When we talk to people building their first app, two sentences appear almost every time:
“Let’s build the features first, and we can make it look nice later.”
“Honestly, isn’t great design all we need? If it looks good, users will use it.”
These statements sound reasonable, but in reality they’re some of the biggest misconceptions in product development.
Design isn’t decoration. Design is the answer to a deeper question: “How should users experience this app?”
And that direction cannot be decided later — it must be defined as part of the PRD.
Pretty Design ≠ Good Design
Beautiful design helps with first impressions, but first impressions alone don’t determine whether users stay.
User experience depends on:
- the flow the user naturally follows
- what they understand first on each screen
- how the product makes them feel as they continue using it
These are not “visual” decisions — they come from UX (experience) and UI Direction (emotional tone).
Pretty designs fade quickly when they lack UX clarity. They look great at first, but fall apart as soon as users actually start interacting with the product.
So where should design direction begin?
With the PRD (Product Requirements Document).
A PRD isn’t just a list of problems, users, and features. It also defines:
- the emotional tone of the experience
- the atmosphere the product should communicate
- the feeling users should have as they move through the app
Two apps with identical features can feel completely different:
- calm and minimal
- bright and energetic
- professional and structured
Design direction shapes the entire experience — and that direction must be set early.
The hardest part for beginners: describing “vibe”
Many first-time builders say:
“I know the feeling I want, but I can’t describe it.”
“There are so many similar apps… how do we feel different?”
“I think I want something minimal, but I’m not confident.”
This is completely normal. Even experienced PMs struggle to articulate emotional direction.
That’s why many early apps feel inconsistent — the emotional foundation was never clear.
HowToWritePRD captures design direction through questions
Our AI is not a tool that generates screens and not something that chooses colors for you.
It plays a much more foundational role.
When you enter your idea, the AI doesn’t stop at asking about features or problems. It naturally asks about design direction too:
- “What overall mood should this app convey? Minimal? Warm? Energetic? Professional?”
- “Compared to existing apps, what emotional tone should make yours feel different?”
- “What do you want the user to feel the moment they see the first screen?”
These questions help you turn a vague feeling into a clear, communicable design direction.
The answers become a structured Design Direction section in the PRD — a reference shared across designers, developers, and PMs.
When design direction is clear, the entire team becomes aligned
✔ Designers
Immediately understand the atmosphere they must express. Emotion → layout → color → style flows smoothly.
✔ Developers
Know how complex interactions or animations should be, reducing excessive revisions.
✔ PM / Product team
Ensure features, flows, and emotions are tied together like a coherent story.
A strong design direction in the PRD prevents massive late-stage redesigns and UX resets.
Conclusion — Design Isn’t the Final Touch. It’s the Beginning of Experience.
Thinking “we can make it pretty later” almost always leads to chaos, rework, and inconsistencies.
But when the PRD includes:problem → user → features → design direction the product develops with clarity and unity from the start.
HowToWritePRD ensures beginners don’t skip this essential step by guiding the emotional and UX direction through simple, natural questions.
Great visual design only matters when it supports the experience you intended to create.
