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Experiment

I wanted to create a website for my current startup idea, where people can leave their email and LinkedIn information to receive more details. The backend will store this information in a database and send me an email notification with all the new sign-ups.

Key Takeaways

• • Leveraging GenAI for content creation significantly streamlined the landing page development, allowing for a cohesive narrative that aligns with the current startup vision.
• • The positive user interface experience with loveable.dev contrasted sharply with previous iterations, highlighting the importance of intuitive design in enhancing user engagement.
• • The realization that the platform did not fulfill backend requirements underscores the necessity of ensuring that no critical functionalities are overlooked, even in user-friendly tools.
• • Moving forward with lead generation through the landing page reflects a strategic approach to validate market interest and gather qualitative insights directly from potential users.
• • The plan to interview early sign-ups for feedback is a vital step in refining the product, illustrating the value of direct user engagement in the ideation and development phases.

App Builders Used

loveable.dev - was amazing! liked it even more than v0 I have used in the past

Prompting Strategies

I started with ChatGPT using an initial prompt, then copied it to Lovable.dev and went through several iterations until it was perfect. I asked ChatGPT to consolidate everything into one long prompt with all the necessary details for Lovable, and it did an amazing job. Promt: We are using Lovable.dev, an AI-native developer tool that takes a prompt and turns it into code, in order to build our product. Your goal is to output a series of prompts that, when given to this tool, create the product. Remember, the tool uses AI to create the product, so sequence your prompts accordingly. The product idea is as follows:

• Startup name is going to be CleanShadow
• Startup focus is uncovering shadow IT saas risks before they become a real attack vector
• Startup can identify every saas application in use, and provide you with a managing dashboard that will help you assess and block threats on your organiazation as well as help you prepare a plan to protect your org going forward. I want the frontend to make people signup with their linkedin and email adress, a database that will save all registrations and a backend that will send me an email to [email protected] with each new sign up

Came up with the following prompt for loveable: Build a full-stack web application called CleanShadow. This is a startup that uncovers shadow IT SaaS risks before they become real attack vectors. The product identifies all SaaS applications in use and provides a management dashboard to assess and block threats, as well as create a protection plan. ✅ Frontend Requirements: Create a clean, modern, responsive landing page with a hero section that says: "CleanShadow uncovers shadow IT SaaS risks before they become attack vectors." Include a short description below and a call-to-action section. Below the description, include a signup form with: A simulated "Sign in with LinkedIn" button (just mock the LinkedIn data for now). An email input field with label "Work Email". A submit button labeled “Request Early Access”. Display a success message after form submission. ✅ Frontend → Backend Logic: On form submission, send a POST request to a backend endpoint /api/register with the following JSON body: json Copy Edit { "email": "[email protected]", "linkedin_profile": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/fakeprofile" } Handle success and error states in the frontend (e.g., display error if the email is invalid). ✅ Backend Requirements: Use Node.js + Express to create the backend. Implement the /api/register POST endpoint to: Validate the email field. Accept and parse the LinkedIn profile (optional for now). Save the data into a PostgreSQL database table named registrations. ✅ Database Setup (PostgreSQL): Create a registrations table with the following fields: id (UUID, primary key, auto-generated) email (text, required) linkedin_profile (text, optional) timestamp (timestamp, auto-generated at insert) ✅ Email Notification: After saving each new registration, send an email to [email protected] with: Subject: New CleanShadow Signup Body: less Copy Edit A new user has signed up. Email: [user email] LinkedIn: [linkedin profile link] Use a simple email service like Nodemailer with SMTP or SendGrid (whichever is easier). ✅ Admin Dashboard: Create a protected route /admin using basic auth (username and password hardcoded for now). Show a table of all registered users, including: Email LinkedIn profile Signup timestamp Add sorting by timestamp (newest first).

Project Outcomes

What Worked Well

The UI was amazing! Much better than I had with v0 in the past on a different ideation process.

What Didn't Work Well

It didn’t actually build the backend that saves the information to the database and sends me an email with the details of everyone who registered for my product.

Surprising Findings

How fast

Moving Forward

I plan to use this landing page as part of my ongoing ideation process. From where I left off, I can now purchase a real domain and upload the landing page that Lovable generated for me. The next step is to implement the backend logic so that it properly stores user submissions in a database and sends me an email notification every time someone registers. This will allow me to start gathering leads and initiate conversations with people who are genuinely interested in the product. I can then interview them to better understand which features they care about, validate their willingness to pay (WTP), and use those insights to refine and advance my ideation process.

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