Editing and Refining AI-Generated Outputs in an Integrated Markdown Editor to Match Specific Project Needs
AI-generated use case specifications are powerful starting points: they are consistent, well-structured, and cover the most common patterns derived from the use case name, relationships, scope, and context. However, no AI can fully capture an organization’s unique business rules, regulatory constraints, internal terminology, user experience preferences, exception-handling policies, or subtle domain knowledge that only subject-matter experts possess.
This is where collaborative refinement becomes essential. Visual Paradigm’s AI-Powered Use Case Modeling Studio provides an integrated, real-time markdown-style editor directly beneath each generated specification. This editor supports:
- Syntax-highlighted markdown formatting (headings, bold, italics, numbered/bulleted lists, tables, code blocks)
- Easy insertion of numbered alternative and exception flows (e.g., 3a, 5b)
- Drag-and-drop reordering of steps
- Inline comments and @mentions for team review (if used in collaborative mode)
- Version history and comparison (see what changed since AI generation)
- Traceability links back to the Use Case Diagram, actors, and related artifacts
- One-click regeneration of parts of the spec (e.g., “Regenerate exception flows only”) while preserving your manual edits
The workflow is deliberately collaborative and iterative: generate → review → edit → validate with stakeholders → refine again → lock for baseline. You are not replacing the AI output—you are enhancing, correcting, and specializing it to become the single source of truth for the project.
Practical Examples of Refinement
Example 1: GourmetReserve – Use Case: Book a Table
AI-Generated (excerpt – before refinement) 4. System includes Process Payment to collect required deposit. 5. Diner reviews and confirms booking details. 6. System creates reservation and marks the slot as booked.
After Collaborative Refinement (changes highlighted) 4. System includes Process Payment to collect required deposit:
- Deposit amount = 10% of estimated bill for parties ≥ 8 OR Fri/Sat 7–9 pm (per restaurant policy)
- Deposit waived for diners with Gold Loyalty status (checked via customer profile)
- Diner reviews booking summary, including: restaurant name, date/time, party size, table number (if assigned), estimated bill, deposit amount, and cancellation policy.
- Diner explicitly confirms via “Confirm Booking” button (two-click confirmation to reduce accidental bookings).
- System creates reservation record, marks slot as booked, sends immediate confirmation push notification + email, and schedules 24-hour reminder.
Added sections (manually inserted)
- Business Rule BR-004: No reservations accepted within 30 minutes of current time unless restaurant has enabled “last-minute booking” flag.
- Non-functional Note: Booking must complete in < 8 seconds under normal load (performance requirement).
Example 2: SecureATM – Use Case: Withdraw Cash
AI-Generated (excerpt) 5a. Insufficient funds → System shows balance and suggests lower amount. 5b. Insufficient cash in ATM → System displays “Temporarily unavailable – please try later”…
After Refinement 5a. Insufficient funds → System displays: “Insufficient funds. Available balance: $XXX.XX. Would you like to withdraw a lower amount?” → User selects Yes → returns to step 4 (enter amount) → User selects No → ends transaction gracefully (postcondition: no funds deducted)
5b. Insufficient cash in ATM for requested denomination → System displays: “Sorry, this ATM is temporarily unable to dispense this amount. Please try a different amount or visit a branch.” → Additionally sends real-time alert to operations team via internal monitoring system (critical for SLA compliance) → Logs event with timestamp, ATM ID, requested amount, and available denominations
Added exception flow (new) 5c. Card retained due to suspected fraud (triggered by fraud detection system) → System displays: “Your card has been retained for security reasons. Please contact customer service at 1-800-XXX-XXXX.” → Transaction aborted, card not returned, incident reported.
Example 3: CorpLearn – Use Case: Take Final Assessment
AI-Generated (excerpt) 6. If score ≥ 80% → System extends with Issue Certificate.
After Refinement 6. System calculates final score and displays results breakdown (per question type: multiple-choice 60%, short answer 40%). 7. If score ≥ 80% AND all compliance acknowledgments were completed → System extends with Issue Certificate:
- Certificate PDF generated with learner name, course title, completion date, score, unique certificate ID
- Certificate emailed to learner and recorded in HR system via API
- Certificate valid for 2 years from issuance date (added expiration rule)
- If score < 80% → System displays: “You did not achieve the passing score of 80%. You may retake the assessment up to 2 times within the course access period (per company policy).” → If retake limit reached → course marked as “Failed – no further attempts”
Added section
- Compliance Requirement CR-017: Final assessment must include mandatory question on data privacy policy acknowledgment; skipping it auto-fails the assessment regardless of score.
Key Benefits and Best Practices
- Preserve AI strengths — Keep the clean numbering, consistent phrasing, and references to «include»/«extend».
- Inject precision — Add exact wording of user messages, business rules, error codes, timeouts, or regulatory clauses.
- Use tables when helpful — Insert markdown tables for complex decision logic (e.g., fee calculation matrix).
- Validate against stakeholders — Share the refined spec (export as PDF/Markdown) for review; capture feedback directly in comments.
- Maintain traceability — Every edit stays linked to the use case ID and diagram element.
- Lock when stable — Once approved, mark the specification as “baselined” to prevent accidental overwrites.
By the end of Section 4.2, your use case specifications are no longer generic AI drafts—they are precise, organization-specific, stakeholder-validated artifacts that accurately guide implementation, testing, and maintenance. The integrated editor makes refinement feel natural and collaborative, ensuring the final output reflects both the speed of AI and the depth of human expertise. With detailed, high-fidelity specifications in place, you are ready to move into behavioral and structural design in Module 5.