You aren’t getting terrible results because the model is broken. You are getting them because your instructions are too basic. I recently came across a fantastic breakdown by an AI professional who mapped out exactly why this happens. The expert explains that most users are stuck at “Level 1,” expecting elite results without doing the necessary legwork to guide the machine.
The Hierarchy of Precision
The core philosophy shared by this innovator is that prompting is a structured skill, not a guessing game. The creator breaks it down into a hierarchy where every additional layer of information acts as a guardrail for the large language model. By systematically adding context and formatting rules, you force the AI to narrow its focus. This shifts the interaction from a casual conversation to a precise engineering task, resulting in output that actually looks like something a human expert would produce.
📌 Level 1: The Beginner Trap (Task Only)
The author identifies the most common mistake as providing a raw instruction without parameters. At this stage, you are solely providing a “Task.” While this is quick, it forces the AI to guess your intent, tone, and target audience, often leading to generic fluff. The prompt template for this level is simply: “Do the following task: [insert the exact task clearly here].” For example, asking for video ideas without explaining who they are for.
💡 Level 2: The Skilled Layer (Task + Context)
To drastically upgrade your results, the expert suggests injecting “Context.” This involves telling the AI who the audience is, what the boundaries are, and what to exclude. The creator’s formula for this level is: “Do the following task: [insert task]. Use this context while completing it: [insert background, boundaries, audience, exclusions].” By defining the background, you stop the AI from hallucinating scenarios that aren’t relevant to your specific situation.
✅ Level 3: The Advanced Standard (Task + Context + Format)
This is where the magic happens! The original poster demonstrates that you must dictate the visual structure of the response to make it immediately usable. By demanding a specific “Output Format,” such as a table or a step-by-step list, you save time on editing later. The template provided by the expert is: “Do the following task: [insert task]. Use this context: [insert context]. Present the final answer in this exact format: [insert output structure].”
Nuance and Application
While these three levels provide a solid foundation, there is a balance to strike. The creator implies in their visual guide that there are even deeper levels of prompting for complex problem-solving. However, for 90% of daily business tasks, mastering Level 3 is sufficient. The main challenge is remembering to pause and structure your request before hitting enter, rather than rushing through the interaction.
Check out the full post to see the infographic on the hidden levels.