A working app and a finished app are not the same thing. The default Lovable output reads as generic AI UI, deliberate polish is how your Demo Day build looks intentional, not accidental.

1. Lay a strong foundation first

Before generating pages, give Lovable a cohesive design brief, not just feature lists. Visual direction belongs in the brief from the previous lesson, bolt it on at the end and every screen drifts.

• Define tokens, spacing grid (e.g. 8pt), border radius (e.g. 16px), font (e.g. Inter). Ask Lovable to stick to this system on every new screen.
• Set the mood, use emotions or analogies (e.g. "feels like a minimal, warm studio in Copenhagen"). Concrete mood beats "make it nice."

2. Use the Visual Editor for fine-tuning

Avoid prompt fatigue for small changes. Once your app exists, tweak the UI directly on the screen instead of re-describing in chat.

1. 1

   Open the editor

   Click Edit (pencil icon) or use the preview toolbar on any element.

2. 2

   Nudge per element

   Change padding, font size, colour, shadows, and roundedness without a new prompt.

3. 3

   Save your rhythm

   Use the editor for micro-adjustments; reserve chat for structural changes.

3. Inject external UI components

Standard AI layouts repeat themselves. Break out by bringing in production-ready code from external libraries.

• Browse 21st.dev for polished sections, headers, pricing blocks, navbars.
• Copy the React/Tailwind snippet and paste it into Lovable.
• Ask Lovable to adapt the component to your tokens and capstone content.

4. Feed visual references

Lovable performs better from images than from vague prose alone.

1. 1

   Screenshot inspiration

   Capture apps or sites whose style you want, layout, colour, density.

2. 2

   Upload to chat

   Attach the image in your Lovable project.

3. 3

   Prompt with intent

   "Update my UI to match the style, colours, and layout of the attached image."

Three moves that carry most of the result

Polish is not a burst of inspiration on Demo Day eve. It is a few disciplined choices applied early and consistently across your capstone.