How we build apps is changing. We no longer have to rely on pre-made apps that are filled with features you don't need. Were there times where you thought I don't need all these features, just need this one feature? Now, you can build your own thanks to AI tools and LLMs.
I recently became a father. My wife and I needed a way to track our baby's sleep, feeding times, and diaper changes. We tried a few apps, but they had too many extra features, badges, subscriptions, profiles etc.
So, I built my own.
It wasn't fancy, but it worked. In a few hours, I had an web app that did exactly what we needed. No extra steps, no clutter. We want to use one app and since we were taking equal responsibility of raising our kid, we didn't want to use multiple apps with multiple logins. So when I track a change, it is synced with the app on my wife's phone and vice versa. It has helped us a lot.
More people will start doing this. Tools like Cursor, Copilot and UI generation tools like V0 make it easier than ever to create your own software. Soon, it won't just be developers but designers, marketers, and product managers will start building their own apps too.
Making your own app is like making coffee, You can buy coffee from a cafe, and sometimes, that's the best choice. But when you make coffee at home, you control how strong it is, how much milk you add, and what kind of beans you use.
It's not about replacing cafes. In fact, making your own coffee can make you appreciate a good cafe even more. You start to notice the details, how the milk is frothed, how the flavors are balanced etc.
Building apps are heading in the same direction. When you build your own, you start noticing what makes good apps work.
Some of the apps that I've Built
I've built a few small apps for myself and my family:
- Collaborative To-Do List - A synced list my wife and I use to track tasks. Routines
- Baby Tracker - A simple app to log diaper changes and feedings.
- Expense Tracker - Tracking expenses by analysing credit card and bank statements.
- Birthday Countdown - Because knowing when cake is coming is important.
There are plenty of apps that do these things, but they come with extra features I don't need. With AI tools, I can build something simple in a short time.
Some think that as more people build their own apps, software development will lose value. I believe that won't happen.
The more people create, the more they understand what makes good software. The bar will rise, not fall. We'll see more creativity, more ideas, and more ways to solve everyday problems.
This shift isn't about replacing professional apps. It's about letting people build what they need, when they need it.
If you've ever thought, I wish there was an app that did exactly this, you don't have to wait for someone else to make it. You can build it yourself. It doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to work for you.