I really dislike the term “vibe coding” being used for every new software where AI has been used.
The motivation for this post came from this comment I got on one of my X posts where I talked about some feedback for my Mac App Juicy. It’s a Mac menu bar that allows you to set custom battery alerts at any percentage level.
Someone commented on the post the following:
This is not the first time I came across this type of comment when people talk about their new app on social media so I wanted to share my two cents on this.
When I read vibe coding I infer someone building software by going with the “vibe”. Think letting AI guide the entire UI/UX design flow. Perhaps even software someone might consider sloppy. There’s nothing wrong with that approach to get an idea shipped fast. However, that’s not how I (and probably a lot of people passionate about product)
approach building software with AI. Instead, I start off with a vision of how I want the app to behave and look like. I then scope out the necessary tech stack and think about the UX/UI. I gather a bunch of inspiration and the play around in Figma until it “clicks” for me. Only then I start using AI as a helper to let me write all the boring boilerplate. I lied to you above. AI does sometimes help me with design. For example, I don’t want to even think how long it would’ve taken me to come up with the perfect bounce animation for Juicy or how to optimize the CPU usage so Juicy doesn’t ironically drain your battery.
I spend 86% of my time coding now with AI. 14% are coded with bare hands plus brain. I freaking love this approach. I can now ship my ideas faster and get to have more time to think about the little things that can make your software more unique. Perhaps we need a new term for coding with AI but without the vibe?!
If you have any ideas, I’d be happy to hear them.
