Built a Dog Birthday App – Now Seeking Developers to Join!
▼ Summary
– The author quickly built a basic dog-themed app using Firebase Studio, making minor design changes in about half an hour, but struggled with advanced features like user authentication and social sharing.
– After failing to implement complex functionalities, the author reverted to a simple dog birthday calculator, realizing a similar app already existed.
– Using Lovable, the author created a more polished app in minutes, with instant publishing and a cleaner design, though initial attempts had calculation errors.
– Lovable successfully added login functionality, social sharing, and multi-dog profile saving after overcoming minor obstacles, costing $3.50 in credits for the project.
– Experts note that while non-developers can build simple apps with tools like Lovable, complex or business-critical applications still require developer oversight for security and integration.
Creating a dog birthday app seemed simple at first, until the real challenges emerged. The initial version featured an orange-on-black design with basic functionality, but tweaking elements like the date picker and dog size buttons required multiple adjustments. While the core app came together quickly, adding features like user logins and social sharing proved far more difficult than expected.
The first attempt used Firebase Studio, which handled straightforward tasks well but stumbled when introducing authentication. After hours of frustration, the login and social sharing features were scrapped, leaving only the basic birthday calculator, something already available in app stores. Still, the stripped-down version worked, making it a potential addition to a company website if needed.
Switching to Lovable brought immediate improvements. The platform generated a sleek, functional app in minutes, no billing info required. The design was polished, the URL clean, and the core feature (calculating a dog’s next birthday) worked flawlessly. However, extending functionality to include user accounts and multiple dog profiles required integrating Supabase, which introduced new hurdles.
Authentication proved tricky again, though Lovable simplified the process by auto-generating confirmation emails and password logins. Social logins (Google, Facebook) were abandoned due to complexity, but the app still allowed saving multiple dog profiles, a win. The final version, built in under an hour for just $3.50 (or free over three days with daily credits), looked professional and worked as intended.
For businesses, the potential is real but limited. Simple apps can be built without coding knowledge, but anything requiring external integrations or security measures still needs developer oversight. Payhawk, a spending management firm, successfully replaced a $70,000/year system with a custom-built app in just a week, though developers were involved in the process.
Experts agree that while AI-powered app creation is powerful, human expertise remains essential. Non-developers can prototype ideas or build basic tools, but mission-critical applications demand professional oversight. The future of “vibe coding” lies in speeding up development, not eliminating developers entirely.
Final thoughts? These tools make app creation accessible, but they’re best for simple projects or rapid prototyping. For anything complex, collaboration with developers is still the way forward.
(Source: COMPUTERWORLD)