Jobs’ design thinking works perfectly as AI prompts. Here are 13 questions that force radical simplification:
Strip Away the Noise
1. Kill the Clutter
“How can I make this simpler?”
-
47-module course → 5 modules that matter
-
Strips away everything unnecessary
2. Start Over
“What if I built this from scratch?”
-
Breaks incremental thinking
-
Forces fresh perspective
3. Find Your Core
“What’s the ONE thing this must do perfectly?”
-
Cuts feature bloat
-
Reveals true purpose
Design for Humans
4. Fresh Eyes
“How would I explain this to a complete beginner?”
-
Kills insider jargon
-
Creates universal clarity
5. Make It Magic
“What if this just worked perfectly?”
-
Removes all friction
-
Designs invisible experience
6. Natural Flow
“How do I make this feel obvious?”
-
Creates intuitive paths
-
Eliminates confusion
Push for Excellence
7. Beautiful Solutions
“What’s the most elegant way to do this?”
-
Form meets function
-
Finds the graceful path
8. Go Beyond Good
“How do I make this insanely great?”
-
Pushes past acceptable
-
Demands breakthrough
9. Personal Test
“Would I actually use this myself?”
-
Cuts through market noise
-
Focuses on real needs
Stay Disciplined
10. Spot Bloat
“What complexity adds zero value?”
-
Identifies over-engineering
-
Reveals useless features
11. Can vs. Should
“What am I adding just because I can?”
-
Enforces restraint
-
Questions every addition
12. No Settling
“Where am I cutting corners I shouldn’t?”
-
Maintains standards
-
Spots quality gaps
13. Simplify Complexity
“How do I make hard things look easy?”
-
Translates expertise
-
Creates accessibility
Advanced Moves
Stack Questions: “How can I simplify this? What’s the core? What’s elegant?”
Channel Jobs: “Steve Jobs would solve this by…”
Stay Sane: Add “but keep it realistic” to avoid perfectionist hell
Universal Fix: “What’s the most beautiful solution possible?”
Why This Works
Jobs obsessed over human behavior. AI applies his principles to your specific problem.
His secret: Say no to 1000 good ideas to find one great one.