How to build an app in 2025.

Source: Dev.to

Introduction

It’s 2025. AI is everywhere, but building a useful app still comes down to one thing: solve your own problem first.

Identify the problem

Let’s say you want to build a simple DB explorer (like hubble.davidlabs.ca).
What do you actually want from the app?

• Explore MongoDB data
• No query syntax
• No learning aggregation pipelines
• Just ask questions in natural language

That’s the entire spec.

Start with the most annoying part of your workflow

• Remove the friction
• Let AI fill the gaps

Not “ship an MVP.”
Not “validate an idea.”

Solve your own pain so deeply that other developers say:

“Oh thank god, I needed this too.”

Ask yourself before writing code

Why does this app deserve to exist?

Example: MongoDB is great, but exploring it was painful. Aggregation pipelines, Compass tabs, Atlas views… too many steps.

Why: “I want clarity without syntax.”

Once the why is clear, the what becomes obvious.

Building apps in 2025

1. Ask GPT to scaffold your backend
2. Use AI to design your UI
3. Let AI generate validation & types
4. Let AI write Dockerfiles
5. Let AI write text, onboarding, docs
6. Let AI generate fake data
7. Let AI refactor messy code
8. Let AI help debug faster

AI isn’t replacing developers; it’s accelerating them.

Tiny intelligent features that add value

• Natural language input
• Smart suggestions
• Autocomplete
• Anomaly warnings
• Auto‑configuration
• AI‑assisted logs
• One‑click insights

Minimal viable product (v1)

Focus on the core value, not on polish:

• No fancy design
• No animations
• No logo required
• No 20 features
• No full documentation

Your v1 needs one thing: it should work. Everything else is optional.

The Hubble example

Hubble works because intelligence is placed exactly where the frustration was: querying MongoDB.

• 90 % value, 10 % code

The unfair advantage: Ask MongoDB questions in English → see the generated pipeline. Your app needs a similarly clear advantage.

Core principles for building apps in 2025

• Reduce cognitive load
• Use AI to accelerate development
• Solve a problem you feel deeply
• Create clarity
• Ship early
• Iterate in public

Call to action

If you want to build something meaningful this year:

1. Start with something that annoys you.
2. Solve it deeply.
3. Ship it.

Everything else will follow.