The design principles of building apps in 2025

One of the frustrating things for me was that I know just enough to understand how code works, but I don’t know enough to build an app from scratch to completion. I was stuck in a limbo for several years.

My attempts at building an app by vibe coding have been futile. The tools with a lower skill floor lack the flexibility I need for connecting to GitHub, accessing databases, and deploying and managing versions.

Cursor is by far my favourite of the new-age coding tools. I treat it as a very capable intern who can code, but requires meticulous guidance.

I built an app, in collaboration with Cursor, to the level where I can open it for beta testing. It helped me create tables, migration scripts, business logics, branches for testing and developing, and detailed documentation of what has been implemented.

I only used standard UI libraries and nothing custom. With the Figma integration, you can take it to the next level.

It should be illegal to do this much for so little cost. I’m unsure when the cost will be passed on to users, unless the hyperscalers manage to bring the entire grid down.

My insight from all this is that “You are just an idea guy” will be a thing of the past. These agents don’t make a value judgment on your ideas, which can be a liberating experience.

If you spend time sharpening your thinking and communication, you will be able to make things that you once thought were impossible. This, of course, is only in the digital realm (for now).

If this is the new norm, we should expect more beautifully designed apps built by designers who are free from the shackles of messy human interactions. However, hopefully, they are still grounded by humanity.