Lesson 1 - Getting Started with Claude for Building Apps
Learn what Claude is, set up your environment, and write your first app-building prompt that produces a runnable starter project.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- ✓Understand what Claude is and what 'AI-assisted product building' means for non-programmers
- ✓Set up the minimum environment required to follow the course (accounts/tools)
- ✓Write and refine a first 'app-building prompt' that produces a runnable starter project
Videos
What Claude Is (and Isn't) for Building Products
Clarifies Claude's strengths and limitations, and how to think about it as a building partner for non-programmers.
Duration: 7 minutes
Setup Checklist: Accounts, Workspace, and Safety Basics
Walks through required accounts/tools and safe practices for working with AI-generated code.
Duration: 5 minutes
Your First Build Prompt: From Idea → Starter App Plan
Demonstrates a prompt structure that yields a project plan, file list, and step-by-step build instructions. Uses the actual 02Ship platform as a real-world example.
Duration: 8 minutes
Key Concepts
Real-World Example: Building the 02Ship Platform
Prompt Skeleton for Beginners
Example Prompt: Building 02Ship
Key Definitions
Common Mistakes & Pitfalls
❌ Being too vague
'Make me an app' gives poor results. Be specific about the problem and user.
❌ Accepting the first response
Always iterate at least once; ask Claude to improve or clarify.
❌ Not reading outputs
Running code without understanding what it does can cause problems.
❌ Overcomplicating the first project
Start with something tiny (1-2 features max).
Exercises
Exercise 1: Analyze the 02Ship Requirements
20 minutesStudy the actual requirements document that started this platform. Identify what makes it a good (or improvable) project brief.
Expected Output:
Notes document containing: What's clear in the requirements, what's missing, what questions you'd ask to clarify
Success Criteria:
- •Identified at least 3 things that are clear (e.g., target audience, components needed)
- •Identified at least 2 things that need clarification (e.g., specific features, design preferences)
- •Listed 3-5 questions you would ask before building
Exercise 2: Write Your First Claude Build Prompt
25 minutesUsing the 02Ship example as reference, write a complete prompt for your own app idea (or practice by rewriting the 02Ship prompt in your own words).
Expected Output:
A saved prompt document ready to paste into Claude
Success Criteria:
- •All four sections filled in (goal, constraints, tech, success criteria)
- •Includes 'ask clarifying questions first'
- •Specific enough that another person could understand your app idea
- •Inspired by but not identical to the 02Ship example
Exercise 3: Run Your Prompt and Capture Outputs
45 minutesPaste your prompt into Claude, answer any clarifying questions, and capture the results. Compare Claude's response to what actually got built for 02Ship.
Expected Output:
Document containing: Your prompt, Claude's clarifying questions + your answers, project plan Claude generated, observations comparing to the real 02Ship platform
Open-ended exploration: Reflect on what surprised you about Claude's response. What did Claude suggest that matches 02Ship? What was different? What would you do next?
Lesson Reflection
Take a moment to reflect on what you've learned:
- 1. After seeing how 02Ship was built with Claude, what surprised you most about the process?
- 2. Looking at the 02Ship requirements, what would you ask Claude differently to get better results?
- 3. What part of using Claude felt most unclear: setup, prompting, or understanding outputs?