My latest free write-up: https://lnkd.in/g9Kxa7hG ✍️
The difference between a vague "fix my code" request and a well-crafted prompt can mean the difference between generic, unhelpful advice and precise, actionable solutions that accelerate your development workflow.
My "Prompt Engineering Playbook" has actionable strategies to help you get the most out of AI coding assistants. If you missed it, or need a refresher on crafting prompts that deliver real results, now's a great time to dive in.
Inside, you'll find:
✅ Effective patterns (role-playing, rich context, iterative refinement)
✅ Smart debugging strategies with AI
✅ AI-assisted refactoring for better code
✅ Building new features step-by-step with your AI pair programmer
✅ Common anti-patterns to avoid (and how to fix them)
Here's what separates developers who struggle with AI from those who use it effectively:
🎯 The Foundation
Rich context: Never just say "fix my code" - specify language, framework, error messages, and expected behavior
Clear goals: Replace "this doesn't work" with "this function should return a sorted array but returns undefined"
Break it down: Don't ask for entire features - iterate from skeleton → logic → optimization
⚡ Refactoring game-changer
❌ Vague: "Refactor getCombinedData function"
✅ Specific: "Refactor to eliminate duplicate fetch logic, parallelize requests, and optimize data merging. Preserve individual error messages."
Result: AI delivers parallel fetching, efficient data structures, and maintains debugging capability.
🎭 Secret weapon: role playing
"Act as a senior React developer reviewing this code for performance issues..."
"You're a TypeScript expert - refactor following modern best practices..."
This simple technique dramatically improves response quality and specificity.
⚠️ Avoid these anti-patterns
- Overloaded prompts ("build a complete app")
- Vague success criteria ("optimize code" vs "reduce memory usage")
- Ignoring AI clarifying questions
- Inconsistent style across conversations
💡 Bottom line
With AI, the more context and direction you provide, the better your results.
I hope it's a helpful read.
ai programming softwareengineering
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