Background

Delivering a fully operational product demo in just one week posed a significant challenge for our team. The timeframe eliminated the possibility for in-depth discussions or perfecting technology stacks. Instead, the focus was solely on creating a compelling simulation of a complete product to satisfy investor expectations.

What We Tried (and Why)

Faced with extreme time constraints, we opted for a hyper-focused development approach. Key objectives were to create convincing UI/UX flows and sensations that aligned with investor priorities. The reality that investors prioritize look and feel over technical rigor during demos guided this approach.

What Broke or Didn’t Work

Traditional development practices—emphasizing long-term codebase health, unit testing, and scalability—were set aside. The immediate aim was an illusion of a complete product, not architectural integrity or long-term maintainability.

📌 Lesson: In investor demos, prioritize visual impact and user experience over technical sophistication.

The Shift We Made

We adopted a development strategy we termed “Vibe Coding,” focusing on fast iteration and integration of components using AI-driven tools. Development started concurrently with design, allowing us to lay groundwork such as project structures, libraries, and routing ahead of integrating the UI.

What Worked (and What Still Doesn’t)

This approach yielded a clickable demo with over 20 polished screens and smooth transitions within the 7-day window. The client advanced further with investors, but the code’s structural health was compromised; elements were deliberately mocked or hardcoded, demanding a subsequent refactoring phase for sustainability.

Tradeoffs and Strategic Decisions

Option A: AI-Driven Rapid Prototyping Option B: Traditional Development Cycle
Focus on immediate user experience and investor impression Emphasize robust, maintainable codebases
Fast, met deadline; enabled iterative design integration Longer timelines; offers architecture longevity and scalability
Disposable architecture, future rework necessary Reduced immediate adaptability, better long-term support

Open Questions We’re Still Exploring

  • How can we integrate faster, iterative processes into sustainable long-term development cycles?
  • What criteria should be used to determine when to prioritize speed over functionality?
  • How can hybrid AI-human workflows be optimized for larger scale projects?

If You’re Solving Something Similar…

We invite engineers and project managers facing similar challenges to discuss strategies for improving team management and communication. Let’s explore how effective prompting and structured approaches can enhance both team morale and project outcomes.

👉 Dive deeper: Extended insights on Medium
👉 Explore: Cadabra Insights on Notion
👉 Related case: Effective Team Prompting for Agile Development

We believe we can reframe software delivery from the ground up, where every decision, tool, and interaction is guided by contextual intelligence.

Contact: hello@cadabra.studio
More at: https://cadabra.studio