Claude excels at understanding context and building thoughtful, well-structured applications. Follow this guide to harness its full potential.
Create your Claude account and understand the interface. Claude's clean design helps you focus on building.
1. Go to claude.ai 2. Sign up with email or Google 3. Choose Claude Pro for unlimited usage ($20/month) 4. Start a new conversation
Use Claude Pro for serious development. The unlimited usage and longer context window are worth it.
Claude responds beautifully to emotional and contextual prompts. Be specific about the feeling you want.
"Hi Claude! I want to build a mindfulness app that feels calming and zen. The design should be minimalist like Headspace, but with warmer, more natural colors. I want users to feel peaceful the moment they open it. Features I need: • Guided breathing exercises with gentle animations • Progress tracking that feels encouraging, not judgmental • Soft background sounds (rain, forest, ocean) • Daily quotes that inspire without being preachy • A journal section for reflection Can you create this as a single HTML file that works on mobile? Focus on making it feel like a peaceful digital sanctuary."
Claude's strength is remembering context. Build on your conversation rather than starting fresh.
Follow-up prompts to try: "The breathing animation feels too fast - can you slow it down and make it more like actual deep breathing?" "I love the color palette! Can you add a feature where users can choose different 'moods' - like Ocean (blues), Forest (greens), or Sunset (warm oranges)?" "The progress tracking is perfect. Now can you add gentle notifications that feel supportive? Like 'Ready for a moment of calm?' instead of 'Time to meditate!'"
Claude excels at maintaining design consistency across iterations. It remembers the "peaceful sanctuary" vibe throughout your conversation.
Use Claude's analytical skills for architecture planning and code organization.
Advanced Claude prompts: "Before we build more features, can you analyze the current code structure and suggest how to organize it better? I want to add user accounts and data persistence later." "Can you explain why you chose this particular CSS approach for the breathing animation? What are the trade-offs?" "I want to make this into a progressive web app. What changes would you recommend to the current structure?"
ChatGPT is incredibly versatile and great for rapid prototyping. It excels at creative solutions and building feature-rich applications quickly.
Get started with ChatGPT and choose the right plan for your development needs.
1. Go to chat.openai.com 2. Sign up with email, Google, or Microsoft 3. Consider ChatGPT Plus for GPT-4 access ($20/month) 4. Explore plugins if available in your region
GPT-4 is significantly better for coding than GPT-3.5. The Plus subscription is worth it for development work.
ChatGPT excels at quickly building feature-rich prototypes. Start with a comprehensive feature list.
"I want to build a fitness tracking app that feels motivating and energetic. Build me a complete prototype with: Core Features: • Workout logging with exercise database • Progress photos with before/after comparisons • Achievement system with badges and streaks • Social features to share wins with friends • Meal planning with calorie tracking • Motivational quotes and challenges • Dark/light mode toggle • Responsive design for mobile and desktop Make it feel like Nike Training Club mixed with MyFitnessPal, but more gamified and social. Use bright, energetic colors and smooth animations."
ChatGPT is great at adding new features and connecting different parts of your app.
Feature expansion prompts: "Add a community section where users can join challenges, share progress pics, and cheer each other on. Make it feel supportive, not competitive." "Create a nutrition scanning feature where users can take photos of food labels and automatically log nutrition info." "Add a workout playlist integration - let users connect their Spotify and create energizing playlists for different workout types." "Build a coach feature that gives personalized advice based on user progress and goals."
ChatGPT is excellent at creative feature ideas and connecting different parts of your app in innovative ways.
If you have access to plugins, use them to enhance your development workflow.
Useful plugins for vibe-coding: • Code Interpreter: Run and test code snippets • WebPilot: Browse the web for design inspiration • Figma: Generate design mockups and wireframes • Zapier: Connect your app to other services • Wolfram: Add advanced calculations and data viz
Plugin availability varies by region and account type. Check your ChatGPT settings to see what's available.
Cursor is VS Code with AI superpowers. Perfect for developers who want to code alongside AI with intelligent completions and refactoring.
Download Cursor and set up your development environment with AI assistance.
1. Download from cursor.sh 2. Install like any other app 3. Import your VS Code settings and extensions 4. Sign up for Cursor Pro ($20/month) 5. Set up your preferred AI model (GPT-4 recommended)
Cursor can import all your VS Code settings, extensions, and keybindings. The transition is seamless.
Use Cursor's AI features to write code faster and more efficiently.
Key Cursor features: • Cmd+K: Generate code from comments • Cmd+L: Chat with AI about your code • Tab: Accept AI completions • Cmd+Shift+L: Ask AI to fix/refactor selected code Example workflow: 1. Write a comment: // Create a responsive navigation bar 2. Press Cmd+K 3. AI generates the complete component 4. Use Tab to accept or edit as needed
Combine Cursor's AI with vibe-coding principles for rapid development.
Vibe-coding workflow in Cursor: 1. Start with a comment describing the vibe: // Create a calming meditation timer that feels zen and peaceful // Use soft colors, gentle animations, breathing circle // Should feel like a digital garden 2. Press Cmd+K to generate the initial structure 3. Use Cmd+L to chat about refinements: "Make the breathing animation slower and more natural" "Add subtle sound effects for the timer" "The colors feel too bright - make them more muted" 4. Select code and use Cmd+Shift+L for instant improvements
Cursor understands your entire codebase context, so AI suggestions are more relevant and consistent.
Master advanced Cursor features for professional development.
Advanced techniques: • Code Reviews: Select code and ask "What could be improved?" • Refactoring: "Convert this to use React hooks" • Testing: "Generate unit tests for this component" • Documentation: "Add JSDoc comments to this function" • Architecture: "How should I structure this feature?" Terminal integration: • Use AI to write complex git commands • Generate deployment scripts • Debug error messages with AI assistance
v0 by Vercel specializes in beautiful UI components and modern web applications. Perfect for creating stunning interfaces with Tailwind CSS and React.
Get started with v0 and understand its UI-focused approach.
1. Go to v0.dev 2. Sign in with GitHub or Google 3. Start with the free tier (generous limits) 4. Explore the component gallery for inspiration
v0 excels at creating beautiful, modern interfaces. It's perfect for the visual aspects of vibe-coding.
Start with the visual design and build the functionality around it.
"Create a modern dashboard for a personal finance app that feels trustworthy and professional. Design elements: • Clean card-based layout with subtle shadows • Calming blue and green color scheme • Beautiful charts showing spending trends • Quick action buttons for common tasks • Mobile-first responsive design • Smooth hover animations Style inspiration: Stripe dashboard meets Mint, but more premium feeling."
Iterate on individual components to perfect the design.
Refinement prompts for v0: "Make the spending chart more interactive - add hover states that show exact amounts" "The color scheme feels too corporate. Can you warm it up with some gentle oranges and softer blues?" "Add micro-interactions to the quick action buttons - maybe a subtle bounce on click" "The mobile layout needs work. Make the cards stack better on small screens"
v0 creates pixel-perfect, modern interfaces that feel professional right out of the box.
Use v0 for UI design, then integrate with other platforms for functionality.
Workflow: 1. Design components in v0 2. Export the React/HTML code 3. Add functionality with Claude or ChatGPT 4. Deploy with Vercel for seamless integration Example: "I have this beautiful dashboard from v0. Can you add real data fetching, user authentication, and state management? Keep the exact same styling but make it fully functional."
v0 focuses on UI. You'll need other AI tools or manual coding for complex backend functionality.
Bolt by StackBlitz creates full-stack applications instantly in the browser. Perfect for rapid prototyping and sharing live demos without any setup.
Get started with Bolt for the fastest way to prototype ideas.
1. Go to bolt.new 2. No signup required to start! 3. Upgrade to Pro for more features 4. Start typing your idea immediately
Bolt is the fastest way to go from idea to working prototype. Perfect for validating concepts.
Build complete applications with frontend, backend, and database in one go.
"Build a complete recipe sharing app that feels cozy and homey. Features needed: • User registration and login • Recipe creation with photos • Rating and review system • Search and filter by ingredients • Shopping list generation • Social features to follow chefs • Mobile-responsive design Make it feel like a warm kitchen where friends share their favorite family recipes. Use warm colors, handwritten-style fonts, and comfortable spacing."
See changes instantly as you iterate on your app.
Live iteration tips: "The recipe cards feel too formal - make them look more like handwritten recipe cards" "Add a 'surprise me' button that shows a random recipe" "The login form is too corporate - make it feel welcoming and cozy" "Can you add a feature where users can mark recipes as 'family favorites'?"
Bolt shows changes instantly. You can see your app evolve in real-time as you make requests.
Share your prototypes instantly or deploy them to production.
Sharing options: • Instant URL sharing - no deployment needed • Fork projects to iterate on others' work • Export to GitHub for further development • Deploy to Netlify/Vercel with one click • Embed demos in presentations or portfolios Perfect for: • Client demos and feedback • Team collaboration • Portfolio showcases • Rapid user testing
Bolt is perfect for prototypes and MVPs. For production apps, consider exporting to a full development environment.