Unit 3 · Lesson 2
Constraints and format
Say the shape of the answer you want — and what to leave out.
Ask an AI "how do I take care of a goldfish?" and you'll get a wall of text. Nine paragraphs. Everything it knows. You wanted a quick answer and now you're doing reading homework.
The fix isn't a better question. It's telling the AI the shape of the answer before it starts.
A good prompt says what you want. A great one also says how big, what form, and what to skip.
One idea: constraints make answers usable
Last lesson gave the AI a target (role, goal, context). Constraints tell it the container the answer goes in. Three kinds:
| Constraint type | What it controls | Example you can paste |
|---|---|---|
| Length | How much you get | "In 3 bullet points." "One sentence." |
| Format | The shape it arrives in | "As a checklist." "As a table." "Like a text." |
| Boundaries | What to leave out | "No jargon." "Don't give me the answer, give me a hint." |
That last one is secretly the most powerful. Telling the AI what NOT to do is how you stop it from being a know-it-all and turn it into an actual helper.
Do the thing
Take one plain request — "explain how a bill becomes a law" — and run it four ways in your head (or for real):
- Add a length limit: "…in exactly 4 steps."
- Add a format: "…as a comic strip script."
- Add a boundary: "…without using the words 'legislation' or 'veto.'"
- Stack all three: "In 4 steps, as a comic strip script, no fancy words."
Notice how the fourth answer is something you'd actually keep.
Quick check. More constraints usually means more useful, not less — up to a point. If you constrain so hard there's no room left ("one word, no vowels, about everything"), you'll get nonsense. The sweet spot: enough shape that the answer fits your life, enough room that the AI can still be good.
Why this matters
Constraints are how you make an AI answer for you instead of for some imaginary average person.
- The default answer is nobody's answer. Length, format, and boundaries drag it toward your actual need.
- "What should it leave out?" is a pro move. Deciding what you don't want is often clearer than deciding what you do.
Next lesson, the most surprising prompt trick of all: instead of asking the AI to answer, you'll ask it to question you back — and you'll build a prompt card you can keep forever.