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Ask HN: How do you employ LLMs for UI development?

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Re: Ask HN: How do you employ LLMs for UI development?

#61
Product Designer here. Even when I get an LLM to produce a novel UI with a good UX, I inevitably have to “shape” it.

This meant endless screenshots and descriptions back and forth to the LLM. Expensive in tokens and time.

I built Drawbridge to batch multiple context-rich (JSON Prompts) and screenshots for Claude or Cursor to process.

Hope this helps! https://github.com/breschio/drawbridge

Re: Ask HN: How do you employ LLMs for UI development?

#62
post #5

Mainly using playwriter.dev to help debug CSS issues on the page. It's an extension you can enable in Chrome and let agents control the browser via CDP https://github.com/remorses/playwriter

Interesting, thanks To your opinion, what's the benefits compared to the native Chrome remote debugging feature + the chrome-devtools MCP?

This one works as an extension so you don't need a new browser specifically for agents. It's easier to collaborate. Also if you run the MCP in non headless mode it brings to front the browser on every interaction, like opening a new page. With the extension this does not happen.

Another benefit is context usage.

The cli can also do a lot more than other MCPs because it uses code snippets run in a stateful sandbox to control the browser, so it can do virtually anything instead of just a few exposed tools like `scroll`, `click`

Re: Ask HN: How do you employ LLMs for UI development?

#64
I have a workflow that based on iterative rounds or runs that includes a self pov assessment to avoid tunnel vision. It had several checkpoints to see if it’s still on task and hasn’t gone off task. I rely heavily on chrome dev tool mcp and inbuilt diagnostics so ai can “see” how the page is laid out without actually seeing it.

Re: Ask HN: How do you employ LLMs for UI development?

#65
I have a workflow thats based on iterative rounds or runs that includes a self pov assessment to avoid tunnel vision. It had several checkpoints to see if it’s still on task and hasn’t gone off task. I rely heavily on chrome dev tool mcp and inbuilt diagnostics so ai can “see” how the page is laid out without actually seeing it.

Rounds will focus on a particular task like integration, ui, verification. Multiple rounds can be tasked one after the other Eg

2 integration rounds, 2 improvement round and 2 verification rounds.

This allows to pick up issues it would normally glaze over or not mention.

Styling is okay, but layout seems to be a sore point for llms.

Re: Ask HN: How do you employ LLMs for UI development?

#66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is almost a meme reply on HN: absolving the LLM by comparing it to an inexperienced human.

I think the meme is trying to discredit LLMs by saying they don’t read your mind and produce exactly what you wanted from vague prompts. Everyone who uses LLMs knows that it’s an iterative process where you need to provide specific instructions. It’s only the LLM naysayers who think that pointing out that “Generate a modern UI for me” doesn’t create perfect results on the first pass is an indictment of LLMs.

No? yesitcan is correct, and you're not. His phrase is a meme phrase and yours is not. Why do the whole "NO YOU" thing?
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