6 min read

Using the AI Builder

Use the AI builder to shape an elegant, on-brand portal experience—layout, visual polish, and how pages feel—not only the underlying data. These tips help you prompt for design and refinement as well as structure.

How the AI Builder Works

You describe what you want in plain language—in the AI builder chat. Lead with the experience: how the portal should look and feel, what a great first impression is, and how closely it should match your brand (colors, tone, density). You are not filling out a rigid form; you are steering layout, copy, and visual hierarchy as much as structure.

The model interprets that text into real portal UI: page layouts, sections, dashboards, navigation, and the overall polish of each screen. When your prompt implies data (projects, invoices, clients), it also lines up tables, relations, and—if you ask—access rules so each user only sees their own rows.

It then applies changes in your app—not a static mockup. Follow-up messages are ideal for redesign passes: "more whitespace and a calmer dashboard," "match our marketing site's navy and gold," "make the home page feel more premium and less cluttered," or "emphasize the welcome hero and soften the tables below."

In practice, generation and refinement typically touch

Layout & pages

List and detail views, dashboards, and how content is grouped so the portal feels clear and intentional.

Look & polish

Spacing, hierarchy, tone of on-screen copy, and an overall elegant—not generic—customer experience.

Brand alignment

Cohesion with your logo and palette (see also Branding & themes), so the portal reads as the same company as your site and materials.

Navigation

Menu structure and a natural flow between the main areas of the portal.

Data & access

Tables, fields, and relations when your description implies them; per-user visibility when you specify it—for example, each client only sees their own records.

Workspace-level branding sets the baseline; the AI helps you refine pages so the live portal feels cohesive, refined, and worthy of your customers. Treat the first generation as a strong starting point, then iterate until the visuals and flow match your standards.

Writing Effective Prompts

Strong prompts blend experience and brand with enough context on users and journeys. Include the following:

Who are the users?

Clients, partners, vendors, internal reviewers—who signs in shapes tone, labels, and how much guidance the UI should offer.

How should it look and feel?

Say what "elegant" means for you: minimal vs. rich, calm vs. energetic, lots of whitespace, a bold hero, card-based summaries, or alignment with your existing brand colors and style.

What are the main screens and journeys?

Describe the flows and pages: home or dashboard first, then documents, requests, or approvals—whatever matters most so layout and navigation feel purposeful.

What are they working with?

Name the things users manage (projects, invoices, orders, tickets) so the right structure exists behind the UI—you can still keep the emphasis on design in follow-ups.

Example Prompts

Good

"A client portal for my digital marketing agency—clean and premium, lots of whitespace, soft neutrals with our accent blue. Home page should welcome the client with a short summary and clear cards for campaigns, reports, and approvals. Clients view active campaigns, download assets, and approve designs before launch; each client only sees their own campaigns."

Combines visual direction (premium, spacing, palette), page structure (home → key areas), and the functional story so the result looks intentional—not a generic grid.

Good

"Our vendor portal feels too busy—simplify the dashboard, use a calmer typographic hierarchy, and align colors with our forest green and cream brand. Keep invoices, payment status, and POs, but make the first screen scannable in under ten seconds."

A redesign-style prompt: brand colors, hierarchy, and clarity while preserving the underlying data and flows.

Needs Improvement

"A portal for my business"

Too vague. What type of business? Who are the users? What should they be able to do? The AI needs more context to generate a useful portal.

Needs Improvement

"Client portal"

Missing details about what clients should see and do. Add information about your industry, the data they need access to, and the actions they should perform.

Pro Tips

Iterate on look and layout

After the first pass, use chat for visual passes: "Make the dashboard less dense," "Give the login area the same minimal feel as our website," or "Promote the status summary above the table." Small, specific tweaks add up to an elegant whole.

Set branding in the workspace, then refine in AI

Upload your logo and base colors under Branding & themes, then ask the AI to tune pages so components, spacing, and copy feel consistent with that system.

Name relationships when the data matters

If layouts depend on how records connect, say it once clearly: "Projects belong to clients" or "Each invoice ties to a vendor and a PO." You can still keep most of the conversation focused on design.

After Generation

After the first generation, most teams keep polishing the experience in chat—then adjust data or access when needed.

What you can do next

Redesign and refine in AI chat

Tweak layouts, hierarchy, on-page copy, and how prominent each section is until the portal feels elegant and on-brand. See Writing Effective Prompts for patterns.

Branding & themes

Logo, colors, and workspace-wide styling that every page should align with; use AI follow-ups to make individual screens match that baseline. Configure the system in Branding & themes.

Customizing layouts

Fine-tune structure in the builder when you want direct control over a page. See Customizing layouts.

Data when you need it

Add or change tables and fields in Tables & Fields, or ask the AI to adjust structure. For access rules, see Permissions and Which records users see.

The AI speeds up both design and setup; your taste for clarity, brand, and polish is what makes the portal feel like yours.

Portal Overview Customizing Layouts