Building an app by describing it to AI and having it generate the code is pretty amazing. This approach, often called vibe coding, is all about having ideas, communicating them clearly, and iterating.
It’s also a learning process. I’m constantly discovering new strategies through trial and error, experimentation, and curiosity.
If you’ve been building apps with AI, what’s something you wish you had known sooner in your vibe-coding journey?
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I wish I had started using local storage earlier. You can prompt AI to save things like personal bests, progress, writing, image creations, audio recordings, and more directly in the browser. This data persists after closing the tab, quitting the browser, and even restarting the computer. Clearing site data removes it, but otherwise it is typically a reliable option for vibe-coded apps on both desktop and mobile.
I also wish I had understood earlier that iterating multiple times, sometimes dozens of times, on an app is completely normal. A simple app might not need much tweaking, but I used to think I was a bit crazy for making so many changes across my apps. After connecting with other vibe-coding educators, I realized it wasn’t just me.
I wish I knew that you can ask the AI, for instance Gemini, to walk you through how to do things like for instance I wanted a specific sound effect or image and AI was able to explain hosting using GitHub and how to get the RAW URL link for the code to use.
Yes! I'm always asking my AI chat if something is possible, and if it is, then I ask it to take me step-by-step to make it happen.
All those things have been true for me too! It is never a one-and-done process. I'm using Google's Antigravity. In some larger projects, I've also discovered that I need to ask it look at its own code to reorganize it to be more logical. After dozens of additions, it makes some weird choices; giant files, mixing types of code into on project, security vulnerabilities, etc.) I ask it for advice on how to make the code more efficient, and secure. Just like when I'm lesson planning, it is helpful to give it a context of its role. Telling it I want it to act as a literacy specialist when I'm lesson planning, the same is true while vibe coding. Telling it to act as a UI expert, or a data specialist help with better results.
Great advice, Jeff!
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