Vibe Coding

A Quick Guide To Human-AI Creative Collaboration

Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash

"Vibe Coding" is about partnering with AI to bring your creative software ideas to life. You provide the vision and the "vibe"; the AI provides rapid code generation. Here’s how to make it work for you:

I. The "Vibe Coding" Mindset:

• You're the Director, AI is the (Super-Fast) Coder: Guide the AI with your creative vision. You define what to build and why.

• Iterate, Iterate, Iterate: Your first idea + AI's first output = starting point. Expect a back-and-forth process of building, testing, and refining.

• Clear Prompts, Clearer Results: The more specific your requests (desired features, target language/platform, look & feel), the better the AI can assist.

• Have the AI Create Its Own Prompts: It is better to first ask “write me a prompt to make a racing game” than “make me a racing game” directly

• Embrace it as a Learning Tool: See how the AI solves problems. Ask it to explain code. You'll learn by doing.

• Be Patient with Debugging: Some problems will take several iterations with the AI to solve.

• Discovery through dialogue - Don’t expect to have it all planned out at the start. Sometimes you don't know what's possible until you start the conversation

II. The "Vibe Coding" Workflow: A Checklist

• 1. Vision & Initial Prompt:

  • Define Your Core Idea: What's the essence of your project?

  • Outline Key Features (High-Level): What are the must-haves?

  • Tell the AI Your Tech Stack: (e.g., Python, Web (HTML/CSS/JS)).

  • Scope Clarification: A good initial prompt to the AI is often, "I want to build X with features Y and Z. What information do you need from me to start, and what should reasonably be our first goalpost?

• 2. Build & Test in Chunks:

  • Request One Module/Feature at a Time: (e.g., "user login," "data display," "a specific game mechanic").

  • Provide Details for Each Chunk: What should it do? How should it roughly look/behave?

  • Test Relentlessly: Copy code, run it, and use debugging tools (like browser consoles for web dev).

• 3. Feedback & Refinement (The Loop):

  • Be Specific with Feedback:

    • "This button should be red" (not "change the color").

    • "When I do X, Y happens, but I expected Z."

    • Share error messages verbatim! They are crucial.

  • Confirm What Works: Let the AI know when it gets something right.

  • Request Full Files for Major Changes: If the AI suggests a big refactor or adds a lot of new code, ask for the complete file(s) to avoid patching errors.

  • Don't Hesitate to Re-Prompt or Pivot: If a direction isn't working, describe the issue and ask for a different approach.

• 4. Focus on the "Vibe":

• Once core functionality is in place, refine aesthetics and user experience.

• Ask for small, targeted changes: "Make this animation smoother." "Can this text be more engaging?"

III. Key Tips for Success:

• Version Control (Git/GitHub): Non-negotiable for anything beyond a tiny script. Commit working versions often. Use branches for experimental changes.

• Your "Vibe" is an Asset: If the AI's output doesn't match your intuition or vision, guide it back. You set the feel.

• AI is a Tool, Not a Replacement for Thought: You still need to think about the overall structure, user flow, and desired outcome.

• Serendipitous insights - Throwing concepts together can lead to unexpected creative connections, and AI’s are particularly good at this if you specifically ask for this

• More organic learning - The conversation naturally flows toward areas of interest, and you will naturally learn things through creation even if they don’t start off as your competencies

IV. AI Strengths vs. Your Strengths:

• AI Excels At: Boilerplate, syntax, known algorithms, generating options, explaining its own code.

• You Excel At: Vision, creative direction, user empathy, nuanced feedback, architectural decisions, and identifying when the "vibe" is right (or wrong).

V. Common Pitfalls:

• Neglecting to verify code quality: Even well-written AI code can contain subtle bugs, security vulnerabilities, or inefficient implementations. Always review the code critically rather than assuming it's production-ready.

• Forgetting to document as you go: When rapidly iterating with AI, it's easy to lose track of your decision-making process. Keep notes on why certain approaches were chosen or abandoned to avoid repeating mistakes.

• Scope creep acceleration: AI makes it tempting to keep adding "just one more feature" because it seems so easy. Maintain discipline about your core deliverable before expanding.

• Over-reliance on generated solutions: There's a risk of becoming dependent on AI rather than developing your own understanding. Always ask the AI to explain its code so you learn alongside it.

• Assuming the AI knows your full context: Without explicit reminders, the AI may forget earlier specifications or constraints as the conversation progresses, leading to inconsistent solutions.

• Not testing edge cases: AI tends to optimize for the "happy path" unless specifically directed to handle edge cases, which can lead to fragile implementations.

• Taking too much control: just as you tell an employee the outcome you need then stand back to let them figure out how to get there, consider doing the same with AI. It may know a faster or more efficient tool or approach than what you have in mind.

• Going down the wrong path: AI may not challenge your bad ideas nearly as much as they deserve. It will try to help you accomplish whatever you ask it to do, and you can burn a lot of time on ideas that it would have warned it against if you just asked

• Spreading yourself too thin: you can learn anything, do anything, and it's as intoxicating as the internet was when it first came out. But you can't do everything all at once. Don't let your curiosity wander to the point that you never ship deliverables.

"Vibe Coding" is about synergy. Leverage the AI's speed and breadth of knowledge with your unique creative insight, curiosity, and taste. Happy building!