Can Gemini 3 speed up UI design without losing quality? (Yes it can)

AIDesignUX
Written By Paul Wilshaw

Five practical use cases with prompts, examples, and artefacts you can ship today.

Time to read: 12 minutes

 

TLDR

Gemini 3 is ready for day‑to‑day UI work. This article shows five practical cases with prompts, examples and checks. You will wireframe faster, set solid design system foundations, turn UI into code, create consistent visuals and run quick accessibility audits. Use the prompts, then adapt them to your workflow.


Intro

Design teams are under pressure to deliver more with less. Handovers slow down. Design systems drift. Visuals become inconsistent. Gemini 3 helps when you guide it with clear prompts, constraints and checks. This guide is for busy product designers, design engineers and design leaders who need speed without sacrificing quality.

The problem

UI work has many small tasks. Each takes time. Rework happens when teams skip structure and checks. AI can amplify good practice or amplify chaos. We need a reliable way to brief, review and ship.

The human case for change

People use your product, not your process. Faster cycles matter only if the result is clearer, kinder and more inclusive. Gemini 3 can help you include more voices, test more ideas and surface accessibility issues earlier. That saves users time and removes friction.

The solution

Use Gemini 3 as a structured partner. Give it roles, inputs and outputs. Ask for artefacts that designers and engineers can use right away. Always add acceptance criteria, and run a quick audit before you ship.

Framework: Prompt‑to‑Prototype Loop

  • Define audience, job‑to‑be‑done and constraints.
  • Ask for low‑fidelity first, then refine.
  • Add acceptance criteria and a review checklist.

Wireframing prompts

Role: Senior product designer
Context: Mobile retail app. Task flow = browse list → view details → add to basket → checkout.
Constraints: WCAG 2.2 AA contrast. iOS 13+ patterns. Dyslexia‑friendly labels.
Ask: Create 3 alternative wireframes for the flow with annotations. Return a list of screens, key components and edge cases.
Output: Markdown outline + simple ASCII wireframes.

Example outline Gemini 3 might produce

Screens: Product List, Product Details, Basket, Delivery Options, Payment, Order Summary
Components: search, filter, card list, CTA primary, secondary, error banner, skeleton loader
Edge cases: no results, out‑of‑stock, slow network, card decline
 

Wireframing examples showing list and checkout screens

 

Framework: The Consistency Stack

  • Tokens first. Define colour, spacing, radius, motion and typography as named tokens.
  • Bind tokens to Figma variables and component states.
  • Mirror the same tokens in code. One source of truth.

Design system foundations prompts

Role: Design system architect
Ask: Propose a minimal token set for colour, spacing, radius and typography for a neutral brand with an accent yellow. Include a 4‑point spacing scale and WCAG AA contrast pairs. Map tokens to Figma variables and list required component states.
Output: JSON for tokens + table for states + a typography scale with sizes and line‑heights.

Example tokens

{
  "color": {
    "bg": "#ffffff",
    "ink": "#222222",
    "ink-muted": "#555555",
    "line": "#e2e8f0",
    "accent": "#F2FF6C",
    "accent-ink": "#111111"
  },
  "space": {"0":0,"1":4,"2":8,"3":12,"4":16,"6":24,"8":32},
  "radius": {"sm":4, "md":8, "lg":16},
  "type": {
    "family": "Inter, system-ui, Arial",
    "scale": {"xs":12,"sm":14,"md":16,"lg":20,"xl":24,"2xl":32},
    "line": {"xs":18,"sm":20,"md":24,"lg":28,"xl":32,"2xl":40}
  }
}

Map to Figma variables

--colors/bg → color.bg
--colors/ink → color.ink
--colors/accent → color.accent
--space/4 → space.4
--radius/md → radius.md
--type/lg → type.scale.lg

States to include

  • Default, hover, pressed, focus‑visible, disabled, error, success.
 

Basic design system foundations board with tokens, variables, typography and states

 

UI to code

Move from component spec to production code with clear handover prompts. Pair with a linter and unit tests.

UI to code prompts

Role: Design engineer
Ask: Convert this card spec into HTML and CSS with accessible semantics and variables.
Spec: Title, body copy, primary button, 320–1440px responsive, prefers‑reduced‑motion safe, focus outline visible.
Output: Single HTML file with embedded CSS variables using the tokens above. Include alt text attributes on images.

Example output

<div class="card" role="region" aria-labelledby="card-title">
  <h2 id="card-title">Card title</h2>
  <p>Card content goes here. Keep it short.</p>
  <button class="btn-primary">Continue</button>
</div>
:root{--ink:#222;--bg:#fff;--accent:#F2FF6C;--radius:8px;--space:16px}
.card{background:var(--bg);color:var(--ink);border:1px solid #e2e8f0;padding:var(--space);border-radius:var(--radius);}
.btn-primary{background:var(--accent);color:#111;padding:8px 16px;border-radius:8px}
.btn-primary:focus{outline:3px solid #111;outline-offset:2px}
@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce){*{animation:none;transition:none}}
 

Diagram showing UI wireframe turning into HTML and CSS code

 

Illustration and photo generation

Use one style brief, one lighting setup and one point of view. Save the seed or style notes so you can repeat it.

Style brief prompt

Role: Brand illustrator
Audience: Product managers and designers
Ask: Create a flat, friendly illustration style with rounded corners, clean lines and high contrast. Avoid decorative fonts. Provide 3 scene prompts that fit onboarding, empty states and success screens. Return hex colours, do and don't rules, and a short alt text template.

Photo generation prompt

Role: Photographer
Ask: Generate diverse studio portraits with soft window light, neutral backdrop, friendly expression, eye level. Return camera settings and a consistent crop for hero images and avatars.

Consistency tips

  • Keep palette, line weight and corner radius consistent with tokens.
  • Use the same focal length and lighting for photos.
  • Write alt text as action + subject + context.
 

Illustration and photo generation examples turning illustrations into photos.

 

Accessibility audit

Run a quick automated pass, then a human pass. Gemini 3 can draft an audit report you can share with your team.

Accessibility prompts

Role: Accessibility specialist
Ask: Audit this component library for WCAG 2.2 AA. Check colour contrast, keyboard navigation, focus order, labels, motion and reading level. Return a table of issues with severity, guideline reference and suggested fix text. Produce a short report summary.

Example report excerpt

Overall compliance: 85 percent. Highest impact fixes: increase contrast on secondary buttons, add alt text to 7 images, enable visible focus outlines on menus.

 

Designed for Humans accessibility audit card with pass, fail and needs review tags

 

Case studies or proof points

  • Retail checkout: Before → handover took 2 days and 3 revisions. During → Prompt‑to‑Prototype loop with tokens in code. After → handover cut to 6 hours and first pass acceptance at 92 percent.

Actionable steps

  1. Pick one flow. Run the Prompt‑to‑Prototype loop with the wireframing prompt.
  2. Extract tokens. Mirror them in Figma variables and code.
  3. Ship a component with the UI‑to‑code prompt. Run the accessibility prompt before release.

Common pitfalls

  1. Vague prompts. Fix: state role, audience, constraints and outputs.
  2. Skipping tokens. Fix: name things once, then bind to Figma and code.
 

Resources

Gemini 3 UI prompt pack

 

Category: Interface and UX Design

Prompts and use cases for interface and user experience tasks.

Prompt Use case
Critique the accessibility (WCAG 2.2) of this wireframe. Focus specifically on color contrast and keyboard navigation flow. UX Review and Auditing
Generate 5 alternative icon designs for a 'Share' button, prioritizing clarity and universal recognition across cultures. Ideation and Visual Design
Write microcopy for a form submission error when the user's password is too short. Provide options for 'Friendly' and 'Technical' tones. Content and Microcopy

Category: Code and Development

Prompts and use cases for engineering and documentation tasks.

Prompt Use case
Refactor the following React component to use functional hooks, ensuring the state management is optimized for performance. Code Refactoring
Create a short, well-documented Python function to sanitize user input against common cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. Security and; Utility Code
Explain the concept of 'memoization' in JavaScript to a junior developer using a relatable analogy. Education and Explanations

Category: Strategy and Research

Prompts and use cases for discovery, analysis, and planning.

Prompt Use case
Develop a research plan to test the usability of a new onboarding flow. Include target audience, methodology, and key metrics. Research Planning
Analyze the competitive landscape for a new productivity application, summarizing the strengths and weaknesses of the top 3 competitors. Market Analysis
 

Token starter JSON

{
  "color": {
    "primary": {
      "value": "#007AFF",
      "description": "The main action color for buttons and links."
    },
    "surface": {
      "light": {
        "value": "#FFFFFF"
      },
      "dark": {
        "value": "#1A1A1A"
      }
    },
    "text": {
      "default": {
        "value": "#333333"
      },
      "inverse": {
        "value": "#FFFFFF"
      }
    }
  },
  "spacing": {
    "xs": {
      "value": "4px"
    },
    "sm": {
      "value": "8px"
    },
    "md": {
      "value": "16px"
    },
    "lg": {
      "value": "24px"
    }
  },
  "typography": {
    "fontFamily": {
      "base": {
        "value": "Inter, sans-serif"
      }
    },
    "fontSize": {
      "body": {
        "value": "16px"
      },
      "heading-1": {
        "value": "2.5rem"
      }
    }
  }
}
 

Accessibility quick audit checklist

Use this table during design reviews and pre-release checks. Mark Status as Y, N, or NA and capture notes.

Area Checkpoint Status (Y/N/NA) Notes
Keyboard Can you use the Tab key to reach every interactive element (links, buttons, form fields)?
Keyboard Is the focus indicator (outline) clearly visible on every element as you tab through?
Keyboard Can you operate all functions (like dropdowns, modals, or navigation) using only the keyboard (for example, Enter or Space)?
Visual Does all non-decorative text have a colour contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against the background?
Visual Does large text (18pt or 14pt bold) have a colour contrast ratio of at least 3:1?
Structure Does the page contain only one visible <h1> heading?
Structure Is the heading structure logical (for example, no jump from <h2> to <h4>)?
Images Does every informative image have concise, descriptive alternative text (alt attribute)?
Images Do purely decorative images have a null alt attribute (alt="")?
Forms Does every input field (like a text box or checkbox) have a visible and correctly associated <label>?
Forms Are error messages clear, descriptive, and announced by a screen reader (for example, using aria-live)?
Time/Movement Is there no content that flashes more than three times per second?
Time/Movement Do any time limits (for example, on a login screen) offer the user a way to extend or disable the limit?
General Does the site pass a browser zoom test (can you zoom to 200% without losing content or causing horizontal scrolling)?
 

FAQs

  • No. It speeds up creation and enforcement. Humans still set strategy, taste and ethics.

  • Treat it like a strong starter. Lint, test and review before merging.

  • Save a style brief and reuse the same tokens, seed notes and component states.

 

Final answer

Yes. Gemini 3 can speed up UI design without sacrificing quality when you use structure. Start with wireframes, give your design system a single vocabulary of tokens, and mirror it in code. Add consistent visuals and run a short accessibility audit before you ship. The prompts and examples here are ready for your next sprint.



Use cases at a glance

A quick comparison of the five Gemini 3 UI design tasks and the outputs you should expect.

Use case What to ask Outputs Checks
Wireframing 3 alternatives + annotations Screen list, components, edge cases Coverage, clarity, empty states
Design system foundations Tokens, variables, states JSON tokens, typography scale Contrast pairs, state completeness
UI to code Accessible HTML and CSS Responsive component markup Lints pass, visible focus, tests
Illustration and photo Style brief + scenes Illustrations, portraits, alt text Consistency with tokens, diversity
Accessibility audit WCAG 2.2 AA review Issue table + summary Highest impact fixes prioritised
 

Further reading

How do you ‘Make’ like a pro with Figma Make for smarter AI-powered prototyping?

https://designedforhumans.tech/blog/make-like-a-pro-with-figma-make-power-user-guide

From code to conscience: Why Edinburgh’s AI boom must put people first.

https://designedforhumans.tech/blog/why-edinburghs-ai-boom-must-put-people-first

Innovating digital products for real humans — our approach.

https://designedforhumans.tech/blog/innovating-digital-products-for-real-humans

Free EAA action plan — prepare for accessibility law.

https://designedforhumans.tech/free-eaa-action-plan-design-guide

 
 
 

Free consultation

We partner with you to accelerate and create a design system that blends seamlessly into your workflow and brand.

Plan your design system adoption with us
 
 

External references

 
 
Paul Wilshaw

We craft innovative technology, inclusive products, accessible UX, communication solutions and delightful design experiences.

https://DesignedforHumans.tech
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