In the age of Lovable, ChatGPT and vibecoding, strategy can feel like a luxury. With a single prompt, a tool can generate a mockup, a feature, even a fully working website. The speed is dazzling. But there’s a growing risk we fixate on output: “Look, our new app is live.” The fundamental questions fade, such as: why are we building this, what outcomes do we want, and which direction are we taking.
That’s where the danger lies. Without strategy, every launch is directionless.
AI as catalyst, not as destination
Let’s be clear: AI isn’t our enemy. At icapps, our teams experiment daily with tools like Gemini, Figma Make and Lovable. Not only because it’s fun, but also because they’re genuinely inspiring. Designers suffering from the blank canvas syndrome can visualize a first idea with a single prompt. Prototypes can be made faster and our clients get meaningful feedback moments earlier in the process.
AI can also act as a kind of sparring partner throughout the design and development cycle. It can surface small improvements, suggest alternative directions, or take care of repetitive tasks so teams have more space to focus on the real strategic questions.
In short, AI lowers the barrier to start. It brings speed, inspiration and efficiency. What it doesn’t bring is direction. These tools often deliver the lowest common denominator: ‘good enough’, but rarely distinctive. If you’re not crystal clear on where you’re headed, you risk spinning in circles, with the AI tool producing results that do not fully meet your (or your users’) expectations.
Why output without outcome is a dead end
Building digital products has never been easier. Which means that the act of ‘creating a digital product’ is losing its value. You can make a difference by knowing why you are creating something and how it fits into the bigger picture.
Take financial services, for example. With today’s AI tools, any organisation can launch a new app in a matter of days. But does that make one app more relevant than another? No. Real impact only happens when you translate your business strategy into your digital solution.
Moreover, AI-generated code remains a partial black box. Without the right expertise and rigorous reviews, you lose control. How does the system behave in integrations? What about security requirements? And what will happen to your application in the future? Is it scalable and future-proof?
That’s why at icapps, we don’t start from the output, but from the outcome. What do you want to achieve with your platform, app or website? How will it contribute to your organisation, serve your end users, and run on a robust, secure technological foundation? At icapps we balance those three pillars - business, user and technology - every time. We take a proactive approach to avoid bugs and optimize product/market fit, rather than waiting for problems to occur and then fixing them.
Strategy is definitely not dead
Without strategy, you get what we call ‘vanilla flavour’: a product that looks fine, but barely stands out. With strategy, you get digital solutions that are technically and functionally solid and perfectly aligned with your organisation and your end users.
Strategy isn’t a slide deck or a casual brainstorm. It’s a thorough exploration that sets direction. At icapps we look at:
The organisation: what are the objectives, challenges and ambitions? What does the market look like?
The end users: what frustrations and needs do they experience, and how can a digital product solve them?
The technology: what is feasible, scalable and secure, and how does it connect to existing systems?
We translate those insights into a digital blueprint: a concrete plan of screens, flows and architecture. From there, we build a roadmap to define what we tackle first, what comes next, and how we keep delivering value step by step.
This way of working avoids launching a one-hit wonder today that may be outdated tomorrow. Strategy ensures that your digital product grows with your business and is ready for the future.
AI as sparring partner
Do we set AI aside at icapps? Definitely not. We use AI tools at three key moments:
Inspiration: moving from a blank canvas to first concepts.
Conceptualisation: making ideas tangible via wireframes or rough prototypes.
Optimisation: refining or validating existing solutions.
Always with human judgement as the final filter. AI is our sparring partner, not the director. That’s how we combine the speed of tools with the depth of strategic thinking.
Ready to put strategy first?
Before you start building, ask yourself the right questions. Our Development readiness scan helps you uncover the critical considerations for your product.
