> Canonical: https://drkishanrees.com/learn/first-version-looks-wrong/

# What do I do if the first version looks completely wrong?

*The first version being wrong is the normal start, not a failure. You do not scrap it: you say what is wrong, look at a few alternatives side by side, and keep the best. The taste and the veto stay yours.*

Prompts & Workflows. 4 min read.

First published 7 August 2026

<TrueFalseCard statement="If the first version looks wrong, the best move is to scrap it and start over." correct={false}>

The first version is a draft, not a verdict. You get further by saying exactly what is wrong and asking for a couple of alternatives to compare than by throwing away a working starting point. Starting over is usually the slow way round.

</TrueFalseCard>

The first version will often look wrong, and that is the normal beginning, not a sign you have
failed. The model handed you a draft to react to, which is exactly what a first version is for. The
instinct to scrap it and start again is the one to resist.

The more you do this, the more you will realise how the model interprets your words, so it is very
much an iterative process, as long as you read the outputs and refine your follow-ups accordingly.

## What do you do when it looks wrong?

Say what is wrong, specifically, the way you would describe a fault to a colleague. Not "this looks
off" but "the heading is too big and the photo should sit on the right". A precise description is
something the model can act on, and it needs no code from you. The first version is a draft you are
editing, not a test you have failed.

## How do you get to a better one?

Choose by seeing, not by guessing. Ask for a couple of real alternatives, look at them side by side,
keep the best and set the others aside with a note on why they were cut. This site does exactly
that, and even has a name for it: Test, Review, Approve the best, Discard the Rest. You can also ask
the model for an honest opinion on its own work: a reasoned critique with a couple of ranked options
and an offer to render both so you can compare. It proposes; you dispose.

## Where can I see it on this site?

The design bench is a wall of exactly this: each design round kept with the
reason it was superseded, so the choosing is on the record, not hidden.

The Second opinion station is a single decision worked in the open,
where the model was asked for real candour and gave a reasoned verdict with two ranked alternatives
rather than a polite yes.

The curriculum names choosing by seeing as one
of the bench's core habits.

## So, what if the first version looks wrong?

Treat it as a draft, because that is what it is. Do not start over. Say precisely what is wrong, ask
to see a couple of alternatives side by side, keep the best and keep the discards with their
reasons. The model will happily critique its own work and rank the options, but the taste, the veto
and the "actually, ship it" stay yours. What the loop removes is the friction, not the judgement.

Be mindful of long, meandering conversations, though. The longer a chat gets, the more the model has
to re-read the whole thing on every message, and the quality of its answers can start to degrade.

Claude, in particular, shows its thinking as it works, which is a real help when you are learning how
a model reacts to your prompts.

## Questions and answers

### Should I start over if the first version looks wrong?

No. The first version is a draft, not a verdict. You say specifically what is wrong, ask for a couple of alternatives, and compare them side by side. Starting over throws away a useful starting point.

### How do I choose between versions?

By seeing, not guessing. Prototype the real options, review them together, approve the best and keep the discards with the reason they were cut. This site calls that Test, Review, Approve the best, Discard the Rest.

### Can I ask the AI for an honest opinion on its own work?

Yes, and you should. Ask for a reasoned critique with a couple of ranked alternatives and an offer to render both and compare. The model proposes; the taste and the final call stay yours.

Cite as: Rees, Kishan. 'What do I do if the first version looks completely wrong?'. drkishanrees.com, first published 7 August 2026. https://drkishanrees.com/learn/first-version-looks-wrong/