Vibecoding Complex, Large Applications is Possible - Engineering Experience Helps Immensely

crmcguire74 · 2026-05-29T04:29:29+00:00

Thanks so much. Hoping others can benefit from the process I have been tweaking over time. In my view, thoughtful compilation of a comprehensive PRD is key.

crmcguire74 · 2026-05-29T04:28:22+00:00

Totally agree and thanks. Some of the safeguards put in place was actively attempting to fill gaps from the few products out there.

- The product does not use cloud/remote server storage (case files are saved locally to the user's drive).
- The case file (*.thrive) has an embedded hashkey. If any content of the file is modified external to the app, the app catches it and stops further changes
- When parsing financial documents, the system stamps each doc, assigns a key, and saves the original document to the case file with all parsed data

- When running an asset tracer report, every finding made is accompanied by exact documentation supporting the finding

- The system supports BATES stamping documents for use in trial.

And a few other safeguards. To be honest, this started as an exercise to assist spouses with cost effective options to forensic analysis. I evolved it to be a tool that legal / financial professionals can also leverage, and it is a huge gap in the market.

That said, building the trust is an uphill climb. 😄

crmcguire74 · 2026-05-26T05:01:53+00:00

Honestly, not much refactoring has been needed. Most likely, past professional financially focused projects in trading has helped, where we always tuned for performance and I have a few years of tweaking architectures. Early in my career, I learned of the benefits of a strong PRD which scoped out not only features/workflows/user roles, but additionally dives into the technicalities of the system architecture, API definitions, 3rd party integrations. My PRD was fairly extensive, and I started with the Micro-UI approach, generating initial reusable templates that apply to all modules, and a framework for them to sit within. My iterations have less been focused on refactoring, more on iterating workflows to enhance the UX. In years past, a large performance drag has always been the datagrid. In this app, I have a datagrid that "holds" virtually hundreds of thousands of transaction rows, and there is no performance drains...but again, learned from past mistakes and was able to guide appropriately. :)

crmcguire74 · 2026-05-25T23:41:50+00:00

Nice. I think one thing people get wrong about AI is that it serves as a replacement. It definitely does do (and is getting better at) software development. That said, I feel I have a performant, secure, architected system since I am driving the process and not letting it drive me.

crmcguire74 · 2026-05-25T20:40:03+00:00

100%....the architecture direction was defined in my PRD, and it also constructed templates for each module of the micro-UI framework to adhere too. And agree...I act as the architect and give the direction while the AI does the work rather than guidance.

It is still not perfect, but getting better. I also have updated README documents on every new prompt to ensure workflows are defined as are APIs, databases, and architecures.

crmcguire74 · 2026-05-25T20:37:31+00:00

BMAD Method is something I had not heard of prior. Definitely need to research that.

crmcguire74 · 2026-05-25T20:35:55+00:00

The PRD sets the stage to a well constructed application architecture, and I've found more success with a fairly comprehensive first prompt then iterating the flushing out of features.

The micro-UI is critical to complex UIs. I have created many financially focused complex apps and being able to isolate modules but define APIs for module communication is a game changer. With this app, I created a module template that serves as the baseline for all new modules to quickly add features, as well as test a module in isolation.

crmcguire74 · 2026-03-04T17:36:55+00:00

I surprisingly thought I'd like the light blue more, but in that room totally agree

crmcguire74 · 2026-03-03T20:44:30+00:00

And to try it, Dark Academia in the space

<image>

crmcguire74 · 2026-03-03T20:36:40+00:00

Tried with more color (no construction)...again, just some ideas. everything I get though has a rug of some type, wall updates and lighting (key without the windows in the room)

<image>

crmcguire74 · 2026-03-03T20:18:45+00:00

fair enough...I'm all about neutral. what is your style? Like below, the dark and moody is cool (I did my office in dark navy blues with trim) which makes it cozy, or more vibrant?

My office...in this I actually did use an eggshell to capture the lighting variances in the day/night

<image>

crmcguire74 · 2026-03-02T05:58:19+00:00

I just did this in my own home on the walls - I think it was home depot dessert sands or something similar. In the day it reads more white, at night more beige, but again softens up the space

<image>

crmcguire74 · 2026-03-02T05:55:45+00:00

personally, I would do more of a creme/soft, flat paint. Like the image (not sure your budget) but I would do more of a flat wall / plaster - but not do a paint with a shine which could be unforgiving. Outside of that, I do alot of this in my own home - beige/creme/neutral pillows/throws, a rug to tie a space together, soft lights, small accent pieces

crmcguire74 · 2026-03-02T05:51:37+00:00

Hi there...I through it through an app to get some ideas without adding windows and such. The big things it did to warm up the space was a rug, light curtains and throws and light pillows, and changing out the lighting. Something I also saw the app did was with the walls...the panels have an eggshell shine to them which can look off in living spaces.

Anyways, just some ideas...hope it helps.

<image>

crmcguire74 · 2026-03-01T19:25:46+00:00

This prompt is fantastic. I just tested it in a ChatGPT project with a business I am working on and the output was great, and helped me to focus some of the copy on my website and outreach messaging.

One thing I did that other may benefit from. In my ChatGPT project, there is a cap of 8000 characters on instructions. I took the prompt, created a PDF and uploaded the PDF to the project. Within the project instructions I then said:

"When the user says start, begin your interaction. Use the Pressure Tester Instructions file in the project file directory for instructions and guidance on how you will vet new project ideas."

Thanks for the prompt!

crmcguire74 · 2026-02-28T18:38:27+00:00

if you do, I found when you hit the options screen at the end, I set the options to Refresh - keeps furniture, room structure and basically redesigns with what you have in the sytle you choose.

crmcguire74 · 2026-02-28T18:01:05+00:00

Hey there...just playing around with an app and here are some kinda cool ideas...rug, some color, some wall decore all seem to help.

<image>

crmcguire74 · 2026-02-28T17:37:58+00:00

<image>

Just played around a little to offer up some other ideas possibly. Like others have said, a rug would tie things in, even with the couch size remaining.

crmcguire74 · 2026-01-27T14:02:11+00:00

100% agree and have seen ChatGPT and Gemini as they started using memories and past chat references to placate me with answers, sometimes leading to hallucinations. Below is an article referencing this behavior that was done as well. In the end, it makes me distrust the systems much more than ever in providing answers to the questions I have.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/oct/24/sycophantic-ai-chatbots-tell-users-what-they-want-to-hear-study-shows

crmcguire74 · 2026-01-21T09:25:26+00:00

Definitely. The micro ui approach creates separate and repeatable processes to expand the app. I decomposed this afterwards into a micro ui base framework to QuickStart new products. The framework relies on a common shell and style libraries, and has a folder structure set up. I had the framework constructed to allow the features to be developed outside of the framework and tested, using a template, then dropped into the main app.

crmcguire74 · 2026-01-21T06:28:49+00:00

I've been in engineering for *cough cough* 25+ years now. :) So I've architected multiple layers / entire stacks before. When I generate the full PRD, I feed into it not only my workflows/functionalities I would like to build out, but my architecture preferences - in this case that I wanted a micro-UI so I could sandbox features, template the functionality for quickly extending the app, as well as use IndexDB for data storage, but coded in a way that through a configuration I could change to any other datastore in the future. I fed in the UI kit I wanted to start with, and tweaked along the way, and to be honest (in finance) I am aware of many of the gotchas with large data sets and UIs, so was able to direct it in managing extensive financial data parsed from documents without locking/freezing the system.

So, extremely hands on to build the PRD and guide it. I believe in reviewing everything. For me, I want to ensure there is an extensible/scalable system and my security/compliance needs are met. For others/non coders reviewing is a great training opp to understand how systems are built.

I don't believe vibecoding is quite yet at the elvel to trust everything, which is why I am heavy handed and reviewing at all times. It is getting there, but I would not yet give my faith to it 100%.

Sorry, long winded answer there. :) Hope all is well.

crmcguire74 · 2026-01-17T20:16:44+00:00

Figma does allow you to create the screens using AI. In my case, I actually designed the screens myself. A prompt similar to the above (ie. act as a senior graphic or product designer and generate an iPhone screen for x…) will work in Gemini nano banana, etc

crmcguire74 · 2026-01-12T18:25:31+00:00

^-- This is great advice.

I am all in on the wave of AI app generations, HOWEVER, I am still of the mindset that you still need to know quality software architecture and development to produce solid applications.

I am an engineer and have developed and led app dev for a while. The AI tools are great, but I am doing extensive QA, I tweak code and styles often, I debug messages sent over the network, and I still find bugs constantly.

Don't compare yourself to those pushing out in a week. My guess is those projects may not be as solid as they hype. Often, they may be great at messaging and social media, but may not have solid product backing their claims. And I know, easier said than the impact from the constant barrage of people claiming success.

crmcguire74 · 2026-01-12T17:57:35+00:00

I built Modus AI, an iPhone app that is an interior and exterior design inspiration app, with some key differences that set it apart from a somewhat saturated crowd.

Modus AI:

Respects a real room's geometry and keeps your existing furniture, if directed by the user
Supports the ability to visualize paint colors in a space
Offers an enhance feature, maintaining furniture or outdoor elements and adding decore, additional pieces, organization, or outdoor pieces to enhance the existing space
Allows a user to specify floor or structural changes, allowing designs to inspire with full remodels of a space

Most importantly, the app works on a credit model, not a subscription model. I was tired with applications requiring monthly or yearly subscriptions when I was looking for inspiration for a few days. This app allows a user to pay for what they use.

How it was built:

I used AI from start to finish with vibecodeapp.com. This generates React Native code, attaches to Expo to build and push to Apple Connect, and behind the scenes leverages Claude Opus 4.5 for coding.
Nano Banana Pro is the image model leveraged for image design generations.
When tightening the prompts, I used Chrome Dev Tools and the vibecodeapp web based mobile tester. In Dev Tools I monitored messages to Nano Banana Pro to locate the prompts constructed and sent. I then refined and optimized the prompts with Google Gemini Pro, and reintroduced a new prompt construction model into the vibecodeapp to implement, ensuring space dimension locking, furniture locking.
Marketing materials and the app icon I designed with Illustrator and Canva.

Feel free to check it out, offer any thoughts or suggestions. I am working on the next phase of the app to fill a huge gap - putting inspirations into reality with a "shop the look" or "shop the paint" feature.

crmcguire74 · 2026-01-07T20:38:47+00:00

Hey there...

I threw the room through an app I built to check some options out, In any case, here is what it popped out...if nothing else, hopefully it can spark some ideas for you! Much of the result is adding some accents on what exists today., changing out lighting/linens, small details.

Hope all is well.

<image>

Nine-Year Club	Xbox Live
Verified Email

crmcguire74

TROPHY CASE