AI Assisted Prototyping: From Idea to a Working Product Demo in Minutes

Today I’m going to show you how to turn your product idea into a clickable, interactive prototype. Once you have your idea properly documented, it will take you less than 10 minutes to produce a working demo.

Let’s kick things off with step #1.

But before I share it with you, here are some facts:

By following the steps that I used, product managers can quickly build working app demos without much effort. Even non-technical people with an app idea will be able to follow through / apply the steps outlined below. However, there are those who will not be able to benefit from described technique - this tutorial is not for those working on non-app products.

Let’s dive right in.

Step #1 - Document your product idea

Create your PRD, BRD document or whatever it is that you usually do to capture the product idea in writing. The process is totally up to you, no need to do it any other way then what you are used to.

I usually write it very simple (and ugly) for the first time, then think about it for a week (or more) and revisit the doc to improve it. More revisiting, the better. Deadlines almost never leave enough room for more thinking, discussing and polishing, but in general - with more iterations of revising the doc, it gets better and better. With less time at your disposal, you get a less decent document - it is as simple as that.

Step #2 - Write the use cases / user stories

Once your PRD (or BRD) document is ready, start detailing the use cases / user stories. This is the most crucial part if you want your demo to function as intended from the first shot.

Even if you do not have much time to spend on your PRD doc or it is in early first-draft stage, do spend some extra time on user stories - this is important. You can even delegate creation of user stories to Claude.AI or ChantGPT but do check the output and refine it manually.

I tend to write it in a simple, standard form: As a [type of user] I want to [perform some action] So that [achieve some goal/benefit]

If described actions are complex, you can add “acceptance criteria” to your user stories.

Step #3 - Create a demo app

Now roll up your sleeves and get ready to create a working demo app with some AI assistance. Prepare the prompt, it should contain the following:

• Brief summary of the PRD doc in few sentences - explain what needs to be built, what the app is about.
• Define the scope of the product and parameters (if any)
• Upload the complete PRD doc only if it has not more than a few pages in total. Otherwise, paste the user stories only.
• Specify requirements regarding the design and colors, how the demo should look. Or skip this part, and see what you will get - you might be surprised. If needed, ask for changes in design with a second prompt.

Now enter that prompt into your tool of choice (gptengineer.app or v0.dev) and wait for the result.

After the demo is coded by AI tool, check it and via additional prompts ask for any changes needed. From my experience, it often takes at least 2-5 additional prompts to get it in the desired or acceptable state.

Enjoy!

Example prompt: Please code a web-based reservation system that enables employees to book desk space and parking spots in a shared coworking office. The system manages limited resources (20 desks and 8 parking spots) efficiently while ensuring fair access for all employees. It should be first come first serve principle. seats and parking can be reserved only from Monday to Friday, and max 2 weeks in advance. One employee can reserve max 3 days in a week. One employee can reserve only one seat and one parking spot for a specific date. Please use the uploaded PRD for more details and needed functionalities. Design should be modern looking, responsive and also buttons need to look good and not cramped on smaller screens.