Leveraging AI Tools for Modern Web Development

Overview

This guide outlines an efficient workflow using multiple AI tools to build web applications, from planning to deployment.

Tools Required

• Perplexity AI - Initial research & tech stack validation
• OpenAI O1 Model - Primary documentation tool
• Claude AI - Coding assistant
• Cursor AI - IDE
• Bolt.new - Frontend design & project setup
• Replit AI - Quick deployments

Step 1: Research with Perplexity AI

Initial Market Research Phase

Use Perplexity for comprehensive analysis in this order:

1. Problem Research

"Research [your problem area]:
- What are the current challenges in [industry/domain]?
- How do people currently solve this problem?
- What are the main pain points with existing solutions?
- What are the latest trends in solving this problem?
- Are there any recent technological advancements in this area?"

2. Solution Validation

"Analyze solution feasibility for [your proposed solution]:
- What similar solutions exist in the market?
- What are their technical approaches?
- What are common implementation challenges?
- What makes solutions successful in this space?
- Are there any regulatory or compliance considerations?"

3. Competition Analysis

"Research competitors in [your solution space]:
- Who are the main players?
- What tech stacks do they use?
- What are their key features?
- What are their strengths and weaknesses?
- What are users saying about these solutions?
- What features are missing in current solutions?"

4. Technical Validation

"Technical research for implementation:
- Best practices for [your chosen tech stack]
- Common scalability issues and solutions
- Security considerations
- Performance optimizations
- Integration challenges
- Latest relevant tools and libraries"

Research Organization

Create a summary document including:

1. Problem Space Overview
2. Market Gaps
3. Competitor Matrix
4. Technical Requirements
5. Unique Value Propositions

This research will feed directly into your O1 documentation phase, providing solid foundations for your PRD.

Step 2: Project Planning with OpenAI O1 Model

Why O1 Model?

O1 is best for documentation and should be your starting point. The documentation provides context to LLMs and gives less room for hallucination.

Key Documents to Generate

1. PRD (Project Requirements Document)
2. App Flow & Functionality Documentation
3. Project Development Roadmap

These three documents should provide sufficient foundation to begin development.

Providing Project Context

Share as much information about your project as possible. Example:

"I want to build a web application with Next.js 14 app router using:
- TypeScript
- TailwindCSS
- shadcn/ui

Backend:
- Supabase for auth, database and storage

Project Details:
[Provide comprehensive details about:]
- Problem it solves
- Solution approach
- Target users
- Core features
- API integrations
- Additional context

[The more information provided, the better the documentation quality]"

Step 3: Frontend Design with Bolt.new

Initial Setup Tip

Create a base boilerplate with your common tech stack and configurations. Fork this boilerplate for new projects to save tokens and setup time.

Process

1. Create new project in Bolt.new (using your boilerplate fork)
2. Attach your PRD and app flow documentation
3. Use this prompt:

"Design me the frontend components for the project I just attached.

We will work on page to page basis:
1. First: Core skeleton (Left sidebar + Main content area)
2. Then: Code each page
3. Finally: Subdivide pages into components for complex functionality

Do you understand?"

1. Download or copy the final code for each component

Step 4: Implementation with Claude AI

Setup

1. Start new Claude project
2. Attach all documentation:
   • PRD
   • App Flow & Functionality Doc
   • Project Development Roadmap
   • Bolt.new generated code files

Custom Instructions for Claude

"You're a Next.js 14 Expert. You code web apps with simple and scalable architecture.

Your Goal is to work with me as a Coding Guide. I will be using:
- Cursor AI as my IDE
- Bolt for setting up project
- Replit for deployment

Provide me step by step instructions to code this project. Do not miss any step. Provide instructions in simple language (where to go, what to do)

Major help I need from you is for:
- File structure 
- Project setup
- Debugging
- Deployment

Go through the attached files everytime, to provide best answers."

Step 5: Development Process

1. Follow Claude's step-by-step instructions
2. Use Cursor AI as your IDE
3. Set up project structure
4. Implement features systematically
5. Debug with Claude's assistance
6. Deploy using Replit

Best Practices

1. Research First: Validate technical decisions with Perplexity
2. Documentation Second: Create comprehensive documentation with O1
3. Systematic Approach: Follow the workflow sequentially
4. Error Handling: Expect and learn from mistakes
5. Iterative Development: Use multiple iterations to perfect features
6. Tool Specialization: Leverage each AI tool's strengths
7. Reusable Boilerplate: Maintain and fork a base project setup

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Don't skip the research phase
2. Don't expect single-prompt solutions
3. Don't skip the documentation phase
4. Don't ignore AI tool specializations
5. Don't rush through error messages
6. Don't start from scratch when you have a good boilerplate

Tips for Success

1. Use Perplexity for up-to-date tech decisions
2. Provide detailed context to AI tools
3. Save successful prompts for reuse
4. Document errors and solutions
5. Build progressively, starting with core features
6. Test extensively at each stage
7. Keep your boilerplate updated with latest dependencies

Important Note

There will be many errors, mistakes, and retries before mastering this workflow. However, once you master AI-assisted coding, you can build any SaaS for yourself or clients efficiently.

Remember: Claims about building complete web apps with a single prompt are misleading. Success comes from systematic approach and understanding each tool's strengths and limitations.

Workflow Summary

1. Research tech stack and best practices (Perplexity)
2. Create comprehensive documentation (O1)
3. Design and generate frontend components (Bolt.new)
4. Implement with expert guidance (Claude + Cursor)
5. Deploy and iterate (Replit)

This systematic approach ensures high-quality results while maximizing the effectiveness of each AI tool in your development workflow.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​