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Meta comment: I've been wondering why AI-generated websites/artifacts/reports always have the same "look". It reminds me of Bootstrap (CSS Framework) days when

Meta comment: I've been wondering why AI-generated websites/artifacts/reports always have the same "look". It reminds me of Bootstrap (CSS Framework) days when every startup website looked the same. Are they following some sort of common guideline?

simonw 16d ago
In this case they really are, and you can read the guidelines that helped create the site on the site itself in the skills: https://codex-tool-reference.simonw.chatgpt.site/skills/sites-sites-building https://codex-tool-reference.simonw.chatgpt.site/skills/site... Scroll down to the "Establish the visual direction" section.
- tsunamifury 16d ago
  This can be replaced, you just have to do the work of building a design library yourself and the guidance components. Then building skills around their use.
newswasboring 16d ago
I think these guideline are built into the llms. After all with llms, any decision you don't take will be taken for you. For a so called slop site (Simon's words, not mine :P) I don't think they specified a style so the llm just decided the default it knows. One day I will run experiments (when I can afford it) trying to identify the "taste" of different llms.
- simonw 16d ago
  I told it "Design aesthetic should be technical docs, minimal flare" - full prompt here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49504625#49505116 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49504625#49505116
  - verdverm 16d ago
    nit, the LHS menu does not scroll until I get the the very bottom of the main content, it should scroll independently so I can see the "ToC" in full without having to view the page in full
    - simonw 16d ago
      Thanks, I passed that on to ChatGPT Work, should be fixed now (I'm on mobile so haven't tried it on desktop yet.)
      - verdverm 15d ago
        Thanks Simon! Scroll better now, but something still feels off about the page (to me), perhaps I'm not used to such a large "navbar" area. The "breadcrumb" feels like "false advertising" to me too :]
Almondsetat 16d ago
Because most AI generated websites are from people who don't know much and as such cannot even articulate the look they want
- verdverm 16d ago
  aka ns;nt https://blog.kinglycrow.com/no-skill-no-taste/ https://blog.kinglycrow.com/no-skill-no-taste/
left-struck 16d ago
I keep seeing comments like this, and having messed around and generated a few (non-public) websites myself they all looked completely different? Mind you I don’t spend a lot of time on ai generated websites or the kinds of places you might find those. Well except for HN but you get my point.
adrianwaj 16d ago
It can be enraging. Checkout https://tinkeri.ng/ https://tinkeri.ng/ - I just added a layout-switcher "Neubrutalism" at top right. The existing theme is standard fare. Both look alright. I told C3PO to follow the guidelines set at https://neubrutalism.com https://neubrutalism.com and lessen the shadows. I have to say, having a background in doing detailed design work makes it much easier to write the right prompt. Also, having the ability to deliver a theme-switcher like this is very handy. There is a tradeoff. Adding this switching took about 1hr 10mins. Last 10% of the result always the most time-consuming. Dark/light switching is also important. If I had built this from the ground up manually, I could implement my own design and fiddle with things on a minute level but this type of granularity gets lost when building at speed.

simonw 16d ago

In this case they really are, and you can read the guidelines that helped create the site on the site itself in the skills: https://codex-tool-reference.simonw.chatgpt.site/skills/sites-sites-building https://codex-tool-reference.simonw.chatgpt.site/skills/site... Scroll down to the "Establish the visual direction" section.

tsunamifury 16d ago
This can be replaced, you just have to do the work of building a design library yourself and the guidance components. Then building skills around their use.

newswasboring 16d ago

I think these guideline are built into the llms. After all with llms, any decision you don't take will be taken for you. For a so called slop site (Simon's words, not mine :P) I don't think they specified a style so the llm just decided the default it knows. One day I will run experiments (when I can afford it) trying to identify the "taste" of different llms.

simonw 16d ago
I told it "Design aesthetic should be technical docs, minimal flare" - full prompt here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49504625#49505116 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49504625#49505116
- verdverm 16d ago
  nit, the LHS menu does not scroll until I get the the very bottom of the main content, it should scroll independently so I can see the "ToC" in full without having to view the page in full
  - simonw 16d ago
    Thanks, I passed that on to ChatGPT Work, should be fixed now (I'm on mobile so haven't tried it on desktop yet.)
    - verdverm 15d ago
      Thanks Simon! Scroll better now, but something still feels off about the page (to me), perhaps I'm not used to such a large "navbar" area. The "breadcrumb" feels like "false advertising" to me too :]

Almondsetat 16d ago

Because most AI generated websites are from people who don't know much and as such cannot even articulate the look they want

verdverm 16d ago
aka ns;nt https://blog.kinglycrow.com/no-skill-no-taste/ https://blog.kinglycrow.com/no-skill-no-taste/

left-struck 16d ago

I keep seeing comments like this, and having messed around and generated a few (non-public) websites myself they all looked completely different? Mind you I don’t spend a lot of time on ai generated websites or the kinds of places you might find those. Well except for HN but you get my point.

adrianwaj 16d ago

It can be enraging. Checkout https://tinkeri.ng/ https://tinkeri.ng/ - I just added a layout-switcher "Neubrutalism" at top right. The existing theme is standard fare. Both look alright. I told C3PO to follow the guidelines set at https://neubrutalism.com https://neubrutalism.com and lessen the shadows. I have to say, having a background in doing detailed design work makes it much easier to write the right prompt. Also, having the ability to deliver a theme-switcher like this is very handy. There is a tradeoff. Adding this switching took about 1hr 10mins. Last 10% of the result always the most time-consuming. Dark/light switching is also important. If I had built this from the ground up manually, I could implement my own design and fiddle with things on a minute level but this type of granularity gets lost when building at speed.