Why You Need a Spec, and How to Write One

This is part of the AI Bootcamp. Click here to learn more.

Spec Creation Prompt

Help me turn my idea into a clear MVP spec.

[Replace the following example with your app idea]

I want to build a decoding web app game. Players are given cards with hints of what the code is. One other player has the answers to all cards, but doesn't know what the card is exactly. They are racing each other to figure out what the code is.

The spec should contain these six components: the app summary, problem statement, target user, core features, user flows, and what success looks like. Ask me questions one at a time. Let's start with the app summary.

Vocabulary

• Builder tool — An AI tool that generates a complete working app from a plain-language description — front end, logic, and often a database. Lovable, Bolt, Replit, and v0 are the four covered here.
• Mega prompt — A long prompt that defines the AI's whole operating environment: identity, instructions, examples, and context. Your project spec is essentially one.
• MVP (Minimum Viable Product) — The smallest version of your product that genuinely solves the core problem. Not broken or half-finished — the keyword is viable.
• Problem statement — One or two sentences naming the specific problem your app solves: target user struggles with problem because reason.
• Spec (specification) — A document describing your app clearly enough that a person or an AI builder tool can build it without asking many questions. A blueprint, not a napkin sketch.
• Target user — The specific person your app is for — specific enough that a stranger could picture them. "Busy people" is not a target user.
• User flow — The step-by-step path a person takes through your app. Every spec needs three: onboarding, the core workflow, and what happens when something goes wrong.

Resources

• ChatPRD