Applying prompts to GenAI/LLMs

The Problem: The "Generic App" and the "Time Sink" We’ve all been there: a student walks into a 1-to-1 with a vague desire to "do something with AI" or "build a fitness app." You spend 45 minutes trying to find a technical "hook" that justifies a Level 6 or Level 7 grade, only for the student to drift back into "CRUD app" territory by week three. The Philosophy: AI as a Mirror Instead of you doing the heavy lifting, this workflow uses AI as a Mirror . It reflects the student’s own skills and career goals back to them, but with the structural rigour of a virtual supervisory team. It’s not about the AI "giving" the idea; it’s about the AI forcing the student to defend and refine their own concepts until they hold water. The Framework: 3 Months of Rigour This prompt is specifically designed for intensive/conversion MSc or summer capstone projects . It assumes a tight 12-week implementation window. By forcing the AI to w...

For many professionals, one of the hardest parts of any project isn’t the work itself—it’s the "blank page" problem. Whether you are drafting a project proposal, conducting a literature review , or  brainstorming  innovative solutions, getting started can be a significant mental hurdle. Generative AI (GenAI) tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot are often described as "content creators," but their true value for professionals lies in enhancing productivity. By applying specific prompting techniques, you can transform a vague idea into a well-structured, reference-supported document in a fraction of the time. Here is a three-step workflow to turn GenAI into your ultimate research and planning partner. 1. Brainstorming with "Personas" and "Templates" Don't just ask the AI for "ideas." To get professional results, you must give the AI a Persona (who it is acting as) and a Template (how you want the output to look). In our recent ex...

Produced using Google Gemini In two previous posts I looked at using Generative AI to start producing  project ideas and refining one to be the start of the proposal, Previous blog posts GenAI Productivity: Ideas to project proposal 1 GenAI Productivity: Ideas to project proposal 2 One of the most significant cognitive hurdles for students is the transition from a high-level area of interest to a rigorously defined project specification. This "blank page" problem often leads to poorly scoped projects or a lack of alignment with current academic literature. Building on my previous experiments in prompt-mediated productivity, this post examines a structured workflow for using Large Language Models (LLMs)—specifically GPT-4o—to scaffold the development of a BSc Software Engineering project proposal. The Methodology: Multi-Stage Prompt Scaffolding Rather than requesting a single output, the workflow utilizes a recursive prompting strategy. This mirrors the iterative refinement pr...