Coffee and Code: Low Stakes Coding

[ChrisBeeley]

Join Chris and Nat for a low pressure coffee and code show and tell. They will walk through two side projects and share the real story: what they hoped would happen, what actually happened, what failed, what got fixed, and what they learned from the messier bits. It’s not about perfect code, it’s about trying things, asking questions, and getting better by making mistakes. You do not need any technical background to come along.

[yiwen-h]

When you have time @ChrisBeeley would appreciate more detail on this issue

[Nat-Stephenson]

@ChrisBeeley I have added a drafted description in, please check that you are happy with this. Drafted below is my initial thoughts for my part, won't be covering it all but will alter once I have figured out what I am focusing on.

Set the scene

• Why this exists: build instead of buy for a birthday present
• What the app is in plain English: a personalised walking and running app

What “done” looks like

• The simple goal for the gift version
• What success means for this stage (not a perfect product)

Early thinking (wireframe)

• Quick Figma wireframe: what screens or flow were planned
• What was assumed at the start that turned out to be wrong

Design approach

• Canva designs: what I created and why
• What was easier or harder than expected about doing the design as well as the build

Build 1: the '****' version

• Stack: Next.js plus CSS, TypeScript, and JavaScript (and everything else I could throw at it)
• What I built first to get something working quickly
• The first big “oh no” moment (the thing that broke or didn’t work)

The bit that didn’t work (the pivot)

• The initial idea that failed and what I learnt from it
• The decision point: keep patching vs change direction

Burn it down: why and what changed

• The main reason I rebuilt (structure, maintainability, features not fitting, etc.)
• What was kept, what was deleted, what I did differently the second time

Where it is now and what’s next

• Current state: what works today
• Next steps: what is the feedback telling me, and what is my plan

Questions, Ideas, Comments, and Close

[ChrisBeeley]

Thank you @Nat-Stephenson !

[ChrisBeeley]

My contribution will be all about vibe coding (which means coding with AI, with low attention to the technical detail). I have vibe coded two applications now that I needed in my daily life and I've been surprised by how quick and effective it has been.

I'm not promoting vibe coding as a way of building or maintaining the large robust code bases my brilliant team maintain (although AI might be involved- just not in a vibe based way).

But I am interested in how far I can go with the vibe coding approach to make disposable one off things, either in life outside work or perhaps as demos, proofs of concepts, or even just daft things to use at work to make meetings more fun.