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Design Brief Generator: A Thinking Space for Designers
brief generator, UX, UI

Design Brief Generator: A Thinking Space for Designers

Practice UX, UI, or research — without starting a full case study

My role

Product Designer: concept creation and UX thinking

Project type

Product Design Challenge

Tools

ChatGPT (co-creation & reflection)
Pen & paper (initial thoughts, mental sketches)

It started with a simple idea: I wanted a better design prompt. Something practical - not a huge case study, just a quick challenge I could work on in spare moments.

I tried a ChatGPT prompt. It worked. But it also had limits — no space to dig deeper, track ideas, or grow them into something more.

That’s when the idea grew: what if there was a tool built for everyday design practice?

One that offers realistic briefs, let you choose difficulty level, and supports your process - whether you're sketching in a tram, writing notes between classes, or uploading ideas from your laptop.

Approach & Insights

Where it began

My initial idea was to have a short design challenge at my fingertips. Something to work on in spare moments. Not every task needs a full research → prototype → test workflow.

There’s a gap between daily UX practice and building big portfolio pieces. Especially for junior designers, it’s hard to find small, focused prompts that actually feel useful. What’s missing is a way to train your thinking, not just your screen design skills - and to do that anywhere, even in a tram.

That led to two types of briefs:

  • Fake Clients (fictional stakeholders, realistic design needs)

  • Real Fixes (real-world apps and websites with UX or UI issues)

Modes for different needs

Then I added two modes of difficulty:

  • Default Mode: helpful, guided, with optional deliverables

  • Pro Mode: ambiguous, strategic, like a real-world task with less hand-holding

Why notes matter

It wasn’t just about generating prompts. I realized that as designers, we often need to capture thoughts, not just draw screens. That’s why the concept grew to include things like notes, photos, sketch uploads, and even offline support — tools that let you work wherever inspiration hits.

Key insights

  • Most design challenges online feel too abstract, or expect full projects

  • A “guided” mode can help juniors practice thinking, not just Figma skills

  • Designers get ideas anytime, anywhere - support for messy, in-the-moment thinking is essential

  • Pro-level briefs should mirror reality: messy, fast, unclear - but exciting

Where it began

My initial idea was to have a short design challenge at my fingertips. Something to work on in spare moments. Not every task needs a full research → prototype → test workflow.

There’s a gap between daily UX practice and building big portfolio pieces. Especially for junior designers, it’s hard to find small, focused prompts that actually feel useful. What’s missing is a way to train your thinking, not just your screen design skills - and to do that anywhere, even in a tram.

That led to two types of briefs:

  • Fake Clients (fictional stakeholders, realistic design needs)

  • Real Fixes (real-world apps and websites with UX or UI issues)

Modes for different needs

Then I added two modes of difficulty:

  • Default Mode: helpful, guided, with optional deliverables

  • Pro Mode: ambiguous, strategic, like a real-world task with less hand-holding

Why notes matter

It wasn’t just about generating prompts. I realized that as designers, we often need to capture thoughts, not just draw screens. That’s why the concept grew to include things like notes, photos, sketch uploads, and even offline support — tools that let you work wherever inspiration hits.

Key insights

  • Most design challenges online feel too abstract, or expect full projects

  • A “guided” mode can help juniors practice thinking, not just Figma skills

  • Designers get ideas anytime, anywhere - support for messy, in-the-moment thinking is essential

  • Pro-level briefs should mirror reality: messy, fast, unclear - but exciting

Where it began

My initial idea was to have a short design challenge at my fingertips. Something to work on in spare moments. Not every task needs a full research → prototype → test workflow.

There’s a gap between daily UX practice and building big portfolio pieces. Especially for junior designers, it’s hard to find small, focused prompts that actually feel useful. What’s missing is a way to train your thinking, not just your screen design skills - and to do that anywhere, even in a tram.

That led to two types of briefs:

  • Fake Clients (fictional stakeholders, realistic design needs)

  • Real Fixes (real-world apps and websites with UX or UI issues)

Modes for different needs

Then I added two modes of difficulty:

  • Default Mode: helpful, guided, with optional deliverables

  • Pro Mode: ambiguous, strategic, like a real-world task with less hand-holding

Why notes matter

It wasn’t just about generating prompts. I realized that as designers, we often need to capture thoughts, not just draw screens. That’s why the concept grew to include things like notes, photos, sketch uploads, and even offline support — tools that let you work wherever inspiration hits.

Key insights

  • Most design challenges online feel too abstract, or expect full projects

  • A “guided” mode can help juniors practice thinking, not just Figma skills

  • Designers get ideas anytime, anywhere - support for messy, in-the-moment thinking is essential

  • Pro-level briefs should mirror reality: messy, fast, unclear - but exciting

Solution

The concept became a cross-device tool for design challenge generation, focused on clarity and flexibility.

Choose a brief type

  • Fake Client: fictional stakeholders with specific product needs

  • Real Fix: real-world apps or websites that need a smarter experience

Select your mode

  • Default: A clear, focused challenge - plus optional “deliverables” to guide your response

  • Pro: Ambiguous briefs with light metrics and real-world tension - for designers who want to stretch

Organize your process

  • Add sketches, snapshots, screenshots

  • Jot quick notes or explore an idea across multiple sessions

  • Tag and track ideas with “Mark as done” or save for later

  • Write case studies when ready - straight from your desktop

Why this approach might work

  • Supports growth for all levels of designers

  • Focuses on thinking, not just deliverables

  • Flexible enough for real life - even when inspiration hits on the go

The concept became a cross-device tool for design challenge generation, focused on clarity and flexibility.

Choose a brief type

  • Fake Client: fictional stakeholders with specific product needs

  • Real Fix: real-world apps or websites that need a smarter experience

Select your mode

  • Default: A clear, focused challenge - plus optional “deliverables” to guide your response

  • Pro: Ambiguous briefs with light metrics and real-world tension - for designers who want to stretch

Organize your process

  • Add sketches, snapshots, screenshots

  • Jot quick notes or explore an idea across multiple sessions

  • Tag and track ideas with “Mark as done” or save for later

  • Write case studies when ready - straight from your desktop

Why this approach might work

  • Supports growth for all levels of designers

  • Focuses on thinking, not just deliverables

  • Flexible enough for real life - even when inspiration hits on the go

The concept became a cross-device tool for design challenge generation, focused on clarity and flexibility.

Choose a brief type

  • Fake Client: fictional stakeholders with specific product needs

  • Real Fix: real-world apps or websites that need a smarter experience

Select your mode

  • Default: A clear, focused challenge - plus optional “deliverables” to guide your response

  • Pro: Ambiguous briefs with light metrics and real-world tension - for designers who want to stretch

Organize your process

  • Add sketches, snapshots, screenshots

  • Jot quick notes or explore an idea across multiple sessions

  • Tag and track ideas with “Mark as done” or save for later

  • Write case studies when ready - straight from your desktop

Why this approach might work

  • Supports growth for all levels of designers

  • Focuses on thinking, not just deliverables

  • Flexible enough for real life - even when inspiration hits on the go

Impact & Reflection

This wasn’t a finished product - but it didn’t need to be.
The biggest win was realizing how much value can come from simply following an idea. What started as a quick personal prompt for practice turned into a product concept with real potential - something junior and senior designers could actually use to stay sharp, reflect, and explore.

Along the way, I learnt:

  • You don’t always need a huge project scope to design something helpful

  • Not every exercise needs wireframes or high-fidelity screens - sometimes a sketch or a note is enough

  • What helps a junior build confidence won’t challenge a senior - and vice versa

  • We get ideas while commuting, between meetings, or after seeing something interesting on the street. Tools should support that flexibility

Let’s work together

Always excited to team up with amazing individuals for interesting projects. Let's bring our ideas to life!

Say hi! via email

Let’s work together

Always excited to team up with amazing individuals for interesting projects. Let's bring our ideas to life!

Say hi! via email

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