When building product ideas, I move from sketches and mind maps to “vibe writing” specs with ChatGPT and then “vibe coding” with Claude and Cursor, but I’ve realized I’m missing a “vibe design” step in between. I’m looking for a tool that feels like a Copilot for UX/UI — something that helps me quickly sketch and refine prototypes without jumping straight into code.

When I’m building out a product idea, my workflow usually looks like this:

  1. I start with pen and paper – sketching out ideas helps me think.
  2. I create diagrams or maps in XMind or Excalidraw.
  3. I “vibe write” specs with ChatGPT in Canvas mode.
  4. I “vibe code” using Claude + Cursor.
  5. I push code via a DevOps pipeline between GitHub and AWS. (More on this in a separate post.)

But I’ve noticed I’m missing a step in between 3 and 4 — call it “vibe design.”

Back in the day, I’d work with product or UX designers using Figma. We’d iterate a few times using annotations, markups, and comments until the design was good to go. That worked well.

So here’s my question:

What are product designers using these days for that early-stage “vibe design” phase? Going straight to code breaks my flow state, and sometimes I lose sight of what I’m actually trying to build and focus on some unnecessary technical things.

  1. v0 Vercel: Tried it, but I’m already in a “coding” mindset.
  2. Replit and Loveable: Tried these too, but as a programmer, I prefer the control I get with Cursor. Also, they’re more about “building” apps, not designing them.

I’m looking for something more like a Copilot — like ChatGPT or Cursor, but for UX/UI prototyping. Something that helps me quickly sketch, refine, and maybe even generate clickable prototypes before diving into code — for myself, for sharing with other developers, or for sharing with prospects.

#AIMusings #VibeCode #VibeWrite #VibeDesign