Test and improve your prompt

Section 4: Test and improve your prompt

Learning objectives

• Understand that prompting is a process, not a one-time event
• Test systematically with different types of questions
• Make simple, measurable improvements

Your first prompt is rarely perfect – and that’s completely fine. Think of it like writing: draft → clarify → polish.

Why must you test?

1. Interpretation – the same prompt can behave differently in different situations.
2. Blind spots – what was “obvious” to you isn’t necessarily obvious to the model.
3. Small changes – a single sentence or example can dramatically shift quality.

Simple four-step process

1. Write v1 with the five pillars (or your short template).
2. Test with a simple question, a vague question, and something out of scope.
3. Note tone, length, correctness, and how “don’t know” is handled.
4. Change one thing, test again – repeat.

Example: from too technical to just right

V1

ROLE: You are an IT support specialist.
TASK: Help with IT questions.

The prompt is the problem, not the answer. It is too short and too vague — it says nothing about who is asking, how long the answer should be, or what level of language applies. The result follows: the assistant answers technically and at length, because that is what “IT questions” looks like on average in the training data.

V2

ROLE: You are a pedagogical IT support specialist.
TASK: Help employees with IT questions using simple step-by-step instructions.
RULES: Max 100 words. Avoid technical jargon unless specifically requested.
TONE: Friendly and encouraging.

Same task — but now the assistant knows who it is answering, how long, and at what level.

When is the prompt "good enough"?

Quick checklist:

• Does it handle common questions you care about?
• Is the tone consistent?
• Do responses follow the format?
• Does it handle unknowns without making things up?

No prompt is “done” forever – models and needs change.

Summary

• Iteration is the norm.
• Test varied, change narrowly, measure the effect.
• Especially ensure rules for missing information and scope.

Test your knowledge

1Question 1 of 22Question 2 of 2

Question 1 of 2

Question 1 of 2

You test your prompt and notice the AI responds too technically and too long. What's the most logical next step according to the course?

You test your prompt and notice the AI responds too technically and too long. What's the most logical next step according to the course?

• Start over with a completely new prompt from scratch
• Add more examples and change role and task at the same time
• Make ONE change – e.g. max length and avoid jargon – then test again
• Accept the result; a prompt can never be improved anyway

Back Next