The first thing you need to know about me is that I have never coded before. I say this to give you hope that with organization, leadership, project management skills, and technology like Lovable.dev and ChatGPT, you can build your own app—even on a very small budget.
So, if I were starting out and had an idea for a web application, here are the first steps I would take:
When your brain tells you that you’re crazy and that someone has already done this before, remember: you’re not trying to be the world’s foremost expert. You’re simply aiming to be an expert in the room and help people solve a common problem in your unique way.
Humanity didn’t just create one shoe and stop there. We created all sorts of shoes for all sorts of people. While they all solve the same problem, each version brings a different style or feature. The world wants to see what you bring to the table.
So, be brave and show up for yourself and your project—even if it’s just for five minutes a day.
Record voice notes or write your ideas in a stream-of-consciousness format—no structure, no filters, no spell-checking.
Make it messy.
Spend at least 30 minutes to an hour pulling every idea out of your mind with no boundaries.
Take your messy notes or transcript and paste them into ChatGPT. Ask it to organize your document with prompts like:
Try a few different approaches until you get a version that resonates with you and makes your app feel real.
This will be the hardest part of software creation—from now until forever.
You’ll always envision a perfect product with sleek graphics and advanced features. But that vision can hold you back.
Instead, focus on the smallest, quickest version you can build. Ask yourself:
If you’re stuck, ask ChatGPT to help you define the MVP.
Remember, ChatGPT isn’t supposed to create your ideas for you, but it can act as your assistant—helping you start without a blank screen.
Sometimes knowing something isn’t right is enough to help you find what is.
You have two paths:
Personally, I use Balsamiq to mock up ideas and then hand them to my designer to refine in Figma. But you don’t need Figma.
You can go straight from Balsamiq to Lovable.dev to get a working prototype.
Sometimes, design choices become just another form of productive procrastination—keeping you from actually developing your app.
Mockups help you understand every button, function, and interaction before development starts. As the product creator, it’s your responsibility to give life and function to everything on the screen.
First, don’t worry about backend development. Just focus on laying out the app’s UI in Lovable.
Once the frontend is set up, you can test functionality with hardcoded data.
For example, if you were building a game like Wordle, you’d tell Lovable that today’s answer is “Beach.” You and your friends could then test different interactions with that one word before worrying about generating a new word every day.
Get the functionality working first, then refine it.
Set up a project in ChatGPT and ask it to remember your documents.
Upload wireframes from Balsamiq or Figma, and ask ChatGPT to help you write clearer, more concise prompts for Lovable.
If Lovable’s output doesn’t match your expectations, take a screenshot and explain to ChatGPT what you want changed. It can help you refine your prompts until you get the results you need.
Your button might be slightly off-center—fix it later.
Is the button on the screen and working? Great.
Don’t let aesthetics distract you from function.
If users can’t sign up or log in, they won’t care how beautiful your prototype looks.
Focus on functionality first—everything else can be improved later.
Good luck!
If you have any questions about any of the above feel free to reach out: elizabeth.vach@angstromsable.com
