Guide to making popular apps
- 01
Solve one clear problem
The apps people open and pass along do one thing well. Pick a single job for a specific person, like a split-the-bill calculator for friends at dinner or a streak tracker for a daily habit, instead of a bit of everything.
- 02
Be specific in your first prompt
Say who it's for, what the main screen shows, and the feel you want. Name real details: the fields, the buttons, a few example entries. “A dark, minimal habit tracker with a weekly streak grid and a big check-in button” beats “a habit app”.
- 03
Change one thing at a time
Prompt again to reshape what you built, one change per prompt: layout, then colors, then a new feature. Every edit is saved as a version, so if a change doesn't work out you can restore an earlier one.
- 04
Make the first screen count
Most people decide in a few seconds. Ask for a clear title, one obvious action, and realistic sample data so the app looks alive the moment it opens. An empty state is a hard first impression.
- 05
Try it like a stranger would
Open the app in a fresh tab and use it without any explanation. Anything you have to explain out loud is something to fix in the app: a confusing label, a missing hint, a button that's hard to find.
- 06
Share the link, then publish it
Every app gets a link. Open it up to anyone with the link, send it to a few people, and note what they get stuck on. When it's ready, publish it so it shows up on Explore with a screenshot and your title. Pick a name that says what it does.