1 Session Overview
This session moved from planning into doing. You saw a live build — the same prompt passed into four different vibe-coding platforms simultaneously — and left with a repeatable process for turning your brand work into a working prototype.
| What we covered | What you can do with it |
|---|---|
| Brand Bible as prompt foundation | Feed your brand doc into any AI tool to keep every output consistent |
| Planning your app with AI | Use Claude or Gemini to generate a structured build prompt before touching a dev tool |
| Vibe coding tools: live demos | Run the same prompt in Replit, Bolt, AI Studio and Emergent — pick the result you like most |
| Web app vs mobile app | Understand the difference and choose the right build type for your idea |
| AI tool recommendations by budget | Know which platforms to use on a free tier vs willing to pay |
| Pitch deck tools | Gamma and Presentations.ai for fast, polished slide decks |
2 Key Takeaways
- Your Brand Bible is the input for everything — feed it into every AI tool you use and your outputs will look and feel consistent from day one.
- Plan before you build — use Claude or Gemini to generate your build prompt first. A well-structured prompt produces a much better first draft.
- Vibe coding is genuinely this accessible — the same prompt ran across four platforms and produced four near-identical branded apps.
- Your first build won't be perfect, and that's fine — most platforms let you revert or start again. Iteration is the process, not a sign something went wrong.
- Screenshot and describe is your best iterating tool — take a screenshot of what doesn't look right and tell the AI exactly what to change. No code required.
- Replit is the easiest all-in-one builder — deploy, API connections, and conversation-before-build are all handled in one place.
- For the ARU assignment, a clickable prototype is sufficient — it doesn't need to be a fully functioning app.
3 From Brand Bible to Build Prompt
The biggest lesson from this session: the work you put into your brand document in earlier sessions isn't just a PDF — it's your AI prompt foundation. Every build tool, every design request, every asset starts with that file.
The workflow — step by step
Brief the AI
Tell Claude or Gemini you're building an app. Describe the core functionality, user types, and any subscription tiers you need.
Attach your Brand Bible
Upload your brand document. This gives the AI your visual identity, values, tone, and target audience — all the decisions it needs to make.
Generate a build prompt
Ask the AI to produce a structured vibe coding prompt. Claude is particularly good at this — it'll give you a detailed, phased brief.
Paste into your build tool
Take that prompt into Replit, Bolt, or AI Studio. If the platform accepts file uploads, attach the Brand Bible too.
Review, screenshot, iterate
Take a screenshot of anything that isn't right. Describe the change in plain English: "Change this header colour to match our brand. Here's our brand reference." That really is it.
The brand doc contains your vision, mission, ideal customer, colours, and tone — the AI has everything it needs to make decisions. You get consistency across every tool without repeating yourself each time.
Sample planning prompt
4 Vibe Coding Platforms: Which One to Use
All four platforms ran the same prompt in session and produced similarly branded results. The differences come down to cost, flexibility, and how much setup each one requires.
| Platform | Free tier | Paid | Best for | Student pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Replit | Limited credits | ~$20/month | Full-stack apps, easy deploy, conversation-before-build | ⭐ Best paid option |
| Bolt | Generous free tier | Affordable | Websites and simpler apps — fast, clean output | ✅ Best free for websites |
| Google AI Studio | Very generous | Flexible | Practising and iterating — great for getting things wrong cheaply | ✅ Best for practice builds |
| Emergent | Limited (18 credits) | Available | Solid output but credit-hungry — use sparingly | ⚠️ Use with care |
| Copilot (Microsoft) | Via M365 | Check with ARU ITS | Design assets, canvas editing, full M365 integration | ✅ Use if you have M365 access |
Practice your build in Google AI Studio where credits are plentiful and mistakes are free. When you're ready to build your final prototype, move to Bolt (free) for a website or Replit (paid) for a full app.
5 Web App vs Mobile App — What's the Difference?
| Web App | Mobile App (Native) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Runs in a browser — desktop and mobile web | Built for the App Store or Google Play — installed on device |
| Best for | Prototypes, MVPs, tools people access via a link | Apps needing device hardware (camera, GPS, notifications) |
| Cost to publish | Free — host on Netlify or Vercel | Apple: $99/year. Google Play: one-off $25 fee |
| Approval needed? | No — deploy instantly | Yes — both stores review and approve before going live |
| For your assignment | ✅ A web app or designed prototype is perfectly sufficient | Not required — adds complexity without adding marks |
6 Try This Today
- Open your Brand Bible (or create a basic one now) and give it to Claude. Ask: "Based on this document, write a vibe coding prompt to build Phase 1 of my app." Review and refine the output.
- Go to aistudio.google.com and paste your build prompt. Don't worry if it goes wrong — that's the point. Screenshot what breaks and describe the fix.
- Pick one real feature you want in your app and describe it in a single sentence. Build just that feature — not the whole app. Start small, iterate fast.
- If you're building a website rather than an app, try Bolt. The free tier is generous. Paste your prompt, see what it produces, and compare it to your brand document.
- Take a screenshot of any screen that doesn't look right and type: "This doesn't match our brand — change [specific thing]. Here is our brand reference." Attach the doc and send.
7 AI Tools Reference
General AI models
| Model | Best for | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claude (Anthropic) | Complex prompts, long documents, planning | Paid subscription | Mat's preferred model. Claude Code built in — use for coding direct from the desktop app. |
| Gemini (Google) | Image creation, NotebookLM, Google ecosystem | Free tier available | Best integrated option for Google users. Canvas collaboration is excellent. |
| ChatGPT (OpenAI) | General tasks, quick drafts, multimodal | Free + paid | Good all-rounder. GPT-4o for speed, o1/o3 for complex reasoning. |
| Copilot (Microsoft) | M365-integrated tasks, canvas editing | Included with M365 | Best choice if you have M365 access. Model-switching now available (includes Claude). |
| DeepSeek (Chinese) | Planning, coding assistance, free usage | Very generous free tier | High-quality output. Do not send private or sensitive information into it. |
| GLM / Z.ai | Coding, lower-cost Claude Code alternative | Significantly cheaper than Claude | Advanced users only. Can be connected into coding platforms for cheaper builds. |
Presentation tools
| Tool | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gamma | Quick, polished pitch decks and presentations | One of the two leading AI presentation tools — clean, professional output |
| Presentations.ai | Brief-to-deck in minutes, structured slide output | Give it a well-written brief (ideally AI-generated) for best results |
| Canva | Templates, branded decks, social assets | Now includes AI pitch deck templates. Excellent free tier. |
| Dectopus | Fast AI-generated presentations | Worth exploring as an alternative to Gamma |
Always write — or at least structure — the core content of your pitch yourself. AI can format and polish it. But if you're standing up and presenting, you need to own every word on those slides. Don't let the tool write something you can't confidently deliver.
8 Next Steps
For your ARU assignment
- Your MVP or prototype does not need to be a fully functioning app. A clickable web app or a well-designed prototype you can walk someone through is sufficient.
- Use the session recording and this document to revisit the process: brand doc → planning prompt → build prompt → vibe coding tool → iterate.
- If you want feedback on your idea before you build, send it to Mat or Omkar. We can advise on B2C vs B2B approaches and what to prioritise in Phase 1.
Suggested learning path
- Build a basic prototype of your idea in AI Studio — no pressure, just get something on screen that you can screenshot and iterate on.
- Create or refine your Brand Bible. The better this document, the better everything you build from it will be.
- Explore Gamma or Presentations.ai and produce a first draft of your pitch deck — you'll need this for the assignment.
Shared Folder
Session slides, recordings, crib sheets, and templates — all in one place
Tools Sheet Coming
Mat's reference guide: all AI models, free tier limits, and recommended use cases