What if you could take a product idea and turn it into a working app without a dev team, a sprint plan, or a six-figure budget? That’s exactly what I did when I built a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculator using a method called vibe coding treating an LLM as a creative partner, not just a tool. Here’s how I approached it, what I learned, and why it’s a game-changer for anyone who thinks they’re “not technical enough” to build.
What is Vibe Coding?
Vibe coding flips traditional development: you don’t start with frameworks or repos, you start with the experience you want. Through iterative prompts, you shape an app into existence. It forces clarity in plain language, and it makes building accessible to non-engineers.
My 3-Window Build Process
1. Concept — Test Feasibility
One short prompt (“Build me an ROI calculator…”) returned a working UI. Not perfect, but enough to prove the concept and show me what was possible.
2. Build — Define Requirements
With a clearer idea, I specified layout, UX notes, and logic. The app expanded quickly — but the model also got tangled, forgetting earlier logic. Thread sprawl was real, and it became clear I needed a reset.
3. Final — Clean Slate, Clear Prompt
Armed with lessons learned, I wrote a structured, plain-language spec: features, inputs/outputs, screenshots, UX rules. The LLM delivered an output shockingly close to my vision. With a few tweaks, the app was live.
Why It Matters (Especially If You Don’t Code)
This wasn’t about clever hacks. It was about solving a real problem without burning months or budgets. Vibe coding turned the LLM into a collaborator, a junior dev who could take business context and turn it into working syntax. For non-technical founders, marketers, and operators, this approach puts power back in your hands.
Takeaways for First-Timers
- Don’t try to do it all in one thread — reset often.
- Let prototypes guide requirements; you’ll learn what you need by seeing it.
- Treat the LLM like a junior dev: clear specs in, better results out.
- When the thread breaks, start fresh with better instructions.
What might have taken $25k and months of engineering effort now took me a few sessions, prompts, and adjustments. The lesson? We’ve never had more power to turn ideas into apps on our own terms. If you’ve been waiting to test your concept, this is your sign to just start.
Want the full story including my prompts? Read the original article on LinkedIn.
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