An AI-assisted design can look finished while missing the exact details that make it work for real people.
A polished draft looks ready in a review meeting, yet it misses the one requirement the customer will notice first. Looking finished is not the same as working for this case.
Compare a plausible result with the actual requirements
Plausibility comes from patterns. Correctness comes from checking this result against the requirements, details, and edge conditions that actually apply here.
Write down the non-negotiable requirements before reviewing the result. Include details that are easy to miss because the ordinary case looks fine: exact wording, visual rules, source materials, and conditions at the edges.
Where AI fits
AI can compare a proposed result with a written checklist of case-specific requirements and flag gaps or untested edge conditions for review.\n
The human decision
People define acceptance criteria, judge the gaps, and decide whether the result is ready. A polished draft is evidence to inspect, not approval.
The lesson
A plausible result is not the same as the right result until it has been checked against the requirements of this case.
The Build Log companion shows how a visually convincing AI-assisted rebuild still missed specific design requirements and review scope.
AI Skills
Use this lesson with the AI assistant you already use
A plausible result is not the same as the right result until it has been checked against the requirements of this case.
Paste the prompt, share only the context needed to answer it, and treat the result as a draft for your review. Do not include confidential information or let an AI assistant make changes without your approval.
Optional: for a visual report and saved memory, run /dxdev first.
Don’t have it? Get it at dxdev.com/skills/dxdev. The prompt works without it.
dxdev LESSON · paste into your AI agent
LESSON: 2026-04-11_plausible-is-not-correct
WHAT TO SHARE:
A de-identified proposed result, the explicit requirements, and any edge conditions that must hold.
ASK YOUR AGENT TO:
1. Separate confirmed facts from assumptions and unanswered questions.
2. Compare each requirement with the proposed result.
3. Flag a missing, unclear, or untested requirement.
4. Draft focused questions for the reviewer before approval.
RETURN:
A requirement, observed result, gap, and human decision table.
BOUNDARY: Do not change records, contact anyone, route work, publish content, or act in an external system. A person must review the evidence and approve every consequential step.
