NonDev Apps

Day 01 of 10

Define your idea

Goal: Get clear on who this is for, what it helps with, and what words will go on the page. (~45 min)

Today is the slow thinking day, and that is a good thing. You are taking the fuzzy idea in your head and turning it into something a stranger can understand fast. If you skip this and rush into design, you usually end up with a page that looks fine but says nothing clearly.

What to do

01

Write the idea in one sentence

Describe the idea in plain English: who it is for, what it helps them do, and why they would care.

02

Name the audience and the problem

Write down exactly who this is for, what they are trying to achieve, and what is stopping them right now.

03

Copy this Day 1 prompt into Claude or ChatGPT

Paste one strong prompt instead of asking in fragments. Fill in the brackets, then save the answer somewhere easy to reuse tomorrow.

I am a non-technical beginner creating a validation landing page. My rough idea is: [PASTE IDEA]. Please help me turn this into a clear landing page message. Give me: 1. A one-sentence version of the idea 2. A clear audience description 3. The main problem they want solved 4. 3 headline options 5. 3 subheadline options 6. 3 CTA button options 7. 5 benefit bullets Rules: - Use plain English - Keep it specific, not hypey - Write for beginners - If my idea is too vague, ask me up to 3 clarifying questions first - Format the final answer so I can copy it into my landing page notes
04

Ask Claude for headline options

Use Claude to generate 3 headlines, 3 subheadlines, and 3 calls to action based on the idea.

05

Pick one headline and CTA

Choose the strongest pair and commit to it. Do not keep five versions around.

06

Draft the benefit bullets

List 3 to 5 benefits or outcomes that make the offer feel useful, specific, and believable.

07

Save the final copy block

Open a Google Doc (docs.google.com → Blank) or a Notion page and paste everything in. Label each section clearly: Headline, Subheadline, Benefits, CTA, FAQ. Save the link somewhere easy to find — you will copy from it tomorrow.

08

Set up your tools before Day 2

Day 2 is where you start building. Do this now so you do not hit a wall first thing tomorrow. You need four things — each takes about 2 minutes to set up. 1. Claude (claude.ai) — You already used this today. Stay logged in. 2. Cursor (your code editor) — Go to cursor.com, click Download, install it like any normal app. Open it once to confirm it works. Cursor is a free code editor that has AI built in — it is the simplest way for a non-developer to build and edit code. 3. GitHub Desktop — Go to desktop.github.com, download and install it. Then go to github.com and create a free account. Open GitHub Desktop and sign in with that account. You will use this tomorrow to save checkpoints of your work. 4. Netlify — Go to netlify.com and sign up for a free account. Use "Sign up with GitHub" so it is already connected. Do not deploy anything yet — just create the account. You will use this on Day 4 to put your page on a real URL.

Expected result

You have one clear message block you can actually use tomorrow: the offer, the headline, the CTA, and the supporting copy in one place. Your tools are installed and ready so you can start building immediately on Day 2.

Common mistake

Trying to sound clever before getting clear. If the idea is blurry, the page will be blurry too.

What you learned

  • The words come before the layout. If the message is weak, design will not rescue it.
  • AI is useful for rewrites and options, but it cannot decide your idea for you.
  • Your headline and CTA matter more than almost everything else on the page.

Tomorrow

Day 2 - you turn the copy into a real landing page. Before you add anything else, you will have a working page skeleton on screen.

Day 1 - Define your idea - 5-Day AI Website Launch Challenge - NonDev Apps — NonDev Apps