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Prompt Template Asks AI to Interview Users and Draft a Design Doc Before Writing Code

November 1, 2026 at 05:45 EST

Software Dev & Coding

A widely shared social media post describes a single prompt that asks an AI assistant to question the user and draft a one-page design document before producing any code, and says the approach mirrors a planning rule it attributes to Google's engineers.

Prompt engineering · AI-assisted coding

Make the AI Ask First: Plan the Design Before It Writes Code

A shared prompt tells an AI assistant to ask five design-changing questions and draft a one-page design document before producing any code. Its author says the approach mirrors a planning rule attributed to Google's engineers. That attribution is unverified.

Clarifying questions the assistant asks before any design work

Required steps that must finish before code is written

Page-long design document covering the problem and proposed approach

The gated workflow

Code is blocked until the plan is written and reviewed.

Start

Feature prompt

→

Step 1

Ask 5 questions that could change the design

→

Step 2

Write a one-page design doc

→

Gate

Plan survives outside scrutiny

→

Then

Code is written

What the stage produces, as counts

Each block is one item the prompt requires. These are counts from the template, not measured outcomes.

Questions asked

5 blocks

Design document

1 block (one page)

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