1.3 — Iterating Prompts to Improve Output

CCAO-F Domain 1 · Task 1.3

What You Need to Know

A first output is a draft. Iteration (output → specific feedback → better output) is the normal working rhythm, not a failure state.

Feedback That Names the Gap

Good feedback does one of three things:

• Adds a missing constraint (audience, format, thing to avoid)
• Corrects a misreading
• Narrows the scope

“Make it better and try again” adds no new information and reproduces the problem.

Refine or Re-Brief?

• Output close → refine in the same conversation with targeted follow-ups
• Output shows the original prompt was wrong → rewrite the brief and start clean
• Asking for variants (formal / conversational / urgent) turns Claude into an options generator and you into the judge

Keep the Wording That Worked

When feedback finally lands the output, fold it back into the original prompt so the next run starts from the improved baseline.

Exam Traps

• The vague retry dressed as diligence
• Patching a fundamentally wrong brief through many follow-up turns
• Starting a fresh chat when the output was one specific fix away