Vibe Coding → Vibe Prototyping

My prototyping process has gone from 8+ hours in Figma to 45 minutes with Lovable and Cursor. The ROI is undeniable.

If you're working in tech, you've likely noticed the "vibe coding" trend sweeping through lately. For most of us (myself included), it means building scrappy, single-purpose apps that solve specific problems without necessarily being production-ready.

However, over the past few weeks, I've found myself instinctively reaching for tools like Cursor, Lovable, and Bolt for what I'm calling "Vibe Prototyping" — and it's completely transformed my workflow.

What is Vibe Prototyping?

I define "Vibe Prototyping" as:

1. Quickly sketching an idea (on whiteboard or in Figma) ✍️

2. Having AI generate the code 🤖

3. Iteratively refining it with prompts until it feels right ⌨

4. Testing 🎉

5. Iterating 🔁

Long gone are the days of connecting endless noodles in Figma, debugging wrongly linked screens, or fighting with complex overlay behaviors. The traditional prototyping approach started feeling like unnecessary friction once I experienced the alternative.

Why it's a game-changer:

• Realism: Coded prototypes provide authentic interactions that static mockups simply can't match

• Speed: What used to take a full day now takes under an hour

• Keyboard support: As I mainly prototype desktop web apps, I get keyboard interactions "for free"

• Iteration velocity: I can test, tweak, and refine much faster than with traditional methods

• Self-testing: I can actually use the prototype myself to identify issues before putting it in front of test subjects

For smaller tests, the default UI styles from these tools are perfectly adequate. And when I need to apply our design system? That's surprisingly straightforward too.

The most significant advantage is being able to conduct more tests with higher quality. I'm catching and solving minor hiccups before my prototypes reach test subjects because I'm experiencing the prototype as a genuine user would.

Has anyone else been experimenting with this approach? What tools are you using for rapid prototyping these days?