I Made a Web App with Replit, and I Can Barely Code (pt. 5)

I’m about to tear this project apart and return it to its core features. Please join me in crossing your fingers in hope that a beautiful, functional MVP will be born from the ashes.

Welcome to part 5, the finale of my journey building the web app Superior Network with Replit's AI Agent. To see where this started, check out part 1, or here's a quick summary:

TL;DR: A recap of parts 1-4

• Despite no software development skills, I was able to design what looked like a functional framework of a website, from scratch.

• All the heavy lifting was performed by Replit's AI Agent, an overly-confident optimist who can see tiny lines of code in screen captures of the console, but can't see the giant gaps of weird space it designs on the page.

• The idea: A web app to connect business professionals for lunch.

• The outcome: With an over-featured app falling apart at the loose seams, a Project Manager recommended I return the web app to its core.

Spring Cleaning / Trimming Down to Core Value

I first learned how to back up the entire site (so far) on GitHub, then got to work playing Operation: Prompt by prompt, I asked Agent to remove features like the Messaging platform, matching based on age and gender preferences, and achievement badges.

The beginning of my site bug checklist, which became 115 checkboxes long.

I’m not entirely sure who to thank, myself for writing thorough prompts, Agent for understanding them correctly, or Replit for enhancing their AI product since I started this project a few months ago, but this time, I successfully reduced the web app while maintaining functionality.

I was finally able to take a full look at the site and write out a checklist of every action that needed to work, so I could check each off as I double-check they worked.

In this screenshot from my checklist document, I highlighted tasks in yellow if I tried the task and it didn’t work. I highlighted in green when I got a broken yellow task to work again. In other words, all the green highlighted tasks were my trickiest hurdles, but they were fixable.

Inbox Headaches | Is Agent Actually Amelia Bedelia in Disguise?

One of Replit Agent’s biggest challenges was email. I was able to set up a Gmail integration easily enough, but once it started sending automated emails on my behalf, it was inconsistent and unprofessional.

Pfft, 'bring business cards.' I swear, I never asked it to say that! And visually, this email was looking less than ideal.

But even after the emails looked good, Agent kept adding its own flair:

How are '12 active professionals' going to attend this meeting if the group size limit is 4 people? Why is the email promising 'collaborative project opportunities' when the Superior Network site doesn't guarantee this anywhere?

Most frustrating of all, I could request these types of emails be triggered by certain events, but they weren’t being sent out (at least not consistently).

I requested that Agent send a follow-up email one hour after every meeting took place, inviting users to revisit the app and leave a private note on how the meeting went. This was also an opportunity to notify Superior Network that the match was a no-show or, more urgently, to flag/report inappropriate behavior. But despite asking for these emails to go out, they weren’t popping into my inbox.

I could ask Agent for a sample of the email template to be sent for review, but it’d generate a new one to send as a sample, not the one we’d already designed. There were moments when I was shocked how specific I needed to be, like I was making my wish with a genie or giving a task to Amelia Bedelia.

Big, Bold Moves Towards a Working Replit App

I decided to make one more big addition to the app, even though its core features were in place and almost 100% of features were working. I knew I needed a way to better visualize and track the emails being sent out. So I asked for an employee access page:

Now THAT was smooth building! With just a few minutes communication and a few days of testing the results, this dashboard Agent built accurately reflected real events and automated emails. There was such a good feeling seeing emails pop into my inbox right on schedule, looking professional and mildly obnoxious, just like all the other businesses out there. This was a business. It was finally happening.

I also successfully set up error notifications. Now anytime the app generates an error, I get a detailed email about what happened. Superior Network finally feels well taken care of and regulated.

Did I Build a Web App with Replit?

Did I build a web app with no coding experience? Yes, yes I did.

The caveat? This project took way longer and hit many more hurdles than anticipated. I started in May, expecting to finish by June, and instead I’m wrapping up the MVP in September.

It’s built and it works. And that’s what I set out to do.

Next step: Beta testing. It's time to see if people will actually use the app, which is perhaps the scariest stage of all.

Want to explore the final product? Check out Superior Network!

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The above content was written by Lindey Hoak.

BearPeak Technology Group is a software studio based in Boulder, CO, offering studio, startup, strategy, and staffing services. Schedule a free consultation at bearpeak.io/contact.