How I work with AI
The same handful of habits turn up in every project. They are what I would bring to a team, and the projects are the evidence.
Skills
Packaged instructions that Claude loads for a specific job, such as front-end design, SEO or brand styling. They keep the quality and style consistent across projects.
Used in: The ‘Defender’ sites, Fire TV home screen, Job search agents, Pension Planner, ‘butterflai’ website.
Research first
Reviewing existing projects, forks or competitor apps before building, so the requirements start from what already exists.
Used in: The ‘Defender’ sites, Fire TV home screen, Job search agents, Pension Planner.
AI interview
Having the AI interview me about how I would use the tool being developed, then turning my answers into a plan before any code is written.
Used in: Fire TV home screen, Job search agents.
Parallel agents
Many research agents working at once on separate batches, with scripts that merge and check what they return.
Used in: Job search agents, Star Chaser.
Independent checks
Checking the work with something other than the thing that built it: another AI given a critical brief, official sources or automated tests.
Used in: The ‘Defender’ sites, Job search agents, Recruiter tracking agent, Pension Planner, Star Chaser.
Scheduled agents
Agents that run unattended on a timetable, do the routine work and report back, with a person approving anything that leaves the building.
Used in: Job search agents, Recruiter tracking agent.
Rules, not AI
Using AI to design and build the logic, then running plain, explicit rules at runtime so the results are repeatable and checkable.
Used in: Recruiter tracking agent, Pension Planner.
Integrations
Connecting systems that were never designed to talk to each other, through APIs, bridges and connectors.
Used in: The ‘Defender’ sites, Fire TV home screen, Job search agents, Recruiter tracking agent.
Android
Packaging the same code as an Android app that installs on a phone or a TV stick.
Used in: Fire TV home screen, Pension Planner, Star Chaser.
Branded imagery
Generating images from written brand rules, so every picture on a site follows the same visual language.
Used in: ‘butterflai’ website.
Automated tests
Test suites that pin the behaviour down, so changes can be made quickly without breaking what already works.
Used in: The ‘Defender’ sites, Job search agents, Pension Planner, Star Chaser.