November 17, 2024
This is a copy of the original document I wrote to kick off what would become Spawn.
Transform software creation from a technical implementation process into a creative exploration process.
The key problem we’re solving isn't really "coding is hard" or "development takes too long." It's that the entire paradigm of software creation forces people to translate their human ideas into technical specifications - to think in terms of data models and user flows rather than possibilities and experiences.
Now you can just explore the space of what could exist. The technical knowledge isn't just abstracted away - it's irrelevant to the creative process.
The durable goal is removing that translation layer - letting people shape software directly from their imagination, the way they naturally think about it. Not by simplifying development, but by fundamentally changing how we go from idea to reality.
"I want an app where people can share their favorite hiking trails and rate them"
And you get 4 different takes:
You could then mix and match elements you like, or use one version as a starting point and iterate.
This feels much more fun and creative than the typical no-code experience of "okay first drag this database component and configure these fields..."
The key insight seems to be: don't make it feel like "programming made simple" - make it feel like creative exploration where you're discovering what your app could be.
That's a really compelling insight - the magic of this isn’t just that we turn your idea into an app right in front of you, it's that we give you 4 different interpretations, which:
Instead of trying to anticipate every use case, maybe it's about creating that core magical experience and letting users show you what they want to build with it.
I strongly believe that once you hit enter you should see 4 variations of your idea being built in real time — right in front of your eyes.
Instead of a spinning wheel for 30 seconds, you might see:
This does several powerful things:
We can even make the building process itself interactive:
It transforms waiting time into discovery time and watching the process helps you develop an intuition for how to guide the system toward what you want.
This feels much more alive than waiting for a fully-formed app to appear. You're watching your idea materialize in real time.
This concept reminds me a bit of how hard it was to explain Figma before people used it. "It's like Adobe Illustrator but in the browser" totally missed what made it revolutionary - the multiplayer, the components system, the fundamental rethinking of design workflows.
For communicating this concept, maybe the key is to avoid technical comparisons entirely. Instead of positioning it relative to development tools ("it's like X but with AI"), maybe position it relative to creative tools:
"Remember when making images required learning Photoshop? Now with Midjourney you just explore possibilities. We're doing that for apps."
Or focus on the emotional experience: "It's not about writing better code or building faster. It's about having a conversation about what could exist, and watching it take shape in real time."
Some analogies that might work:
Key feelings:
The interface itself could be treated as a canvas/art piece:
The goal would be to create something that feels more like a creative studio than a development environment - a space that inspires possibilities rather than suggesting implementation.