Prompt to Prototype: Building an App with AI
A hands-on workshop with Katie, Senior UX Designer
Have an idea but not sure how to get AI to build it? In this workshop we'll go from a blank prompt to a working app concept in one session. You'll learn how to write prompts that get useful results, then work with the group to turn an idea into something real.
What we'll cover
Introductions. Meet Katie, Senior UX Designer at the Interaction Design Foundation, and hear how she uses AI in her design work.
How to write an effective prompt. What makes a prompt work: giving context, defining the user and the problem, setting constraints, and refining through iteration. We'll compare weak and strong prompts side by side.
Build it together (1 hour). As a group, we'll pick an idea and use AI to shape it into an app, working through the problem, user flows, features, and UI. Everyone contributes, and we'll adjust our prompts as we go.
Show and tell. We'll present the finished app to the group and talk about what worked, what surprised us, and what we'd do differently.
Who it's for: Designers, founders, and anyone curious about using AI to bring ideas to life. You don't need coding experience.
What you'll leave with: A repeatable approach to prompting, hands-on experience building with AI, and a finished app concept made by the group.
About Katie:
Katie Carlton is a Staff Product Designer at CVS Health and the owner of Carlton Design Co., an independent design consultancy. With more than 10 years of design experience, she works across digital products, websites, branding, design systems, and search visibility through SEO and answer engine optimization (AEO). She helps teams and businesses turn complex challenges into thoughtful, usable experiences that are easier to discover.
Her work bridges design strategy and hands-on execution, including using AI to explore ideas and make them tangible without losing sight of the people they’re meant to serve. In this workshop, Katie will help participants translate their research into clear, effective prompts and use AI to build and refine an app concept, keeping research insights and design judgment at the center of the process.
Online Meetup
Attendance is free.
No IxDF membership required.
Meet people who love design as much as you do. Together we learn new skills, grow our networks, and discover new job opportunities.
Join us to make lifelong friendships over coffee and a shared love of design! ❤️
Hi everyone! I'm happy to invite you to Workshop Part 2 - Ideate, Build, Present: A Hands-On AI Workshop with Senior Product Designer, Katie Carlton, happening on Nov 5, 2026.
Anyone is welcome to sign up for this meetup. Just click the “Attend This Meetup” button to see all the details and get important updates by email. Feel free to share this meetup page with others to sign up and use this thread to ask questions or connect with everyone joining. See you there!
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Denver, United States
Ayka Williams
CEO & Co-founder at Swurl LLC
Denver, United States
Karson
UX Designer
An IxDF Local Group connects you with people in your city who are building and applying design skills in their work. Together, you'll strengthen your craft, expand your network, and put theory into practice.
IxDF Local Groups meet regularly in person at cafés, company offices, or creative spaces to share ideas, give feedback, run workshops, and learn from each other. Many groups also organize IxDF Design Dinners, where the conversation goes deeper over a meal. These aren't just social events. Members find collaborators, clients, job leads, and future teammates through them.
You'll also have access to a private online forum where you can get career advice, honest feedback, and support from people who understand the work.
You don't need to have a "designer" title to join. If you care about how design shapes products, careers, and organizations, you belong here.
Join and you'll discover new skills, explore job opportunities, and build relationships with people who understand the power of great design.
IxDF Zagreb
IxDF Accra
IxDF Oslo
IxDF Santo Domingo
IxDF Stockholm
IxDF Quebec
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Your IxDF Local Leader organizes meetups based on what members want most. Sessions range from hands-on and structured to relaxed and informal.
Some examples of what you'll find:
Presentations from local designers, followed by Q&A
Lightning talks where members share lessons learned from real projects
Workshops where you work through a real design challenge together
Portfolio reviews where you get honest, practical feedback
Coffee meetups and design dinners with open conversations about where the industry is heading
Any member can propose, organize and post a meetup. You don't have to wait for your Local Leader to take the initiative.
What stays consistent is the people. You'll find designers and professionals who ask good questions, share what they know, and show up for each other between meetups too.
Yes, absolutely!
Design skills make you more effective in any role. Product managers, developers, marketers, researchers, and founders all work better when they understand how to think like a designer.
IxDF Local Groups reflect that. Members come from all kinds of professional backgrounds, not just design. What they share is an interest in how design shapes products, decisions, and careers.
You'll fit right in regardless of your background.
You don’t need to be a designer to have a seat at the table. IxDF Pune
Curiosity and good coffee are the only requirements. IxDF Santo Domingo
From designers to business thinkers, every voice adds value. IxDF Bordeaux
You don’t need to be a designer to think creatively. IxDF Chennai
Everyone here learns from each other and grows together. IxDF Salvador
In a world that's getting more artificial and competitive, IxDF brings the heart back, so you never have to face the job market alone.
Learn together, get mentored, find your next job, and build friendships that grow your career.
