Idea to App: Choose your output layer

Rather than going straight to vibe coding, think about your highest leverage outcome and then choose the output layer.

Please. Let me save you hours of your precious time on Earth.

I just wasted so much time on a vibe coded app that hit an error loop.

But the failure taught me something - I didn’t need an app. I realized that to pitch the concept, all I really needed was a screenshot of the interface. The rest was highly intuitive or could be easily explained. In other words, I didn’t need a working app. All those hours were wasted.

What do you really need next?

We think it’s an app, or a strategy, or a marketing plan. But what we need (as fast and cheap as possible), is figure out if we’re right or wrong in our basic assumptions on value. And there are some very creative ways to do that.

Your app doesn’t need to “work”

When Fireflies.ai started their product, they created an account named “Fred from Fireflies.ai” which would join customer meetings. While on mute (with no video), one of the founders would manually sit through the entire meeting and type out notes by hand. After the call ended, they would email the “AI-generated” notes to the customer within ten minutes

Validate Your Hypothesis Before Going Full Development

What assumptions are you going on? In other words, what - if untrue - would derail all further development?

I wrote up a big spec on a dating app I’m working on, and then realized that what I actually need before moving forward is to see if the algorithm works. But that posed a problem. Since this predicts long-term success, it would take months of dating (or even years in a relationship) to verify it.

Then I realized I can backtest it with current happy couples to see if my predictors matched their success.

So my next step isn’t an app, it’s a “Yes” to an invitation

My next step is to ask people to take their information and run it through my “app” - which is actually just me on the backside, doing it all by hand.

In business development I have this concept called “Stringing the yes’s.” The idea is this:

Make it so easy for the client or customer, that all they have to do is say “Yes.” If they have to do any more thinking then you lose or confuse them.

This gives you leverage on time.

Leverage = Low input, high output.

Is your value proposition clear?

Of course, we all think yes, but have you sat someone down and watched them, in total silence? Often the response is… “What? What do I do?” What’s clear in your head does not come through on the screen.

I’m developing a habit app, realizing I need to be much clearer. It’s in development here: Superfantastic.app

I think about it in layers:

• What is the development layer you need to get you to the next step?

• What do you need to validate your hypothesis?

• What do you need to show someone to either get a yes or a check?

Here is a chart to help you figure it out:

Hope this helps! All feedback welcome.