Halloween Costu.me

Inspiration

• My 4-year-old constantly changing her mind on Halloween costumes
• @levels.io posts about building quick proofs of concept
• Desire to create my own take on PhotoAI.com
• Wanted to build a quick, time-boxed product incorporating new learning areas:
  • TypeScript
  • Authentication
  • Payments
  • Diffusion models
  • Constraints in applying LLMs to full-stack apps

What it does

• A Halloween costume visualization app (https://halloweencostu.me)
• Allows users to generate and visualize Halloween costume ideas
• One-trick pony with a finite shelf life, but unique and hopefully enjoyable

How I built it

• Used AI-powered development tools:
  • Cursor.io (primary development environment)
  • v0.dev (for UI building)
  • Claude/ChatGPT (for higher quality results when needed)
• Leveraged LLMs and modern tooling ecosystem
• Built a prototype in a couple of days, then took about a month to complete
• Used templates and courses, particularly those by @mckaywrigley
• Implemented TypeScript, authentication, and payment systems

Challenges I ran into

• Steep learning curve with TypeScript, auth, and payments
• Managing complexity and library conflicts
• Keeping LLMs consistent across development sessions
• Balancing AI assistance with personal decision-making

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

• Deployed my first full-stack application
• Completed the project in about a month
• Successfully integrated various new technologies and concepts
• Created a functional product inspired by established platforms

What I learned

• The importance of bringing your own continuity when working with LLMs
• Complexity in projects compounds quickly and affects various aspects
• Sequence diagrams and app specs are valuable for aligning with LLMs
• The power of AI tools in accelerating development and learning
• The current state of AI-assisted development and its limitations

What's next for Halloween Costu.me

• Gather user feedback and potentially implement improvements
• Use the experience to inform future B2B product ideas
• Continue learning and applying new technologies in future projects

Built With

• flux
• nextjs
• typescript