Ask HN: Best practices for building front ends with AI assistance?
Jun 08, 2025 - news.ycombinator.com
The author, a backend developer transitioning to full-stack development using Next.js and shadcn-ui, has been leveraging AI coding tools to enhance their frontend skills. While AI assistance has been beneficial for composing existing components, challenges arise when customization is needed, such as when components don't meet design expectations, are absent from the library, or require CSS fine-tuning. The author struggles with CSS and frontend design systems, leading to time-consuming debugging and communication issues with AI-generated code.
The author is contemplating whether these challenges indicate a need for deeper learning in frontend development, particularly in styling and layout, or if they are not effectively collaborating with AI. They question whether their prompts are poorly constructed or if they are missing tools or techniques that could streamline the process.
Key takeaways:
The author is a backend developer transitioning to full-stack development using Next.js and shadcn-ui.
AI coding tools are helpful for composing existing components but fall short when customization is needed.
The author struggles with CSS and frontend design, leading to difficulties in achieving desired component styles.
There is uncertainty about whether to invest more in learning frontend development or improve collaboration with AI tools.
