Prompt Design For Beginners

• This module shows you how to ask the model to improve your prompt to obtain the best response from ChatGPT.

Prompt writing is usually an iterative approach - it takes a few revisions to correctly phrase the question to produce the ideal response you are hoping for. A pro tip is to design a prompt that asks ChatGPT for guidance on how to improve your original question. Put the model to work for you!

Prompt Design Tips

1. Use Delimiters
   It's important to structure your prompt so that ChatGPT understands that you are asking the model for guidance on how to improve your prompt. You want the model to provide helpful advice, not just repeat a previous poor answer to your initial question. Use delimiters to break your prompt into two sections - your original prompt and your request for guidance.

• Recall that delimiters are user selected symbols (eg. curly brackets, {}) and/or descriptive words (eg. Original Prompt: and My Request:) that help the model understand the different sections of your prompt. See the Pro Tips: Use Delimiters module for additional information. 

2. Ask the Model to Provide Suggestions for Improvements
   I asked ChatGPT to provide three suggestions for improvements instead of requesting that the model directly rewrite the original prompt. Asking the model to provide its reasoning before providing a response "increases the chance that its final answer is accurate and consistent" (Villanueva, 2023). Furthermore, understanding the model's reasoning process will help you to develop your prompt design skills. 

• In the example shown below, ChatGPT gave three suggestions for improving the clarity of my original prompt.

3. Ask the Model to Update Your Original Prompt
   The model concluded its response by providing an updated version of my initial question that incorporated its guidance.

• Notice that the updated version of my original prompt includes the use of Markdown syntax to format the exchange between the Student and the Instructor. If you don't understand what Markdown syntax is then see the Specify An Output Format module for a detailed explanation. 
  • Example: **Student:** *Is there fresh water on Mars?*
  • Translation: Student: Is there fresh water on Mars?
     
• Alternatively, you may want to consider leaving out the following line from the initial prompt.
  • "Provide an updated version of my original prompt incorporating your suggestions for improvement."
     
  • Use the sentence as a follow-up or secondary prompt. ChatGPT may provide more in-depth feedback about the suggested improvements if it isn't required to also include the updated prompt in one response. ​​​​​​​​​​​​

Reference

Villanueva, M. (2023, January 23). A practical guide to using ChatGPT and GPT-3 for prompt engineering. Medium. 
https://medium.com/@f.menavillanueva/a-practical-guide-to-using-chatgpt-and-gpt-3-for-prompt-engineering-53bf17d3d42b

Prompt In ChatGPT-3.5: 

Laura:

My Original Prompt is delimited using curly brackets, {}.

Original Prompt:
{Is there fresh water on Mars? Format the output as a dialogue with four to six exchanges between you and a grade 10 student. Bold each label (Student, Instructor). Italicize the student's dialogue but have the instructor's response in plain text.}

My Request:
Offer three suggestions for how I can improve the Original Prompt for clarity and to avoid formatting oversights. Would adding an example help?

Provide an updated version of my original prompt incorporating your suggestions for improvement.

ChatGPT:

Certainly! Here are three suggestions to improve clarity in your prompt:

1. Specify the Format Clearly: Explicitly mention the format you're expecting for the dialogue. For example, you could specify the expected structure of each exchange, ensuring a consistent and clear conversation.

2. Provide an Example: Including a brief example of how you envision the dialogue would look can help clarify your expectations. This ensures the participant understands the desired formatting and content.

3. Separate Instructions Clearly: To avoid any potential confusion, you might consider breaking down your instructions into distinct points. For instance, have separate instructions for formatting labels, italicizing the student's dialogue, and presenting the instructor's response.

Here's an updated version incorporating these suggestions:

Question: Is there fresh water on Mars?
Format the output as a dialogue with four to six exchanges between you and a grade 10 student.
Bold each label individually (Student, Instructor).
Italicize the student's dialogue but have the instructor's response in plain text.

Example:

**Student:** *Is there fresh water on Mars?*

**Instructor:** Yes, there's evidence that suggests the presence of water on Mars. Scientists have discovered ice beneath the surface and some seasonal flows that might be liquid water.

**Student:** *So, does that mean there could be life on Mars if there's water?*

This example illustrates how you want the dialogue to be formatted.

Do one of the following activities to check your understanding of asking ChatGPT for guidance on improve your prompts.

1. Think about a prompt that you tried in the past that failed or ChatGPT gave you a disappointing response. Ask ChatGPT to suggest improvements for it. 
    
2. If you can't think of a prompt then you can explore the basic question below.

• Note that a Velociraptor was a small, agile, carnivorous dinosaur.
• Add a bit of context about the scenario in your original prompt. Are you in a specific location? Is there an object near you? Be creative!
   
• Base Prompt: How could I survive a Velociraptor attack?
• Laura's Solution: You can read my prompt and ChatGPT's response by clicking here.