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Iterating on apps

Build better apps through incremental improvements.

The iterative approach​

Instead of building everything at once:

"Build a complete project management tool with
 projects, tasks, teams, time tracking, reporting,
 integrations, and mobile apps"

Build step by step:

Step 1: "Build a simple task list with add/complete/delete"
Step 2: "Add projects to organize tasks"
Step 3: "Add team members and task assignment"
Step 4: "Add due dates and reminders"
Step 5: "Add a dashboard with reports"

Why iterate?​

Better results​

AI handles focused tasks better than complex ones.

Easier debugging​

When something breaks, you know what changed.

Faster feedback​

See working features sooner.

More control​

Guide the direction at each step.

Iteration patterns​

Add features incrementally​

Initial: "Create a notes app with basic text notes"

Then:
"Add folders to organize notes"
"Add search across all notes"
"Add tags for categorization"
"Add rich text formatting"

Improve existing features​

Initial: "Create a user profile page"

Then:
"Add avatar upload"
"Add form validation"
"Add success/error messages"
"Add loading states"

Expand platforms​

Initial: "Build a web app for tracking habits"

Then:
"Create a mobile app with the same features"
"Add push notifications for reminders"

Connect services​

Initial: "Build a task app with local storage"

Then:
"Add a backend to store tasks in a database"
"Add user authentication"
"Add team sharing"

Effective iteration prompts​

Reference existing code​

"In the TaskList component, add a sort dropdown
 with options for date, priority, and alphabetical"

Be specific about changes​

"Change the sidebar:
 - Make it collapsible
 - Add icons next to each menu item
 - Highlight the active page"

Fix specific issues​

"The delete button deletes the wrong task.
 It should delete the task in that specific row."

Add polish​

"Add loading spinners when fetching data"
"Add smooth transitions when items appear/disappear"
"Add empty state messages when lists are empty"

When to use the editor​

Some changes are faster to make manually:

Quick style tweaks​

Change a color, padding, or font size directly in CSS.

Copy changes​

Duplicate a component and modify it.

Text updates​

Fix typos, update labels, change placeholder text.

Small logic changes​

Add a simple conditional or modify a calculation.

Handling issues​

Something broke​

  1. Check the error message
  2. Describe what's wrong: 
    "The app crashes when I click submit.
     Error: Cannot read property 'map' of undefined"

Not what you wanted​

Be specific about the difference:

"The calendar shows a week view.
 I wanted a month view with all dates visible."

Missing functionality​

"The form submits but doesn't clear afterward.
 Add: clear all fields after successful submit."

Best practices​

Keep prompts focused​

One feature or fix per prompt works best.

Review before continuing​

Make sure each step works before adding more.

Save working states​

In Coder mode, commit before making big changes.

Don't be afraid to restart​

Sometimes it's faster to regenerate with a better prompt.

Learn from generated code​

Understanding the code helps you write better prompts.