Transforming Ideas into Reality
ba.ris.ta is an experimental, vibe-first coding project that blends creativity from making the perfect cup of coffee.
overview
ba.ris.ta was born out of a personal need: the desire to make morning coffee preparation simpler and more enjoyable, especially when you’re not fully awake. By leveraging a “vibe coding” approach—using AI as a creative partner—the app was crafted to be minimalist, intuitive, and deeply integrated with native iOS features.
Native iOS Experience
Built with SwiftUI, barista takes full advantage of Dynamic Island and Live Activities, offering real-time brew timers and contextual updates without needing to unlock the phone. This ensures the app feels natural, seamless, and aligned with the Apple ecosystem.
Design & Development Approach
ba.ris.ta embraced a vibe-first approach, using AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT as co-creators to accelerate iteration and prototyping. Early mockups quickly turned into interactive prototypes, validated with mock data before scaling to real-time sync. Feedback from coffee enthusiasts and TestFlight users shaped recipe navigation and brew journaling into the polished experience.
Results & Impact
Launched on the App Store with strong early feedback. Users highlighted the ease of use, minimalist design, and the intuitive recipe remixing and creation features. The launch validated the power of AI-assisted coding in indie app development, showing that even complex apps — with inventory, journals, and integrations — can be built rapidly with the right workflow.
key takeaway
The barista project showed how AI can act as a true creative partner, speeding up both coding and idea exploration. By embracing device-native features, the app delivered moments of delight while staying deeply usable. Most importantly, the process proved that starting with creativity and AI is powerful, but it’s user feedback and iteration that transform an idea into a product that genuinely meets real needs.