Let’s start simple.
It’s 2025. AI is everywhere. But building a useful app still comes down to one thing:
Solve your own problem first.
Example: Building a simple DB explorer
Let’s say you want to build a simple DB explorer (like hubble.davidlabs.ca).
What do you actually want from the app?
- Explore MongoDB data
- No query syntax
- No learning aggregation pipelines
- Just ask questions in natural language
That's it. That’s the entire spec.
This is how you build apps in 2025:
- Start with the most annoying part of your workflow
- Remove the friction
- Let AI fill the gaps
Not “ship an MVP.”
Not “validate an idea.”
Solve your own pain so deeply that other developers say:
“Oh thank god, I needed this too.”
1. The “Why” is more important than the “What”
Before writing a single line of code, ask yourself:
Why does this app deserve to exist?
For me: MongoDB is great, but exploring it was painful.
Aggregation pipelines, Compass tabs, Atlas views… too many steps.
My “why” became:
“I want clarity without syntax.”
Once the why is clear, the what becomes obvious.
2. AI is your co-developer in 2025
In 2025, building apps looks like this:
- Ask GPT to scaffold your backend
- Use AI to design your UI
- Let AI generate validation & types
- Let AI write Dockerfiles
- Let AI write text, onboarding, docs
- Let AI generate fake data
- Let AI refactor messy code
- Let AI help debug faster
AI isn’t replacing developers.
AI is accelerating developers.
3. Add intelligence only where it matters
Most apps don’t need “full AI.”
They need tiny intelligent features that remove friction:
- Natural language input
- Smart suggestions
- Autocomplete
- Anomaly warnings
- Auto-configuration
- AI-assisted logs
- One-click insights
Hubble works because intelligence is placed exactly where the frustration was:
querying MongoDB.
90% value, 10% code.
4. Ship early. Ship simple. Ship real.
Your v1 doesn’t need:
- fancy design
- animations
- a logo
- 20 features
- full documentation
Your v1 needs one thing:
It should work.
Everything else is optional.
5. One unfair advantage beats 100 features
You don’t need a huge roadmap.
You need one thing that makes people go:
“Hold up… this actually saves time.”
For Hubble, that one thing was:
Ask MongoDB questions in English → see the generated pipeline.
That’s the unfair advantage.
Your app needs one too.
Final thought
The way to build apps in 2025 isn’t about frameworks, stacks, or patterns.
It’s about:
- reducing cognitive load
- using AI to accelerate development
- solving a problem you feel deeply
- creating clarity
- shipping early
- iterating in public
If you want to build something meaningful this year:
Start with something that annoys you.
Solve it deeply.
Ship it.
Everything else will follow.
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