Brainstorming, validating, and prototyping new ideas with an AI co-pilot — plus the real problem that sparked my latest app.
Starting a new project can be exciting, but also overwhelming. Whether it’s building an app, launching a blog, or crafting a marketing strategy, the initial spark can suddenly feel like you’re staring up a huge mountain. Where do you start?
As a former full-time programmer, one of the best pieces of advice I’ve used from other seasoned professionals is to break down what you want to do into smaller pieces. In the past for product development, I’d lean on a business plan to figure out what I wanted in the product. A business plan felt like a barrier to entry, especially when you’re not a writer….like me. Alot of my ideas would go unrealized, and not worked on at all.
Today, with the dawn of AI language model, every time I have an half baked idea, I open up ChatGPT. Not to ask if it’s a good idea, but to help me shape it. It can also push a business plan in minutes versus weeks to months.
In this post, I’ll share how I use ChatGPT to brainstorm, validate, and prototype new projects — and give a sneak peek into the latest idea that I’m quietly building.
Section 1: Just getting started
The hardest part of any project is often just getting started. When I have a fresh idea or a vague concept, I’ll pull up ChatGPT to bounce off ideas. I’ll throw out my initial thoughts and ask for suggestions, alternative angles, or even feedback. The best part? ChatGPT doesn’t judge. Unlike friends who might hesitate to be blunt or might discourage you, ChatGPT simply generates possibilities and pushes your thinking forward. So it’s perfect for expanding your horizons without fear of criticism.
I don’t use it to ask if an idea is valid. On the contrary, it’ll act like a creative partner, helping me refine my thoughts, stress-test assumptions, and even map out the early stages of execution. It gives me just enough momentum to move from an “interesting thought” to “let me actually build this.”
Section 2: The Problem with Ideas
- Ideas feel exciting at first, but we often lose momentum.
- Why does this happen to you?
- For me, I have the squirrel effect. I chase new ideas before finishing the old ones. This journey is to prove to myself that I can actually finish a project from idea to distribution.
- It’s hard to know what to build, what tools to use, and whether it’ll be useful.
- ChatGPT acts like a sounding board, thought partner, and a mini co-founder all at once.
For me, coming up with ideas is the easy part— the real challenge is knowing what to do with them. It often starts with a personal problem that I want to solve. But even that can be misleading – just because something bothers me doesn’t mean it’s worth building a solution around it.
It’s easy to get hyped up on an idea, even to the point of being delusional, but it’s important to ask the following grounding questions:
- Does this actually solve a problem, a real pain point that many people have?
- Has anyone already tried to solve it?
If there’s no competition, I wonder if that’s a red flag — maybe the problem isn’t widespread enough to matter. Or it could also mean I’ve spotted something others haven’t yet.
If there is competition, that’s actually a good thing. It usually means people care.
The idea I’ll reveal below does have competition.
Then I try to figure out:
- Is there a different angle I can take?
- Why would someone pick my version over what’s already out there?
- Or… maybe it’s not worth pursuing — because the space is already crowded, or the competition is too strong.
I don’t use ChatGPT to get a final answer — I use it to explore. I use the same questions above to help me get different perspectives. To see if the idea is worth going deeper on.
Sometimes, that process gives me the push to keep going.
Other times, it helps me set the idea down without guilt — or even reformulate it into something better/different. Either way, it makes me feel like I’m doing something with the idea — not just letting it rot in my internal idea graveyard, waiting to rise again like a zombie at 3 a.m.
Section 3: This is my Problem — and the Idea That Followed
I’ve always loved wearing colored contact lenses. I’m not particularly adventurous with hair color, makeup, jewelry, or nails — but when it comes to my eyes, I go all in. I’ve always loved the shape of my eyes and my natural color, my go to dark browns that often looks black in distance or in low light or a warm luscious coffee in sunlight.
Sometimes, if I angle my phone just right, my eyes can even capture a reflection of the world I’m looking at — like the steel gray of a cloudless day.
I’ve bought all kinds of shades, mostly in the green, brown, and hazel family. They’re my little style secret — a subtle but striking way to shift my look or my mood. And when I’m not wearing lenses, I love switching things up with a pair of funky glasses frames. My eyes have always been my favorite canvas on myself.
But I have a terrible habit: I never write down when I open a new pair of contact lenses.
I’ll pop them in, go about my day, and before I know it, I’ve been wearing the same lenses way past their recommended lifespan — to the point where my vision goes from crystal clear to suddenly blurry. When I take them out, my eyes are still hazy and irritated until the next morning.
After researching, what I’m experiencing is known as lens overwear and corneal hypoxia — a condition where the cornea doesn’t get enough oxygen, often caused by overworn or outdated lenses. It’s uncomfortable, scary, but entirely avoidable on my part.
And that’s when the idea hit me.
Section 4: The solution – Contact Lens Reminder App
What if there was a simple app designed specifically to remind me exactly when to replace my lenses?
The app wouldn’t just be a calendar alert — it would understand different lens types, track the exact day I start a pair, and send me personalized SMS or email reminders. Plus, it could link directly to my preferred vendor for easy reordering, so I never run out.
I started by asking ChatGPT to help me brainstorm features, plan the database structure, and the tech stack to start out with. All of which are pain points as a programmer. It made the whole process feel less daunting and helped me move faster.
My first iteration:
Section 5: Final Thoughts
ChatGPT isn’t a magic bullet that replaces creativity or hard work — but it’s a powerful accelerator for early-stage projects. Sometimes, all it takes is one simple sentence to spark your creativity and get your ideas flowing. For me, it was:
Create a contact lens app that reminds people to change out (when to throw them out) their contact lenses
ChatGPT won’t build the app for you like tools such as Manus might, but it can help you get started by organizing your idea — or even writing the prompts you can use in beginner-friendly tools like Lovable or Replit.
If you’ve ever felt stuck staring at a blank page or unsure how to move forward with an idea, try plugging it in ChatGPT as your brainstorming buddy, research assistant, and first-draft writer.
For programmers, it can help broaden your horizons by exploring different tech stacks or platforms. And for those who haven’t used ChatGPT much—or haven’t used it this way—it can open new doors in how you approach your projects.
It just might change how you approach your projects forever.
PS: 📣 CTA (Call to Action)
If you’re an early adopter who wears contacts:
I’m currently building the MVP — and I’d love feedback. Want early access? Drop your email here:
If you’re building something too:
Or maybe you’ve built something completely non-AI-related right from your desk?
I’d love to hear what you’re working on — and yes, this is your moment to drop a shameless plug. I’m all ears. 👂
Whether you’re building with no-code tools, crafting something clever on your workbench, or launching a product into the void — I want to hear about it. Email me.
Calling all DIYers, indie hackers, and solopreneurs:
Let’s build in quieter company and promote our product launches.
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