tech
I built a Pinterest-inspired web app and it showed me why AI-based coding can fall flat
A friend challenged me to build her an app she could use for online scrapbooking. I tried making it using Base44 — here's what went down.
TL;DR
- The author built a "Dreamscapes" web app inspired by Pinterest for a friend's moodboarding needs using an AI coding platform called Base44.
- The project proved challenging due to limitations of free credits and the author's non-technical skills, taking eight days of credits to reach a usable state.
- Dreamscapes allows users to create "spaces" with "scenes" categorized as mood boards, character studies, or timelines, but lacks mobile usability and Pinterest's vast image repository.
- The author reflects that basic knowledge of vibe coding is insufficient for complex features and that struggles arose when describing glitches to the AI.
- Compared to Pinterest, which leverages AI for visual search and discovery, Dreamscapes is a very basic electronic scrapbook and not a social network.