# Design concept

Concept · [Building with AI](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/ai)

Also called: shared understanding, shared mental model, product concept

The shared picture of what is being built, held by you and by the [agent](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/ai-agent), separate from any document or code. Many failures in AI-assisted building come from the two of you holding different pictures without noticing.

**For example:** The [founder](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/founder) imagines a booking page for gym classes while the [agent](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/ai-agent) pictures one for doctor's appointments, and neither notices until [the screens](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/front-end) appear.

## Connects to (5)

- [Grilling](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/grilling): Having an agent question you one decision at a time until the plan is clear, before any building starts.
- [Spec](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/spec): A written description of what is being built and why, for work too big to finish in one session.
- [Prototype](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/prototype): An early, rough version of a product made to test an idea or show others what you mean.
- [Handoff artifact](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/handoff-artifact): The written document that carries a handoff, produced by one session for another to read.
- [Wireframe](https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/wireframe): A simple outline drawing of a screen that shows where things go, without colors or finished design.

Map view: https://ecosystem.samcarlton.com/design-concept