App Development in Just 4 Hours! Student Workshop Held on App Development Using Generative AI and Vibe Coding

Protoout Studio, which conducts practical training to increase the number of "citizen developers" in diverse fields such as retail, healthcare, and food service, held a student workshop titled "App Development Experience with Generative AI x Vibe Coding" at STATION Ai in Nagoya in January 2026, as part of the STAPS student entrepreneur development program hosted by Aichi Prefecture.

This workshop was designed not just to have participants build something and finish, but to ensure they acquire the ability to replicate the process after the workshop by treating generative AI as a development tool. The workshop was a hands-on experience where participants first used "Manus," an autonomous AI agent that thinks, plans, and executes based on user instructions, to quickly create an app. They then used a technique called "vibe coding" to add features and improve the app's prototype.

In a short amount of time, participants went from creating an app from scratch to implementing their own ideas and presenting their results.

▪️ App Development Experience with Generative AI 1. Opening The session began by confirming the overall goals. By aligning the target outcomes at the start, participants could share a common understanding of what they would achieve in these four hours, regardless of their individual backgrounds (experience levels, strengths, and weaknesses). As a result, when participants got stuck, it became easier for them to judge "where they were and what to prioritize," making it easier to ask questions during the hands-on session.

2. First Half of Hands-on: Building a Working Prototype at Maximum Speed In the first half, participants used Manus to build an app capable of saving dates, memos, and photos, and got it running on their smartphones. App development usually requires a certain level of prerequisite knowledge, such as setting up frameworks and peripheral tools. By using Manus for app creation in this workshop, participants were able to produce stable, working apps regardless of their prior knowledge. Before moving on to improvements using the "vibe coding" technique in the second half, everyone had a working app in hand and gained an understanding of "what kind of instructions (prompts) to give the generative AI to change specific parts of the app."

3. Second Half of Hands-on: Feature Addition and Improvement via Vibe Coding In the second half, participants used vibe coding to add features to the apps they created with Manus. Vibe coding is a method where you simply convey vague instructions or intuitive requests (the "vibe"), such as "I want this kind of feature" or "I want this kind of atmosphere," to an AI agent, which then automates the design, implementation, and testing.

Previously, turning an idea into reality required long-term technical study and specialized knowledge. With vibe coding, it is now possible to realize ideas in a short time, allowing anyone to create practical applications.

Through this, we are providing a new experience of "using AI to realize ideas" rather than just "learning technology."

4. Applied Production and Presentation In the final stage, participants presented their work. They didn't just finish the build; they articulated and shared the points they had customized. Students created a variety of apps with unique ideas, such as an app that suggests meal plans for three meals a day for a month using seasonal ingredients. Here, the focus was not on the perfection of the app, but on articulating and sharing "why they created that app or feature," "where they got stuck and how they solved it," and "what they want to do next." By not ending at just building, we believe this hands-on experience can be applied to future generative AI utilization.

▪️ Over 90% Satisfaction! An Experience That Connects to the Participants' Future In a survey conducted after the workshop, we received a high average satisfaction rating of 9.1 out of 10. Here are some of the participants' comments:

- The "Psychological Hurdle" to App Development Was Significantly Lowered A notable change from this training was the feedback that the preconceived notion that "app development is difficult" was overturned. Specifically, participants commented, "I was surprised that the hurdle for app development has dropped this much" and "The hurdle to turning my own ideas into reality has been lowered." It is clear that they felt a change in realizing that "I could actually make something myself."

- Knowledge Turned into Ability Some participants noted, "I knew about vibe coding, but felt there was a hurdle to using it. After experiencing it, I realized I could use it myself," confirming that knowledge was connected to practice. Furthermore, comments like "I can use this for future development" suggest that the learning will lead to future actions rather than ending with the workshop.

- "Interaction" and "Diversity" That Broadened Participants' Perspectives Feedback such as "I was able to interact and help each other with people I met for the first time" and "Many people came alone, and it was good to chat at the end" shows that the workshop functioned as a community experience in addition to learning. Comments like "It was stimulating to have middle and high school students participating" showed that a cross-generational environment enriched the learning experience.

▪️ Value as Corporate Training Designing Learning to Become "Skills Replicable in the Field" Protoout Studio's training is designed so that it doesn't end with the input of knowledge, but ensures participants can take home both "deliverables" and "replicable processes," even within a limited time. What is important in developing DX (Digital Transformation) talent is that the learning gained in training does not end as a one-time experience but becomes a state that can be repeatedly replicated. To enhance this replicability, this training cycles through the following steps in a short time: 1. Hands-on: Build something that works first. 2. Get stuck: Face errors or unexpected issues. 3. Solve: Isolate the cause, fix it, and move forward. 4. Share: Learn from others' ingenuity and sticking points. 5. Reflect: Articulate what to try next.

While using generative AI increases development speed, the quality of the results depends on requirement organization, reviews, and correction operations. In this training, we incorporate generative AI into a form that can be used practically in the future by practicing how humans maintain control over the process. We believe the value of this training lies in creating a state where each participant can perform small-scale prototyping after the session, leading to efficiency improvements and PoCs (Proof of Concepts) for new projects.

Would you like to change your company's digital culture together? At Protoout Studio, we can design corporate training tailored to your goals, such as generative AI utilization, operational efficiency, and DX talent development. If you would like to design training that connects to practical work based on your company's challenges (e.g., on-site automation, RAG utilization, or raising generative AI literacy across departments), please feel free to consult with us.

Event Overview Date: January 10, 2026 (Sat) 13:00–17:00 Venue: STATION Ai (Nagoya) Target: Students currently enrolled in graduate schools, universities, high schools, technical colleges, vocational schools, and junior high schools in Japan and abroad. Capacity: 24 people (offline) Theme: App Development Experience with Generative AI and Vibe Coding

Protoout Studio A prototyping specialty school that simultaneously fosters planning ability, technical skill, and communication power.