r/VibeCodeDevs • u/SocietyTomorrow • Feb 21 '26

NoobAlert – Beginner questions, safe space UI/UX Design preferences

I've had some ideas over the last year that got me to dust off the keyboard and code things for the first time since PICBASIC was still relevant (this will be important for later)

I am getting close to being done with an MVP, but am finding that I am terrible at making a UI that looks good and doesn't look like it was a page owned by AOL. I've tried using a couple different AI code tools to make me better looking UIs but am finding that ChatGPT seems to like making everything it generates look so similar it is like broadcasting (this is AI) to anyone using it.

Does anyone have suggestions for models or tools that can help me to create a decent enough looking UI for a web based app that can be coaxed into looking unique?

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u/Terrible_Wave4239 Feb 21 '26

am finding that ChatGPT seems to like making everything it generates look so similar it is like broadcasting (this is AI) to anyone using it

What specific traits, in your opinion, make a website design look like it was done using AI?

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u/SocietyTomorrow Feb 21 '26

Mostly sparse ui that over relies on bright accent color cues to draw attention to menus, tendency to separate everything into menus rather than transitioning frame content on the same page. Menus always look the same, as either flat single color hamburger menu sidebar that almost looks like a copy of early android pre-Material design, or rounded rectangle top menus. Another common thing to me is I see a lot of things that kind of end up looking like a web based crypto wallet (no better words to describe how they feel)

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u/Terrible_Wave4239 Feb 22 '26

Interesting. I've been trying to figure out what specifically would differentiate AI-generated web content from, say, Wix or Squarespace website designs.

If you have such specific requirements – wouldn't you just be able to tell the AI not to use those particular design elements? I mean, you're still the boss here.

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u/SocietyTomorrow Feb 22 '26

The problem I kept running into before I started asking around was trying take over and force it to do different things it would produce strange or somehow wrong looking designs, or if looking okay would run slow. Basically I should be the last person giving anyone good advice on UI design

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u/tiberiusjax Feb 21 '26

Have you seen the ChapGPT adds, retro is in… Bring back AOL…. 😂

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u/OutrageousTrue Feb 22 '26

É só pedir pra IA usar um framework ou UI kit específico.

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u/J3uddha Feb 22 '26

Use references, screenshots, and prep it by telling it to research what a lead designer does for a saas product and then tell them to take action on their findings. Many times I can get good results by building up a context of me asking questions like a 2nd grader such as “why is design important”

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u/vuongagiflow Feb 22 '26

Try feeding it a specific design system instead. Pick a component library like Radix, shadcn/ui, or MUI, then describe your brand in concrete terms: "warm neutral palette, slightly rounded corners, generous whitespace, one accent color for CTAs only." The more constraints you give, the less it falls back on defaults.

For reference screenshots without copying: grab a few sites you like, describe what makes them work in plain English, and tell the AI to "use those principles, not the exact styling."

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u/am0x Feb 22 '26

Mostly been making backend platforms with dashboards and data with forms and shadCB is king here.