Northstar

A goal-planning timeline that started as an overcomplicated version of a whiteboard exercise and turned into a sandbox for learning agent-native architecture, vibe coding, and what happens when you let an AI simplify your UI instead of bloating it. Four atomic tools, zero UI libraries, one API endpoint.

Tech Stack

The Challenge

My wife and I plan on whiteboards. The whiteboards get erased. I wanted to learn how to build software, and I didn't want to learn on a problem I hadn't already solved by hand.

The Outcome

A polished planning tool with an AI chat layer that made the interface simpler, not more complex. Focus Mode is the whole point: a clean, exportable visual of your goals and the steps to get there.

Role

Product lead, design, UX iteration, user feedback, architecture decisions, and the occasional direct code edit when it was faster than prompting an AI.

Collaborators

Codex (structure, MVP), Claude Code (architecture, polish), ChatGPT (project coordination)

Timeline

3 evenings