Project Templates
What you'll learn
~15 min- Use the scaffolding prompt formula (type + structure + features + tech + theme) for any project
- Customize template prompts for your specific domain and needs
- Choose the right template category for your goal (portfolio, dashboard, tool, research)
- Apply domain-specific prompts for biotech, business, or government projects
By the end of this lesson, you will have a library of ready-to-use scaffolding prompts that you can copy, customize, and paste into your AI CLI tool (such as Claude Code, Gemini CLI, or your preferred tool) to get a first working scaffold in minutes. Some polishing and debugging is usually still needed, but the heavy lifting is done.
The Mental Model: Fill-in-the-Blank Recipes
Think of these templates like recipe templates in a cookbook. A “stir-fry template” gives you the method (heat oil, add aromatics, add protein, add sauce, add vegetables), and you fill in the specifics (sesame oil, garlic, chicken, teriyaki, broccoli). The structure stays the same — only the ingredients change.
Every scaffolding prompt follows the same recipe. Once you learn the formula, you can create a prompt for many common projects in a few minutes — faster with practice.
The Prompt Formula
Every good scaffolding prompt follows this pattern:
Create [type of project] with:
Structure:- [list the pages/sections/views]
Features:- [list specific functionality]
Tech: [framework, libraries]Theme: [visual description]
[Any additional constraints or preferences]Fill in the blanks, paste into your AI CLI tool, and you will have a working scaffold in minutes. Let’s see it in action across different categories.
If you do not know what framework or library to use for the Tech line, just write Tech: Choose the simplest, most modern framework for this task or Tech: Standard HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The AI will pick reasonable defaults.
Some terms you will see in these templates: hero = the large banner section at the top of a page. CTA = “call to action,” a button or link that prompts the user to do something (sign up, buy, contact). KPI = key performance indicator, a measurable value that shows how well something is performing. WCAG = Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, standards for making websites usable by people with disabilities. localStorage = a browser feature that saves data on the user’s computer so it persists between page visits.
Personal / Portfolio
Personal Portfolio Website
Create a personal portfolio website with these specifications:
Structure:- Homepage with hero (name, title, one-liner), about section, featured projects (3 cards), skills list, and contact info- Individual project detail pages- Responsive design (looks great on mobile and desktop)
Tech: Astro with Tailwind CSSTheme: Dark background (#09090b), light text, purple accent color
Content: Use placeholder content with clear labels so I caneasily find and replace with my own information.Personal Blog
Create a blog with these specifications:
Structure:- Homepage showing recent posts as cards with title, date, excerpt- Individual post pages with good reading typography- Tag system: posts can have multiple tags, tag pages show filtered posts- About page
Tech: Astro with Markdown content collectionTheme: Dark, focused on readability. Body text at least 18px.Content: Include 3 sample posts with realistic content.Business / Professional
Landing Page
Create a product landing page with:
Sections:- Hero with headline, subheadline, and two CTA buttons- Features grid (6 features with icons, title, description)- Social proof / testimonials (3 quotes)- Pricing (3 tiers: Free, Pro, Enterprise)- FAQ accordion (5 questions)- Footer with links and newsletter signup
Tech: Single HTML file with Tailwind via CDNTheme: Dark, professional. Modern SaaS aesthetic.All content should be placeholder but realistic-looking.Dashboard
Create an admin dashboard with:
Layout:- Sidebar navigation (collapsible on mobile)- Top bar with search and user menu- Main content area
Pages:- Overview: 4 stat cards, a line chart, and a recent activity list- Users: Table with search, sort, and pagination- Settings: Form with account and notification preferences
Tech: React with Vite and Tailwind CSSTheme: Dark, clean, minimalUse mock data that looks realistic.Tools / Utilities
Todo / Task Manager
Create a task management app with:
Features:- Add tasks with title and optional due date- Mark tasks as complete (checkbox)- Delete tasks- Filter: All / Active / Completed- Tasks persist in localStorage- Color-coded urgency (overdue = red, due today = amber, upcoming = green)
Tech: React with ViteTheme: Dark, minimal, cleanSingle page application.Calculator / Converter
Create a unit converter web app with:
Features:- Categories: Length, Weight, Temperature, Volume- Dropdown selectors for from/to units- Real-time conversion as you type- Swap button to reverse from/to- History of recent conversions
Tech: Single HTML file with vanilla JavaScriptTheme: Dark, centered layout, large input textMobile-friendly.Research / Academic
Data Visualization Page
Create a data visualization page with:
Features:- File upload for CSV data- Auto-detect columns and data types- Generate bar chart, line chart, or scatter plot- Toggle between chart types- Download chart as PNG- Basic statistics (mean, median, min, max per column)
Tech: React, Vite, Chart.jsTheme: Dark, focused on the visualizationsInclude a sample CSV for demonstration.Note-Taking App
Create a note-taking application with:
Features:- Markdown editor with live preview (side by side)- List of notes in a sidebar- Create, edit, delete notes- Search/filter notes by content- All data saved to localStorage- Export notes as Markdown files
Tech: React, Vite, a Markdown parser libraryTheme: Dark, distraction-free writing focusTemplate: Python Data Pipeline
Create a Python data pipeline CLI tool with:
Structure:- src/ folder with modules for loading, processing, and visualization- data/ folder for input CSV files- output/ folder for generated charts and reports
Features:- Accept a CSV file path via argparse- Clean data: handle missing values, detect column types- Generate summary statistics- Create bar and line charts with plotly- Export an HTML report with embedded charts
Tech: Python 3.10+, pandas, plotly, argparseInclude a sample CSV with realistic sales data (50 rows).These are starting points. Customize by:
- Changing the theme — swap “dark” for “light” or specify exact colors
- Adding features — append “Also add: …” to any prompt
- Changing the tech — swap “React” for “Vue” or “Svelte”
- Adding constraints — “Must work offline” or “Must be a single HTML file”
Note: If you need offline support, avoid CDN dependencies (like Tailwind via CDN). Ask for a local build setup instead.
Worked Example: Customizing a Template for Your Domain
Let’s take the generic “Data Visualization Page” template and customize it for three different fields. Watch how the formula stays the same — only the domain-specific details change.
Starting point (generic):
Create a data visualization page with:- File upload for CSV data- Charts- Basic statisticsCustomized for a biotech researcher:
Create a gene expression data explorer with:
Features:- Upload CSV files with gene expression data (gene ID, sample columns, fold change, p-value)- Volcano plot showing fold change vs. significance- Heatmap of top 50 differentially expressed genes- Filter by p-value threshold (slider from 0.001 to 0.05)- Filter by minimum fold change- Export filtered gene list as CSV- Display total genes, significant genes count, up/down regulated counts
Tech: React, Vite, Chart.jsTheme: Dark with a scientific/academic feelInclude a sample dataset with realistic gene expression data.Customized for an MIS analyst:
Create a sales performance dashboard with:
Features:- Upload CSV with columns: date, region, product, revenue, units_sold- KPI cards: total revenue, average order value, top region, growth rate- Line chart showing revenue over time (toggle monthly/quarterly)- Bar chart comparing regions- Pie chart showing product mix- Date range filter- Export dashboard view as PNG
Tech: React, Vite, Chart.jsTheme: Dark, professional, corporate-cleanInclude sample sales data for 12 months across 4 regions.Customized for a government analyst:
Create a public spending transparency dashboard with:
Features:- Upload CSV with columns: department, category, amount, fiscal_year, description- Summary cards: total spending, largest department, year-over-year change- Treemap showing spending by department and category (use the chartjs-chart-treemap plugin, or switch to ECharts/Recharts if treemap support is needed)- Bar chart comparing fiscal years- Searchable table of all line items with sort and filter- Accessible: Target WCAG 2.1 AA (keyboard nav, screen reader labels, sufficient contrast) -- validate with accessibility testing tools after generation- Export filtered data as CSV
Tech: React, Vite, Chart.jsTheme: Professional, clean, high-contrast for accessibilityInclude sample budget data for 5 departments over 3 fiscal years.Same formula. Same structure. Completely different outputs tailored to each field.
🧬In Your Field: Biotechclick to expand
Biotech prompt bank — copy and customize:
Protocol timer & checklist:
Create a lab protocol timer app with:- Step-by-step checklist where each step has a description and optional timer- Start/pause/reset buttons for timed steps- Audio alert when a timer completes- Notes field for each step to record observations- Save protocols to localStorage and load them later- Export completed protocol as a timestamped log (CSV)Tech: React, Vite. Dark theme. Mobile-friendly (for use at the bench).Primer design helper:
Create a PCR primer analysis tool with:- Input fields for forward and reverse primer sequences- Calculate and display: length, GC content (%), melting temperature (basic Tm formula)- Flag warnings: Tm difference > 5C, GC content outside 40-60%, length outside 18-25bp- Show reverse complement of each primer- Store recent primer pairs in localStorageTech: Single HTML file with vanilla JavaScript. Dark theme.📊In Your Field: MIS / Businessclick to expand
MIS / Business prompt bank — copy and customize:
Client relationship tracker:
Create a CRM-style contact manager with:- Add contacts with: name, company, email, phone, last contact date, notes- Card view and table view toggle- Search and filter by company or name- Status tags: Active, Follow-up Needed, Inactive- Sort by last contact date to surface stale relationships- All data in localStorageTech: React, Vite, Tailwind. Dark professional theme.Project budget tracker:
Create a project budget tracking tool with:- Add budget line items: category, description, estimated cost, actual cost- Auto-calculate: total estimated, total actual, variance, percent spent- Color-coded status: green (under budget), amber (within 10%), red (over budget)- Bar chart comparing estimated vs actual by category- Export as CSVTech: React, Vite, Chart.js. Dark theme. Clean and minimal.Guided Practice
Try writing your own scaffolding prompt. Think of a tool that would be useful in your work or studies, and apply the formula:
- Draft your prompt using the Type + Structure + Features + Tech + Theme formula.
- Open your AI CLI tool (such as Claude Code, Gemini CLI, or your preferred tool) in a new project folder.
- Paste your prompt, press Enter, and watch it build.
- Run the project (
npm run devor whatever the AI tells you) and verify the result.
When Things Go Wrong
When Things Go Wrong
Use the Symptom → Evidence → Request pattern: describe what you see, paste the error, then ask for a fix.
Key Takeaways
- Every scaffolding prompt follows one formula: Type + Structure + Features + Tech + Theme
- These templates are starting points — customize the details for your specific needs while keeping the structure
- The same formula works across every domain: swap “portfolio” for “lab inventory” or “budget tracker” and fill in domain-specific features
- More relevant detail usually improves results. Include exact colors, specific column names, accessibility requirements — whatever matters to you. Avoid conflicting or unnecessary constraints.
- When the output does not match your prompt, refine and re-prompt rather than starting from scratch
🔍Building a personal prompt library
As you use these templates, you will develop favorites and discover patterns that work well for your field. Consider keeping a simple text file (or a note in your favorite notes app) with your best prompts. After each project, copy the final prompt that produced the best results and save it. Over time, you will build a personal library of battle-tested prompts that you can reuse and share with colleagues. This is one of the most valuable assets an AI orchestrator can build.
Scaffolded apps always need manual verification. If the app does not start or has errors, paste the full error message back to your AI tool with “fix this.” If it uses a library or framework you did not expect, tell the AI: “Replace [unwanted library] with [preferred alternative].” For apps under roughly 500 lines of code, a single well-crafted prompt can get you most of the way. For larger or more complex projects, plan to scaffold in chunks (see Module 10, Lesson 2).
Which part of the scaffolding formula is the MOST important for getting a good result?
You used a dashboard template but your field needs a 'compliance status' column in every table. What should you do?
Now that you can scaffold projects from templates, Module 10 teaches you how to plan multi-step builds and break large projects into manageable chunks.