What Skills Should Students Focus on to Excel in Vibe Coding?

Introduction: The Rise of Vibe Coding

Vibe coding is quickly becoming a popular way to build software. Unlike traditional coding, which requires deep knowledge of programming languages and syntax, vibe coding lets developers use natural language to describe what they want, and AI generates the code for them. Tools like Bolt.new and Lovable.dev make this possible, allowing students and developers to create projects with minimal hands-on coding.

But while vibe coding sounds easy, not everyone gets great results. Some people generate high-quality, structured code, while others struggle with messy outputs that require a lot of fixing. The difference? The ability to think like a product manager, structure ideas clearly, and provide well-defined prompts.

In this article, we will cover the key skills students should develop to master vibe coding, including:

• Thinking through all the features of an application before generating code
• Using flowcharts and customer journey mapping to structure ideas
• Learning to think like a product manager to solve real problems
• Writing detailed AI prompts to get better results
• Using tools like Onlift.co to generate optimized prompts and streamline the development process

By the end of this post, you will understand how to approach vibe coding in a way that produces high-quality, functional code—without spending hours debugging.

1. Thinking Through Features Before Generating Code

One of the biggest mistakes students make with vibe coding is jumping straight into generating code without thinking through the full scope of their project. Unlike AI-assisted coding tools like GitHub Copilot or Cursor AI, which help developers write code piece by piece, vibe coding tools generate large sections of code at once.

If you do not carefully plan what you need, you will end up with:

• Incomplete functionality (missing key features or logic)
• Inconsistent structure (poorly connected components)
• Unscalable code (hard to modify or expand later)

How to Plan Your Features Before Coding

To avoid these issues, students should start by outlining the features their application needs. A simple way to do this is by asking:

• What problem is this solving?
• What are the core features needed?
• How do these features connect?
• What should the user experience look like?

For example, if you are building an AI-powered to-do list app, instead of just saying “Make a to-do list app,” think through the core features:

• User authentication (sign up, log in)
• Task creation and management (add, edit, delete tasks)
• Reminders and notifications
• Collaboration (sharing tasks with others)
• Data storage (database for saving tasks)

This structured approach ensures that when you ask AI to generate code, it aligns with your full vision rather than just a basic MVP.

2. Using Flowcharts to Map Out the Customer Journey

Another key skill for successful vibe coding is visualizing how the user interacts with your application. Since vibe coding tools generate code in response to high-level instructions, understanding the user journey can help you create more detailed prompts.

One of the best ways to do this is by creating a flowchart that maps out the steps a user takes from start to finish.

Example Flowchart for a Task Management App

• 1. User lands on the homepage (can sign up or log in)
• 2. User dashboard (view tasks, create new tasks)
• 3. Task details page (edit task, set reminders, share with a teammate)
• 4. User receives notification (reminder triggers, task is due)
• 5. Task completed or deleted

By mapping out the exact steps a user will take, you can then write clearer, more structured prompts for AI, ensuring it generates code that supports the entire flow.

How Onlift Helps with This

If you are unsure how to translate a flowchart into a structured AI prompt, onlift.co can help. It takes rough ideas and converts them into detailed AI prompts, ensuring that your generated code follows a logical, well-structured user journey.

3. Thinking Like a Product Manager

One of the most important skills for students learning vibe coding is thinking beyond just writing code and focusing on solving real problems.

What Does Thinking Like a Product Manager Mean?

Product managers do not just think about features—they think about why those features matter and how they fit into a larger goal. Successful vibe coders apply the same mindset by asking:

• Who is using this app, and why?
• What problems do they face?
• How does each feature help solve that problem?
• What are the trade-offs of different design choices?

For example, say you are building a study planner app for students. A traditional coder might just say: “Make a calendar feature.”

A product-minded coder, however, would think deeper:

• Do students prefer a simple checklist or a full calendar?
• Should there be reminders via email or mobile notifications?
• Would adding a “study streak” feature increase motivation?

By thinking like a product manager, you ensure that AI generates useful and relevant code—not just random features that might not add value.

Using Onlift to Structure Product Thinking

If you struggle with structuring your product ideas, onlift.co can help by guiding you through the process of turning high-level ideas into well-defined, AI-ready prompts.

4. Writing Detailed AI Prompts for Better Code

Experienced vibe coders treat AI the way they would an intern developer on their team. They provide clear and specific instructions, knowing that the AI needs detailed guidance to perform at its best, and cannot think for themselves.

For example, instead of simply saying “Make a chatbot,” a more experienced developer will write something like:

“Create a chatbot using Python and OpenAI GPT-4 API. The bot should support text input, generate AI-powered responses, and log conversations in a PostgreSQL database. Use Flask for the backend and deploy on AWS Lambda.”

This level of specificity ensures that the AI understands exactly what is expected, resulting in a more functional and refined output.

How Onlift Helps

Instead of manually figuring out the perfect prompt structure, Onlift takes your rough ideas and automatically turns them into detailed, AI-friendly prompts, reducing the risk of bad code output.

Final Thoughts: Mastering Vibe Coding as a Student

Vibe coding is an exciting new way to build software, but success depends on how well you structure your ideas and prompts. To excel, students should focus on:

• Thinking through all features before generating code
• Using flowcharts to visualize the user journey
• Thinking like a product manager to solve real problems
• Writing detailed prompts to guide AI effectively
• Using tools like onlift.co to streamline prompt creation

By developing these skills, students can avoid the common pitfalls of vibe coding and create high-quality, AI-generated applications with minimal debugging.

Want to start writing better AI prompts today? Try onlift.co and optimize your vibe coding workflow.