Turning any idea into a working app in seconds
As someone building their career in Product Management, I have a technical background but don’t code often. That said, with AI tools, I’ve gone from “What if I could build this?” to actually building it, and taking only a fraction of the time. Turns out, the ideas I’ve only dreamt about can become reality faster than I imagined.
Here’s how I used bolt.new to make a fully functional web app from a prompt, step by step.
The Magic of bolt.new
With bolt.new, all you need is a solid idea and a good prompt. Type in what you want, and voilà — it generates a full-stack app in seconds.You even get a preview and can deploy it with one-click via GitHub and Netlify.
The Key: Crafting the Perfect Prompt
Here’s the real secret: your initial prompt is the make-or-break factor. Think of it as your blueprint. If your idea isn’t clear, the output won’t be either.
Not sure how to write a good one? Here’s a trick: use ChatGPT to help.
I wanted to create an AI Budget Planner that factors in the cost of living in different cities. I asked ChatGPT to come up with a prompt for me, and here’s what it generated:
Prompt Example:
“Generate a web app for an AI Budget Planner that adjusts expenses based on the cost of living in the user’s chosen city. The app should include:”
1. User Input Form: Gather preferences like:
• How many times they eat out, How often they give gifts, Vehicle refueling frequency, Other lifestyle choices (e.g., gym memberships, subscriptions).
2. Cost of Living API Integration: Fetch real-time city data (groceries, transportation, utilities, etc.).
3. Dynamic Budget Calculation: Combine user preferences with city-specific costs to create a personalized budget, categorized by dining, transportation, leisure, and more.
4. Dashboard: Display results with interactive charts and summaries.
5. Responsive Design: Ensure mobile and desktop compatibility.
6. Optional Features: Add cost-saving recommendations and spending trend tracking.
Tech Stack:
- HTML/CSS for the frontend.
- React.js for interactivity.
- API integration for real-time data.
The Final Result
After running this prompt through bolt.new, I had a working prototype in seconds! And let me tell you — it looked pretty good.
Want to check it out? Here’s the live demo link.
Tweaking the Details
Of course, no app is perfect on the first try, and I had to tweak a few things to make it more user-friendly. For example:
• I asked it to make budget recommendations collapsible with drop downs.
• I added an input field for car-related expenses, triggered by a “Do you own a car?” checkbox.
• I made sure the API output had a consistent JSON format to avoid frontend parsing issues.
Small adjustments, but they made all the difference in user experience!
This Changes Everything
If you’ve ever had an idea and thought, “I could never build that,” tools like bolt.new and ChatGPT will prove you wrong. They’re not just about coding — they’re about unlocking creativity and turning what-ifs into here-it-is.
Whether you’re a seasoned coder or just someone with big ideas, AI is making it easier than ever to bring your visions to life. As a Product Manager, one of your key responsibilities is to bridge the gap between ideas and execution. Tools like bolt.new and ChatGPT make it easier than ever to:
1. Showcase Feasibility: Instead of relying solely on slides or mockups, you can create rapid prototypes to showcase an idea’s potential. This makes it easier to communicate with stakeholders, align teams, and get buy-in from decision-makers.
2. Understand the Tech Stack: Even if you’re not the one coding, having a clear understanding of how the tech stack works helps you ask the right questions, set realistic expectations, and collaborate more effectively with your engineering team.
3. Rapid Iterations: With AI-generated apps, you can quickly test different approaches, explore what’s possible, and refine ideas before committing resources to full-scale development.
4. Empower Cross-Team Communication: A working prototype speaks volumes. It helps you convey the vision more effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, reducing misalignment and speeding up the decision-making process.
Got an idea? Why not give it a try? You might be surprised at how far a good prompt (and a little AI magic) can take you.
P.S. I heard lovable.dev is even better, I’ll be playing around with it more too.
