing "fix the mobile layout" with "add a new feature" in one prompt risks the agent partially implementing the feature and forgetting the layout fix. Keep them separate.
// Feedback Checklist
- Name the specific component or page
- Describe current behavior
- Describe desired behavior
- Say what NOT to change
- Keep unrelated changes in separate prompts