The Complete Claude Guide: Chat, Cowork, Code & Design

Claude isn't one tool — it's four. Most people only ever use one.

This guide explains every Claude mode, when to use each one, how to combine them, and gives you 50 real use cases with exact prompts.

THE FOUR CLAUDE MODES

CLAUDE CHAT What it is: The web-based conversational Claude at claude.ai. Best for: Writing, research, analysis, brainstorming, learning, summarisation, coding help. Access: claude.ai (free and Pro tiers) Limitations: No file system access, no internet (unless explicitly given a web tool), no persistent memory across conversations by default. When to use: Any task where you need a smart, capable writing partner or analyst. The 90% use case.

CLAUDE COWORK What it is: The Claude Desktop App with access to your computer — files, apps, browser, email, calendar. Best for: Tasks that require touching real files, opening apps, browsing the web, monitoring things, or running multi-step automated workflows. Access: Download the Claude Desktop app (macOS and Windows) → Available in Claude Pro Limitations: Requires desktop app; some actions require you to grant permissions. When to use: Anything that currently requires YOU to be the bridge between Claude and your computer. File organising, email management, calendar planning, research automation.

CLAUDE CODE What it is: An AI coding agent that runs in your terminal. Claude Code can write, edit, test, and debug code autonomously across your entire codebase. Best for: Software developers, engineers, technical users. Building apps, fixing bugs, writing tests, refactoring code. Access: Install via npm (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code) — requires API access. Limitations: Technical setup required; best results with some coding knowledge. When to use: Any coding task. Claude Code reads your actual files, understands your codebase, and makes changes directly.

CLAUDE DESIGN (via Claude.ai Artifacts) What it is: Claude's ability to generate and render visual artifacts — HTML/CSS pages, React components, SVG graphics, interactive tools — directly in the browser. Best for: Non-developers who want to build simple web tools, dashboards, calculators, or visual content without writing code. Access: Available in Claude Chat via the Artifacts panel. Limitations: Limited to front-end output; more complex apps need Claude Code. When to use: When you need something you can see and interact with — a calculator, a simple website, a data visualisation, a formatted document.

WHEN TO USE WHICH MODE

Use Claude Chat when:

• You need writing, editing, analysis, or research
• You want to brainstorm or think through a problem
• You're asking questions or learning something new
• You want quick, conversational answers

Use Claude Cowork when:

• You need Claude to touch actual files on your computer
• You want Claude to open apps, browse the web, or send emails on your behalf
• You're building an automated personal workflow (daily briefings, monitoring, scheduling)
• The task requires real-world data that changes (your inbox, your calendar, current prices)

Use Claude Code when:

• You're writing or debugging software
• You want to build a web app, API, script, or automation
• You need to refactor or understand a large codebase
• You're working in a terminal environment

Use Claude Design (Artifacts) when:

• You want to build a simple interactive tool or webpage
• You need a visual output you can share or embed
• You're not a developer but want to create something functional
• You want to quickly prototype an idea

50 USE CASES WITH EXACT PROMPTS

CLAUDE CHAT USE CASES (1-20)

1. "Summarise this 50-page document and extract the 10 most important points." [Attach PDF]
2. "Write a professional email declining a partnership offer while keeping the relationship warm."
3. "Explain quantum computing to me as if I have no physics background."
4. "Critique this blog post draft and tell me the 3 biggest improvements I should make." [Paste draft]
5. "Write 10 LinkedIn post ideas about [your topic] with different angles."
6. "Create a 30-day content calendar for a [type] business posting 3x per week."
7. "Translate this email to [language] and maintain the professional tone."
8. "What are the main arguments for and against [topic]? Give me both sides fairly."
9. "I have a job interview for [role] at [company]. Give me 20 likely questions and model answers."
10. "Write a cold email to a potential client in [industry] about [service]. Under 150 words."
11. "Help me structure a presentation on [topic] for [audience]. 15 slides, 20 minutes."
12. "Rewrite this paragraph to be clearer, shorter, and more confident." [Paste paragraph]
13. "Create a SWOT analysis for [business/idea]."
14. "What questions should I ask before signing a lease for a commercial property?"
15. "Draft a project brief for [project description] including timeline and deliverables."
16. "What are the 5 best productivity systems and how do they compare?"
17. "Review my CV and tell me how to improve it for a [job title] role." [Paste CV]
18. "What should I know before investing in [asset class]? Give me an honest overview."
19. "Write a brand voice guide for a company that is [describe brand personality]."
20. "Summarise what happened with [topic] in the last 30 days."

CLAUDE COWORK USE CASES (21-35) 21. "Every morning, check my Gmail for urgent emails and give me a 3-sentence briefing." 22. "Review all files in my Downloads folder and tell me what to keep, archive, or delete." 23. "Check my calendar for this week and block 2 hours of deep work time each morning." 24. "Search my Google Drive for anything related to [project] and summarise what you find." 25. "Monitor [website URL] every 4 hours and alert me if the price changes." 26. "Look at my task list in [app] and prioritise what I should work on today." 27. "Open my latest spreadsheet and tell me what the data shows." 28. "Check the weather for the next 7 days in [city] and help me plan my week accordingly." 29. "Go to [news source] and summarise the top 5 AI stories from this week." 30. "Review my inbox and draft replies to the 3 most important unanswered emails." 31. "Organise my Desktop folder using the naming convention: DATE_DESCRIPTION.ext." 32. "Find all PDF files in my Documents folder and tell me what each one contains." 33. "Read my meeting notes from [file name] and create a follow-up email for each action item." 34. "Check my calendar and tell me when I'm next free for a 1-hour focus session." 35. "Look at my Google Drive and find any documents I haven't opened in over a year."

CLAUDE CODE USE CASES (36-45) 36. "Build a simple REST API in [language] that accepts a POST request with [data] and returns [output]." 37. "Review all files in this project and identify any security vulnerabilities." 38. "Write unit tests for this function." [Share file or paste code] 39. "Refactor this component to use [pattern/library]." [Share code] 40. "Debug why this function isn't working and explain the fix." [Share broken code] 41. "Create a web scraper that extracts [data] from [URL] and saves it as CSV." 42. "Add error handling and logging to this script." [Share script] 43. "Write a cron job that runs every morning at 8am and [describe task]." 44. "Convert this Python script to TypeScript." 45. "Explain what this code does in plain English." [Share any code]

CLAUDE DESIGN/ARTIFACTS USE CASES (46-50) 46. "Build an interactive quiz with 10 questions about [topic]. Show results at the end." 47. "Create a dashboard that displays [metrics] in a clean, visual layout." 48. "Build a simple calculator that converts [unit A] to [unit B]." 49. "Create a habit tracker I can use in my browser to track [X] habits daily." 50. "Build a simple countdown timer for [event] that I can embed in a webpage."

HOW TO COMBINE THE MODES

Research → Write → Publish:

1. Claude Chat: Research the topic and outline the piece
2. Claude Chat: Write and edit the full content
3. Claude Design: Create a visual infographic or formatted web version
4. Claude Cowork: Post it to your platforms via social media apps

Idea → App → Deploy:

1. Claude Chat: Brainstorm the app concept and requirements
2. Claude Code: Build the app in your codebase
3. Claude Design: Create the front-end UI

Monitor → Respond → Log:

1. Claude Cowork: Monitor a website or inbox for new information
2. Claude Chat: Draft the response or analysis
3. Claude Cowork: Send the response and log it to a document

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