Design and Code with GPT and Midjourney

This Course

This course is designed to teach you how to use GPT to build multiple iOS and web apps from scratch by following prompts and applying code in a code editor such as CodeSandbox and Xcode 14. The course primarily focuses on creating user interfaces, interactions, animations and some data, making it an ideal resource for beginners or individuals who enjoy building complex user interfaces. We use Figma for inspecting and editing layouts. We will also explore unique concepts specifically developed for this course.

Requirements

In this course, we’ll take a designer’s perspective and learn SwiftUI or React step-by-step with the help of GPT. Even if you’re new to these technologies, you can still learn with limitless instructions from the AI assistant. While it’s not required, it’s recommended that you have some basic computer knowledge and familiarity with HTML and CSS. Developing an iOS 16 app requires a Mac with Ventura or later and Xcode 14. To use GPT-4, you’ll need an upgraded GPT account. While GPT-3.5 can be used, it’s highly recommended to use GPT-4 for the best experience.

Learning Path

It’s important to have a basic understanding of design and coding in order to provide clear prompts to GPT-4 and quickly read and debug code. Here’s a recommended progression to improve your skills in these areas.

Design

• Web App Design using Midjourney and Figma
• iOS Design with Midjourney and Figma
• Figma Handbook

iOS Development

• Build an iOS app for iOS 16
• SwiftUI Handbook
• Build quick apps with SwiftUI

Web Development

• Build a web app with React Hooks
• React Hooks Handbook
• React Hooks Advanced Handbook

Working with GPT-4

By integrating GPT-4 into the app development process, designers and developers can work faster and more efficiently than ever before. GPT-4’s natural language processing capabilities also mean that it can assist with user testing and feedback, allowing designers to quickly and easily refine their designs based on user input.

Starting Prompts

First, it’s important to establish the areas of expertise and your goals for developing apps.

OPENAI’S DEMO

Based on the demo from OpenAI, you can set the requirements for your project.

You are an Al programming assistant.
- Follow the user's requirements carefully & to the letter.
- First think step-by-step - describe your plan for what to build in pseudocode, written out in great detail
- Then output the code in a single codeblock
- Minimize any other prose

BEGINNER-FRIENDLY FOR IOS

Specify the areas of expertise needed in your project and your coding style. Let’s start with a beginner-friendly starting prompt for iOS and web.

 iOS is the easiest since all you need is Xcode and everything is available from the get-go. No need for third-party libraries, especially for beginners.

You’re an expert in iOS dev, SwiftUI, iOS architecture and a robust architecture with the best practices.

- Provide steps to create a new project in Xcode.

BEGINNER-FRIENDLY FOR WEB

Web projects are more open and rely on many services and frameworks. You will be faced with dozens of choices, but let’s start with a popular one: React and CodeSandbox. It’s one of the easiest way to start.

You're a web developer that specializes in React and CSS.

- For CSS, use Styled-Components.
- Use CodeSandbox to quickly build prototypes.
- Provide steps to create a new project in CodeSandbox.
- Provide steps to install third party libraries that we need.
- Create everything inside App.js

START SIMPLE

When starting to work with GPT-4, it’s best to avoid creating complicated projects at first. The AI may be slow and pause randomly due to its limit in number of tokens per post. To avoid frustration, it’s recommended to not ask for too much information all at once and to add details incrementally. For example, if you’re asking for steps, it’s better to wait for the next post to ask about the concept.

• In this example, we’re creating elements in a specific order.

Create a card with cover image, title, divider, subtitle, text, author (avatar + name).

WEB FULL STACK

Most full-fledged web projects require their own customized stack. A popular one today is React with Next.js and Vercel.

You're a seasoned web developer that specializes in React, Next.js, Vercel and CSS.

- For content, use Contentful and GraphQL.
- For Authentification use Firebase and Firestore.
- We will need the Vimeo API to serve videos.
- Use Dropbox to get downloabable files for our paid customers.

CODING STYLE

Code outputs are often too slow to write and too long for a single post. So it’s a good idea to focus on new changes. It may be best to split into multiple files and components. This requires more organization but is future-proof.

- Make your code as short, easy to understand and concise as possible.
- Only focus on code that is new or that are changing during new requests.
- Split into components and small files that are no longer than 100 lines of code.

USER EXPERIENCE

It never hurts to explore opportunities to make the project sustainable by understanding what features are essential and what features may be valuable to premium users.

- Develop apps that are beautifully designed with a great user experience
- Think like an entrepreneur and give advice on new features and how we could monetize this app.

Concepts and Development

 At the beginning of the project, it’s best to keep it clear and simple with a concept that can be achieved in a single post. Be descriptive, use examples, and focus on small wins. Here are some examples:

Build a SwiftUI chat app that talks to a trainable AI.

I want a nice vector pattern like in the Apple Card hologram that animates on tap in SwiftUI.

Create a fun iOS app in SwiftUI that does colour matching. There will be two big circles next to each other and you can swipe vertically on it to change the brightness, horizontally to change the hue. Tolerance level for accepted answer should be not too hard at first and gradually harder. There should be a timer, and you have 10 secs to answer. There should be a button to submit answer below.

Create a blur card that emits particles only when it moves. Can you add a drag gesture that responds in a physics way, with the circles following the drag but also lagging a little bit like in real life with inertia, like hair moving and slower strands catching up.

ERRORS AND DEBUGGING

Your code won’t always work. Sometimes, you need to ask multiple times. When you encounter errors, don’t hesitate to paste the error messages and give the specific line number or the element names that are erroneous.

{paste error message}
{error at line #}
{describe user experience issue}

UPDATE CODE AND FOCUS ON CHANGES

When you deal with a lot of code, the responses from GPT-4 will be slow, repetitive and hang at random places. To make the experience better, ask to only show code that changes. Also, the AI will tend to forget about your code, so it’s a good idea to regularly paste your entire code to keep it up-to-date.

{Paste code}
{Ask change}
Focus only on code that changes

If the code keeps hanging, you can ask to continue from specific places.

Continue from {step # or "text from response"}

Copywriting

GPT-4 has the potential to design product pages by generating creative and engaging content for product descriptions, titles, and images. It can also generate personalized product recommendations based on user preferences, search history, and behavior. This can enhance the overall customer experience and lead to increased sales for businesses.

You are a thoughtful, helpful and expert copywriter for web and mobile apps. 
- All your writing should be limited to a paragraph with a max of 3 sentences.
- Write in a simple way that anyone can understand.
- Be as concise as possible. Less is better.
- Write in Markdown format with providing links to products mentioned.

Midjourney

Midjourney is a text-to-image AI tool that can generate images from plain text descriptions, such as UI screens, app icons, product images, logos, and mascots. While it is not a replacement for UI designers, it can be a helpful tool during the early stages of product design and visual exploration. To use Midjourney, you need to join Discord and write clear prompts that articulate your design intentions. Experimenting with different prompts can help you find the optimal solution. The tool’s output often requires refinement from a human designer, but it can serve as visual inspiration and be helpful for moodboarding.

 To join Midjourney, follow these simple steps:

1. Go to Midjourney’s website at midjourney.com.
2. Click on the “Join the Beta” button on the homepage.
3. Sign in or create a Discord account.
4. Follow the instructions to join the Midjourney Discord server.
5. Once you’ve joined the server, head to the Newbies Channel to get started.
6. Use the /imagine command followed by a short text description to generate your first image.
7. Midjourney offers a limited number of free images, after which you can pay a monthly fee for unlimited access.

UI DESIGNS

To generate UI designs with Midjourney or other AI tools, write a specific prompt using short phrases separated by commas to create a tokenized format. Keep in mind that results require refinement from human designers, but can serve as visual inspiration during early design stages.

futurist minimal hd 8k Ux ui mobile interface , chatbot artificial intelligence, artistic, AI, beautiful modern mobile application with robot and high tech

USE IMAGES AS INSPIRATION

To improve the quality of results on Midjourney, you can upload images to Discord, copy the links, and include them as part of your prompt. This can help provide additional context and specificity for the AI to generate more accurate responses.

https://s.mj.run/pDPFu_y3uaA https://s.mj.run/RlfRSJ2n2N4 https://s.mj.run/aExVb_eksaM Futuristic smart house mobile application user interface design ios clean, clear, airy, light, simple, front view

APP ICON IN MIDJOURNEY

To create an app icon using Midjourney, start by writing a clear and specific prompt that describes the kind of icon you want to see. If we find that the initial set doesn’t match our desired style, we can modify the prompt to include keywords such as “minimalism” or “flat design” to signal to the AI tool what kind of icon we’re looking for.

Design a 1024×1024 square iOS app icon featuring a majestic camera, using a flat design style similar to the icons in the iOS 14 app store

TURN ILLUSTRATIONS TO VECTOR

Illustrations play a crucial role in many designs, serving to quickly align the brand and product vision. Midjourney can help create stunning illustrations that can be converted to vectors for better scalability.

modern architecture, an isometric tiny house, illustration, vector art

https://s.mj.run/uMmqUHdK7BA make a similar image for an isometric mini house

an isometric tiny house, illustration, vector art

 To make illustrations more usable and scalable for final designs, you can use either Vectorizer or the Figma plugin Image Tracer to convert them into vectors. 

WALLPAPERS

Midjourney is adept at producing stunning wallpapers in a variety of styles. Here are some impressive examples. 

digital background, gradient, soft light, low contrast, minimalist, foil holographic --ar 3:2 --v 5 --stop 75

Colorful, light, transparent, and smooth silk background, beautiful, transparent, transparent, and translucent. --ar 16:9 --iw 0.5 --s 1000 --v 5

Credit to @ciguleva and @iamneubert.

UPSCALING

Although Midjourney’s upscaling feature is a viable option, it can potentially alter the quality of your designs and has resolution limitations. Fortunately, there is a free alternative available in the form of an AI Image Upscaler tool.

WEB BACKGROUNDS

Large backgrounds are a crucial component of website design, complementing typography and content. They can be used to create visually engaging parallax effects and inspire the color scheme for the rest of the layout. 

intricate landscape wallpaper with vibrant night colors in the style of Firewatch video game art, san francisco bridge from above --ar 3:2 --v 4