Vibe Design: The User Driven Approach Software Proof of Concept

James Gartrell

Apr 25, 2025

‍In today's rapidly evolving tech landscape in the age of AI, businesses need solutions that bridge the gap between innovation and implementation. Enter Vibe Design – the essential complement to Vibe Coding that's transforming how startups and established businesses approach software POC (Proof of Concept).

‍What is Vibe Design?

‍Vibe Design is a holistic approach that focuses on user experience before a single line of code is prompted. Think of it as the architectural blueprint that guides the construction process. While Vibe Coding makes implementation accessible to novices by utilizing Artificial Intelligence and pairing it code editing software like Windsurf IDE, Vibe Design ensures what's built actually solves the right problems first, and the output is used to create & test low-fidelity POCs with users.

‍Why Businesses Need Vibe Design‍

Reduces costly pivots by quickly validating user needs upfront
Accelerates adoption through intuitive, purpose-built interfaces
Bridges communication gaps between technical and non-technical stakeholders
Creates differentiation in crowded markets through experience-led innovation

‍The Vibe Design Process‍

Discovery & Definition: Understanding the emotional and practical needs of users. The idea is that at the end of discovery there will be a vetted list of requirements that outline MVP level features, proposed integrations/MCP (Model Context Protocol - Introduction), and other future direction for the product. The requirements will be used to create tasks for LLM to build for the POC.
Vibe Code a POC: Creating low-fidelity proof of concept based on user journeys & Product Requirements Document.
Refinement User Testing your POC: Iterative testing with actual users before larger development efforts get underway.
Documentation & Handoff: Creating specifications that seamlessly integrate user feedback and specifications from the POC that give developers a head start on implementing a scalable and performant production code base.

Vibe design evolves from clickable static prototypes, to functional POC code. This allows for more robust product testing with users. Where clickable prototypes were helpful for validating ideas without creating costly code, Vibe Design enables the testing of more complex interaction design challenges and more sophisticated workflows with slightly more effort prompting AI. It allows UX researchers the ability for more holistic end-to-end product testing with good requirements-driven vibe code prompts.

‍The Business Impact

‍Companies implementing Vibe Design principles before coding will facilitate faster user adoption and significantly higher stakeholder satisfaction. For businesses, this translates to shorter sales cycles and stronger client relationships.

‍Getting Started

‍The beauty of Vibe Design lies in its accessibility. Like its coding counterpart, it democratizes what was once the domain of specialists. By focusing on user needs and experiences first, even teams without dedicated UX resources can dramatically improve their software POCs. In short Vibe Design brings research validated concepts to real life quicker. Is your next digital initiative poised for success, or missing the crucial Vibe Design component? The difference could determine whether your solution resonates or falls flat in today's experience-driven market. At Purpose UX we are learning the latest in Vibe Design and wish to position ourselves as your partner in delivering great products to your customers. Book a call with us today to learn more about how we can build better products together.

Raleigh-Durham Startup Week Recap

Erik Johnson

Apr 21, 2025

Recap from Raleigh-Durham Startup Week

Community

Beyond the Chat Bubble

Erik Johnson

Mar 14, 2025

Do's and Don'ts for designing AI interfaces

UXUI Design

The Paradox of Bad UI

Erik Johnson

Jan 27, 2025

Why people love "bad" interfaces

UXUI Design

5 Accessibility Tips for Content Creators

Erik Johnson

Dec 18, 2024

5 Accessibility Tips for Content Creators

UXUI Design

DIY UX for small biz websites

Erik Johnson

Nov 13, 2024

5 Principles for Improving your small business website

UXUI Design

Yes, "AI" is coming for your job... but not like that

Erik Johnson

Oct 7, 2024

Robots aren't going to take your job but the push to make all things AI might.

UXUI Design

Discovering the Discovery Engagement

Candida Hall

Aug 14, 2024

A discovery session can be the difference between success and failure. We're outlining exactly how to get the most from one of these engagements.

UXUI Design

Workshop

Dash and Dazzle

Candida Hall

Apr 22, 2024

We explore when and how to use the dashboard to help improve the overall experience.

Research

UXUI Design

Robots vs Humans: Are product designers still relevant?

Candida Hall

Feb 8, 2024

Being in the tech industry, it’s impossible to escape the conversation about AI. This article discusses 3 reasons why AI can't replace product designers.

UXUI Design

10 Tips on How to Have a Workshop that People Won't Hate

Erik Johnson

Nov 29, 2023

Increase participation and get better results with these 10 tips.

Workshop

UXUI Design

Techniques to Become an Empathy Master

Candida Hall

Oct 20, 2023

Empathy is one of the buzziest buzz words in Design for good reason - it’s an essential skill for producing good usability. This article is about strengthening your empathy skills and incorporating them into design, management, and your everyday life with 5 easy tips.

Research

Workshop

Building an Intentional Design Practice with 2-hr Teardowns

Erik Johnson

Sep 7, 2023

Quick and collaborative, design teardowns are a great way to get out of creative ruts that we all experience. The technique is low fidelity, easy to do, and has a high reward - plus it’s fun!

Wireframing

Prototyping

UX Research Studies that Get Results

Erik Johnson

Aug 31, 2023

Sometimes we start user research not knowing exactly what we want to learn by the end, which means it’s not always clear how to use what we learned, or worse, what we learn isn’t relevant to the product team. Applying the “Understanding by Design” framework allows your team to collaborate on what needs to be learned to move the product forward.

Research

Workshop