From the 6 Phases of Vibe Coding
Phase 3 — Interactive Content Sites
When a page needs to react. Calculators, quizzes, generators, teardowns — content that changes based on what the visitor does.
Key takeaways
- The interaction IS the content. Don't bolt a widget onto an essay — start with the widget.
- State lives in one place. URL, local storage, or database. Pick one and stop losing user work.
- Share the result. Every interactive tool should produce something the user wants to send to a friend.
- Design for the empty state. What the user sees before they touch anything is the whole product.
## Why Phase 3 exists
Phase 2 sites inform. Phase 3 sites transform — you arrive as one version of yourself and leave as another. A cost estimator, an idea validator, a teardown of your own landing page, a quiz that recommends a stack. This is where vibe coding starts to feel magic: the AI writes the logic, you write the *feel*.
The bar is higher than it looks. An interactive tool that half-works is worse than a static page — visitors remember friction longer than they remember content.
The three moves that matter
Start from the payoff. What does the user get in the last screen? A number? A recommendation? A shareable card? Build that screen first, then work backwards to what inputs it needs. Most vibe coders do the opposite and end up with a form that produces nothing worth reading.
Pick a state model and stick to it. URL params for shareability. Local storage for continuity. Database for accounts. Mixing them creates ghost data and lost sessions. On DreamViber, the utilities keep everything in URL params — refresh proof, share proof, back-button proof.
Design the empty state like it''s the hero. Nine out of ten visitors bounce before they touch anything. If the tool looks alive at rest — sample results, an animated illustration, a "try this input" chip — you double engagement.
The mistakes I keep making
Building the calculator engine before deciding what the answer means. Producing walls of numbers when one big number would do. Forgetting to make the result copyable, tweetable, or link-shareable — the tool exists to be sent, not just used. Skipping the loading state and shipping a UI that looks broken for two seconds.
Prompt of record
> Build an interactive *[tool type]* with these inputs: *[list]*. The output is a single result card with *[main number/recommendation]*, three supporting details, and a "Copy result" button. Show a sample result on first load — do not gate behind a form submit. All state in URL query params so the result is shareable. Include an empty state with a "Try this" example input.
That framing has produced every utility on DreamViber and half the tools on Marketing Hacked.
Adapted from highcaliberai.com.