UI Field Guide
Know what you want,
and what it’s called.
A hands-on visual catalog of UI/UX patterns. Try live examples, learn what each component is called, and describe interfaces to AI without the guesswork.
INDEPENDENT SOFTWARE STUDIO · SOLO BUILDER WITH AI
Building software.
Sharing the
process.
One person building everyday software with AI—and turning the problems, methods, and workflows into free tools, guides, and field notes.
Combining focused tools and capabilities across UI vocabulary, prompt clarity, and spreadsheet logic.
See a 4-color prompt example Toggle
Four-Question Prompt Method
EXAMPLE · CLICK TO SWITCHFor college students new to budgeting, build a daily expense web page with one-tap logging. Keep the interface calm with generous whitespace and one accent color. No pop-ups, and no sign-up required.
Who is it for (Blue): Start with the user. Beginners need fewer steps and less jargon, helping AI prioritize features.
What to do (Green): State the core job clearly. Describing one focused action beats listing ten vague features.
What style (Yellow): Describe the look and feel. Whitespace, accent color, and tone keep UI from looking generic.
What to avoid (Red): Set clear boundaries. Writing down what you don’t want saves rounds of rework.
Tools & Guides
Put what you want to build into clear words. Pick the tool that matches your current task, or combine them along the way.
AI Rules Lab
Four-Question Prompt Practice
Compare before-and-after examples across everyday writing, study, and software building—then structure and copy your own prompt locally.
Excel Formulas Lab
Understand Excel formulas
like building blocks.
70 practical Excel functions dissected into 7 categories with real-time recalculation, cell editing practice, and 4-step progressive learning (Simplified Chinese UI).
TEMPLATE · v0.2
Working on longer projects and tired of repeating context? Check the Custom Instructions & Project Rules Template (Bilingual templates + 11-page PDF).
Apps
Built from everyday needs, doing one small thing well.
Lutive Camera
Available nowFilm-style shooting and color grading that gives your photos their own character.
Learn more (CN)
LutiveGallery
Available nowCompare similar shots side by side and tidy up your gallery, making every keep-or-delete decision clearer.
Learn more (CN)UselessDiary
In DevelopmentA quiet personal diary for writing to yourself.
Field Notes
Problems, trade-offs, and reusable methods for next time.
Stop Making Prompts Longer: A Practical Framework for Custom Instructions & Project Rules
A copy-ready set of global custom instructions, project rules, AGENTS.md templates, and lightweight task cards (including English & Chinese prompts), with dual Human / Agent views and a free 11-page PDF.
Notes from Building Solo
From a film camera to a gallery cleaner—what actually came up while building apps with AI.
Read draft excerpt
Whenever I tried describing UI interactions to AI without knowing the exact component names, simple changes took rounds of back-and-forth. So I put together UI Field Guide. Making software, and sharpening the tools needed to make it along the way.
Draft excerpt · Not formally published.
About LutiveLab
A one-person independent software studio. I build software I need myself, and combine the tools and methods that work so others can use them too.