What happens when you have ten app ideas, zero coding skills, and a habit of overthinking everything? Nothing. Absolutely nothing happens. That's exactly where I've been for months, and I've finally decided to do something about it. Starting in May, I'm taking on a vibe coding for beginners challenge: one app a month, built entirely with AI, shared publicly whether it works or not.
I'm Tara, by the way. I'm 56, based in the UK, and I spent 25+ years as a freelance graphic designer before going all-in on AI. I'm not a developer. I'm not a tech person. I'm someone who had ideas sitting in a list and kept going round in circles trying to decide which one was "the right one" to start with. Classic overthinking. You might know the feeling.
Why I'm Doing an App a Month Challenge
I have a list of ten app ideas. Not one of them has been built. And the reason isn't that I can't code (though I can't). The reason is that I kept waiting for the perfect idea to reveal itself. Which one will people love? Which one is actually worth starting? Meanwhile, nothing got made.
So I'm setting myself a challenge. One app every month, starting in May. No more circling. Just pick one, build it, and learn as I go.
I've already built two small apps just for myself. A simple word-to-spreadsheet converter, and something that generates YouTube video ideas. Nothing fancy. Nothing I've put out into the world. But they proved to me that this is actually possible, even for someone with my background. I just need to stop thinking and start making.
Let's face it, I'm a beginner. At this stage, the experience matters more than the result.
What Is Vibe Coding?
If you haven't come across the term before, vibe coding is where you describe what you want an app to do in plain English, and AI writes the code for you. You're basically having a conversation with it. You say "I want a button here that does this," and it builds it. Then you tweak and refine until it does what you actually need.
No technical knowledge required. No learning programming languages. You just need a clear idea of what you want and the patience to keep going back and forth with the AI until it gets there.
I spent 25 years communicating with clients about design. Describing what something should look like, how it should work, what the user needs. Turns out that skill transfers pretty well to telling an AI what to build. I wish I'd had this back when I was creating tools to manage my freelance workflow. All those spreadsheets I cobbled together could have been proper little apps.
What I Still Need to Figure Out
I'm not going to pretend I have it all worked out. There are a couple of things I know I need to get my head around:
- How to back things up properly. So if something breaks (and it will), I can get back to the version that was actually working.
- How to share an app with other people. Everything I've built so far has just been for me. Making something other people can actually use is a whole different thing.
Those feel like important things to learn, and I'm hoping this challenge will force me to figure them out rather than just reading about them endlessly.
Can You Build Apps Without Coding Experience?
Yes. That's the short answer. If you can describe what you want clearly, you can build apps without coding using AI tools. Vibe coding has made it possible for complete beginners to create functional apps by typing instructions in plain English.
It's not magic, though. You still need to think through what your app should do, test it, and fix things when they go wrong. But the barrier that used to exist, the one where you needed to learn Python or JavaScript or whatever before you could build anything, that's gone. And for people like me, over 50, no tech background, plenty of ideas but no way to execute them, that changes everything.
I'm a Bit Scared, and That's the Point
Saying this publicly makes it real. That's kind of why I'm doing it this way. Once you've told people, you actually have to follow through. Ugh.
I'm going to start gently and see how it goes. I'll be sharing everything along the way. What I build, what works, what doesn't, and what I wish I'd known sooner. The messy bits included.
If you fancy following along, or even having a go yourself, I'd genuinely love that. There's something about knowing you're not the only beginner in the room.
Let's see what happens.
I send out weekly AI tips for over-50s who want to actually use this stuff, not just read about it. If that sounds like your kind of thing, you're welcome to join in.
FAQ
What tools do you need for vibe coding?
You need an AI coding tool that lets you describe what you want in plain English. Popular options include Cursor, Replit, and Bolt. I'll be sharing which ones I use as I go through the challenge.
Do you need any coding knowledge to vibe code?
No. The whole point of vibe coding is that the AI writes the code based on your descriptions. It helps to be clear about what you want, but you don't need to know any programming languages.
Is vibe coding good enough to build real apps?
For simple, functional apps, yes. It's probably not the right approach for complex software with thousands of users, but for small tools, personal projects, and early-stage ideas, it works well. Especially if you're a beginner learning as you go.