Vibe Coding Jam
Software as a Medium for Expressing Ideas
University of Richmond Innovation Studio • 2 Hours
Build interactive web experiences using natural language and AI tools—no traditional coding experience required.
Workshop Structure (2 Hours)
Part 1: The Gap (15 min)
- What's currently possible vs. what people think is possible
- Examples of static vs. interactive content
- The new mental model
Part 2: Build Your First Thing (30 min)
- Live demo: LinkedIn profile → professional website
- Learn the build loop: Describe → Generate → Refine → Deploy
- Everyone follows along
Part 3: Your Idea, Your Terms (60 min)
- Build something meaningful from your own domain
- Psychology? Interactive study results
- History? Timeline with primary sources
- Business? Market analysis dashboard
- English? Annotated digital edition
Part 4: What Just Happened (15 min)
- Reframe the experience
- Understanding legitimacy as build artifact
- What's now possible for you
Come Prepared
Required
- Your laptop (Mac, Windows, or Linux all work)
- A free account on Claude.ai or ChatGPT
- Something you want to express (or just bring curiosity)
Optional but helpful
- LinkedIn profile (for the demo exercise)
- An idea you've wanted to build but thought was too technical
- Text editor (VS Code, Sublime, even Notepad works)
We provide: WiFi, workspace, snacks, and example code you can fork
Workshop Tools
AI Assistants (pick one, free tier works)
Text Editors (you probably already have one)
- VS Code (recommended)
- Sublime Text
- Even Notepad/TextEdit works
Hosting Options (we'll cover several)
- GitHub Pages (free, permanent)
- Netlify Drop (free, drag-and-drop)
- Vercel (free tier)
Libraries We Might Use
- Chart.js (for visualizations)
- Tailwind CSS (for styling)
- Basic HTML/CSS/JavaScript
Resources Stay Live
All materials remain available at this URL indefinitely:
- Complete presentation content
- Example code you can fork and modify
- Links to tools and libraries
- Additional learning resources
Want to Go Deeper?
Workshop Leader
Kyle Johnson
- Former Meta Senior Data Scientist (FAIR AI Research Lab)
- Columbia University (CS + Statistics)
- Founder, Monument Labs
- Richmond-based AI educator and builder
Kyle specializes in "vibe coding"—using AI tools to rapidly prototype and ship functional products. He's built AI-powered platforms for call center QA, customer research, and data storytelling. He teaches this approach because he believes the barrier between ideas and implementation has fundamentally collapsed.