How to Vibe Code for Free – Part 9: Add the Shine, Keep the Flow
Delight your users and turn them into fans
If you have been following along with the bite-size articles about how to vibe code for free, you now have a working and secure app that is available for the public and doesn’t crash when someone opens it on their phone.
That’s huge. You’re already way ahead of most side projects that die in someone’s notes app.
But if you want people to not just use your app but actually enjoy it, you need to go beyond the basics. This is where we add the shine and keep the flow. Think of it as moving from “functional prototype” to “app I’d proudly show my friends.”
Let’s break it down.
1. Smooth Onboarding = Happy Users
What is onboarding?
It’s the first impression your app gives when someone signs up or opens it for the first time. Think of it as your app’s “welcome tour.”
Good onboarding answers three questions right away:
Where am I? (What is this app about?)
What can I do here? (What’s the main action?)
How do I start? (What’s my first step?)
Without onboarding, users feel like they’ve been dropped in the middle of a maze with no map, and they might never come back. With onboarding, they feel guided, confident, and maybe even a little excited.
👉 Examples of onboarding touches you can add with your vibe coding tool:
A welcome screen that explains your app in one sentence.
A tooltip or highlight pointing to the most important button (“Start here →”).
A setup step where users add one piece of info (e.g. name, first task, or favourite category) so the app feels personal right away.
Prompt to try in your vibe coding tool:
"Review my app’s onboarding experience. Suggest ways to make the first-time flow clearer and friendlier. Identify any confusing steps, missing tooltips, or blank screens, then implement improvements."
2. Empty States = Missed Opportunities
What’s an empty state?
It’s what a user sees when there’s nothing in their app yet: no tasks, no saved items, no posts.
A bad empty state looks… well, empty. Just a blank screen that makes users wonder if the app is broken.
A good empty state turns that blank space into a friendly guide:
Explain what should go here (“This is where your saved recipes will show up.”).
Suggest the first action (“Add your first recipe →”).
Maybe even add a playful touch (an illustration, a mascot, or a short encouragement).
Prompt to try:
For my app, suggest copy for at least 3 empty states (e.g., when a list is empty, when no search results are found, when a user hasn’t favourited anything yet). Make the tone friendly and encouraging, not technical. Include an example call-to-action (button or link) for each state that nudges the user toward the next step.
3. UI Polish = Professional Looks
You can spot a prototype app in seconds. The text sizes don’t match, the buttons feel random, and one screen looks like it belongs to a totally different app.
UI polish is about smoothing out those little rough edges so your app feels like a finished product, not a school project.
And you don’t need to be a designer to make your app look good.
Check for:
Stick to 2–3 colours and use them everywhere.
Keep font sizes consistent across headings, body text, and buttons.
Add breathing room (white space) so nothing feels cramped.
Use smooth transitions instead of jump cuts when switching screens.
Prompt to try:
"Audit my app’s design consistency. Are fonts, colours, and buttons aligned across all screens? Suggest and implement fixes for spacing, typography, and small animations to make it feel polished."
4. Microcopy = The Voice of Your App
Microcopy is the small bits of text in your app: buttons, labels, error messages, hints. It’s your app’s personality.
Bad microcopy feels robotic or confusing:
“Submit form.”
“Error: 401 Unauthorized.”
Good microcopy feels like a helpful friend:
“Save recipe.”
“Oops! Looks like your password doesn’t match. Want to try again?”
These tiny tweaks add up. Microcopy is the difference between an app that feels cold and one that feels welcoming.
Prompt to try:
”I want to improve the microcopy in my app. Review the current button labels, error messages, and empty states. Suggest friendlier, plain-language alternatives that make sense to non-technical users. Provide 3 variations for each message so I can choose the best tone.”
5. Add a Little Delight
This is the sprinkle of magic. Not required, but unforgettable.
👉 Ideas:
A confetti burst when someone hits a milestone
A cheeky success message (“Meal added. Dinner saved. You’re welcome.”)
A micro-animation when a task is completed
These small touches cost nothing but give your app a personality.
Small Win (Do This Today)
Don’t try to polish everything at once. Just pick one screen.
Replace its empty state with a friendly message and a nudge toward the next action.
That’s 5 minutes of work that will instantly make your app feel alive.
👉 Next up: In Part 10, we’ll look at how to evolve your app by listening to user feedback.