Story
When I need the AI to make something with exact details, I want to fill in the few things it needs, so the first answer fits and I don't have to explain again.
Anjali, a Class 5 maths teacher in Pune, making a quiz on her laptop in a free period.
- 01 Setting
Anjali needs a short quiz for tomorrow's class.
- 02 Trigger
She knows what she wants: 10 questions, tick-box answers, Class 5 level.
- 03 Without it
She types "Make a fractions quiz" and gets 20 open questions, too hard for 10-year-olds.
- 04 With it
4 fields ask for topic, number, type and class. When she skips the class, the form says why it matters.
- 05 Outcome
The first quiz fits. She prints it before the bell.
Live demo
This demo follows a script, so it plays the same every time - there is no real AI behind it. Change a setting to see the same moment play out differently.
What happens, step by step
| State | The person sees | The AI is | When | Screen reader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A short form: Topic, Questions, Type, Class. Each empty field shows an example. | Idle. | 0 s | - |
| 2 | Typed values and 1-tap chips. The ask below the form builds itself as she goes. | Idle. | - | - |
| 3 | She taps Make quiz with no class. An amber note by the field: "Choose a class, so the questions fit the age." | Idle - nothing is sent yet. | on tap | “Choose a class to continue” |
| 4 | The built ask reads in full: "10 multiple-choice questions on fractions for Class 5". Make quiz lights up. | Idle. | when all needed fields are in | - |
| 5 | The form folds into 1 ask bubble, with Edit fields under it. | Starts work. | on tap | “Message sent” |
| 6 | The quiz streams in (arrives word by word), matching every field. | Writes. | - | “Generating a response” |
| 7 | The full quiz. Edit fields reopens the form with her values kept. | Idle. | when done | “Response complete” |
On each device
- phone
- Fields stack in 1 column with the label above each. Short choices are chips, not drop-downs. The send button sits under the last field, by the thumb.
- tablet
- Like the phone in portrait. In landscape, like desktop.
- desktop
- Labels sit to the left of the fields, so the form is short. The built ask can sit beside the form and update as people type.
When to use it
- The AI needs a few exact values to do the job well - a number, a level, a date, a length.
- People make the same kind of ask again and again, like quizzes, job posts or release notes.
- People new to the AI don't know which details make a good ask.
- The ask is open and creative, and fields would box people in. Use Prompt composer instead.
- People need ideas for what to ask, not a place for exact values. Use Suggested prompts instead.
- People want to change 1 thing after the first answer, like length or tone. Use Adjust length and tone instead.
The parts of the pattern
- AField with an exampleA plain label and an example inside: "e.g. Fractions". People know what to type.
- BChoice chips2 to 4 options as chips. 1 tap, nothing hidden in a menu.
- CMissing-value noteSays which value is missing and why it matters, next to that field.
- DThe built askThe sentence the fields make, in plain words. It updates as people fill in fields.
- ESendNames the job: "Make quiz". Pressing it with a gap shows the note, not a dead button.
Do and Avoid
Topic · Fractions
Questions · 10
Class · needed
Ask: 10 questions on fractions for Class 5
Topic* · Tone* · Audience* · Format*
Length* · Style* · Language* · Reading age*
Persona* · Output* · Examples* · Rules*
12 required fields
Class · Choose a class
Choose a class, so the questions fit the age.
Make quiz
Class · Choose a class
Make quiz
Writing and accessibility
- Label fields with plain nouns people use: "Topic", "Class", "Questions". Not "Parameters" or "Variables".
- Put an example in each empty field: "e.g. Fractions".
- Mark only the fields that are needed, and say why in 1 line: "Choose a class, so the questions fit the age."
- Show the ask the fields build as 1 sentence, in the words a person would type.
- Every field has a visible label tied to it. Placeholder text (the grey example inside the field) is never the only label.
- Chips work as a radio group (a set where only 1 can be picked): arrow keys move, Space picks, and a screen reader announces the picked one.
- When a needed value is missing, move focus to that field and announce the note: "Choose a class to continue".
- The built ask is plain text, so a screen reader can read the whole ask before it is sent.
Seen in real products
- SunoAndroid app and web · Nov 2026Custom mode splits a song ask into separate parts: Lyrics (or let Suno write them), Styles, a Title, and an Instrumental switch.Suno Help: Android Create, Custom Mode (edited Dec 2025) ↗
- Adobe FireflyWeb · Nov 2026Content type, visual intensity, composition and style are set with controls beside the prompt bar, not typed into the prompt.Adobe Help: Enhance prompts to generate images (updated Aug 2026) ↗
Each example comes from the product’s help pages, release notes or teardowns, with the month it was checked. Products change every month - tell us when 1 is out of date.
Check yourself
Seen this pattern done better, or a product that changed? Press Suggest next to any heading, or tell us about the whole page.