Thinking in Features.

Stop thinking about code. Start thinking about people.

The biggest mistake new vibe coders make is trying to think like a programmer. They worry about databases, functions, and file structures. That is AI's job now.

Your job is to think like a product designer. What does the user see? What can they click? What happens when they click it? What information do they need? What is the flow from one screen to the next?

This is actually a skill most people already have. Every time you have said "this app should let me..." or "it would be nice if I could..." you were thinking in features. We are just going to make that thinking more structured.

User stories: the simplest way to describe a feature.

Professional product teams use something called a "user story" to describe features. It sounds fancy, but it is just a sentence with a specific format:

As a [type of user],
I want to [do something],
so that [I get this benefit].

That is it. Three parts: who, what, why. Here are real examples:

Notice: no mention of code, databases, or technology. Just people and their needs. AI turns these into code. You just describe the people.

Think screen by screen.

Another powerful way to describe an app is to walk through it screen by screen, like you are giving a tour of a house before it is built.

Screen 1: Dashboard
- Shows total outstanding, total paid this month
- List of recent invoices with status (paid/overdue/pending)
- Big "Create Invoice" button at the top

Screen 2: Create Invoice
- Form: client name, amount, due date, description
- "Save as Draft" and "Send" buttons
- Preview of what the invoice looks like

Screen 3: Invoice Detail
- Full invoice with all details
- Status badge (paid, overdue, pending)
- "Mark as Paid" button
- Payment history if partially paid

This format is incredibly effective for AI coding tools because it describes the exact user interface you want. AI can turn this into a working app with minimal ambiguity.