Use hallucination as feature for vibe coding
Hallucination isn't always a flaw—it can spark rapid exploration. This post shows how generative models can produce diverse web design concepts in parallel, enabling fast identification of promising directions without getting stuck on early details.
Once strong candidates emerge, the process shifts to lightweight refinement using smaller, cost-efficient models. Demo screenshots illustrate how this approach accelerates convergence toward final designs while keeping the workflow playful and efficient.
To try it out directly, a public playground powered by Gemini is available in this Hugging Face Space. It lets anyone experiment with this vibe coding workflow in real time—no setup required.
1. Hallucinate first, decide later
To begin, the playground asks for a Gemini API Key. This connects your prompt directly to Google's LLMs through Hugging Face's front-end.
Gemini API key input required to start generation.
After that, a prompt is entered—like "a modern portfolio landing page for a visual artist"—along with configuration options: the model type (e.g., Pro) and number of variations (e.g., 4).
Prompt and generation settings using Gemini Pro with 4 variations.
The model generates four distinct layouts. Each explores a different creative angle—some grid-based, some more image-driven, some minimal. This is hallucination as creative breadth.
Four parallel variations appear.
From these, one variation is selected for closer inspection. It appears in an isolated, rendered view, allowing a clearer look before the next iteration.
Selected variation rendered in preview.
💡 Insight: Early hallucination can do what wireframes can’t—inject spontaneity. It removes the burden of intentionality and replaces it with creative emergence.
2. Budget-aware refinement
With a base direction chosen, the next prompt is more specific—perhaps: “make background darker, add a bold CTA, reduce whitespace.” To reduce cost, the model switches to Gemini Flash.
Prompt adjusted; Gemini Flash selected for low-cost refinement.
Only two variations are generated in this round—fewer than before—so feedback loops are tighter and more focused.
Two variations generated with refined prompt.
One is selected and reviewed in isolation to ensure the design is evolving in the desired direction.
Second-round variation selected and displayed.
💡 Insight: Great results don’t always need powerful models—just good timing. Use strong models to explore, light models to converge.
3. Converge and extract
The third iteration uses a similar approach: a concise, focused prompt with the Flash model and two variations.
Refinement continues with Flash and tighter prompt.
The outputs are now visually aligned, well-balanced, and ready to be finalized.
Final variations with clear layout structure.
One of them is picked as the final design.
Final version selected for export.
💡 Insight: Convergence is not about picking the best—it’s about committing to one and making it better.
4. Export clean code and keep building
The selected design can now be exported. The tool outputs cleanly separated HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files, each downloadable or copyable.
Code separated by language and ready for download.
These files are ready to be opened in professional tools like Cursor or VS Code, where the hallucination ends and structured coding begins—adding interactions, responsiveness, or connecting to APIs.
Editable output ready for continued development.
💡 Insight: Good tools don’t replace developers—they accelerate momentum toward focused creation.
Try it yourself
You can try this exact workflow in the Gemini Max Playground. It’s fast, free, and runs in your browser:
- Start with a creative prompt.
- Generate multiple hallucinated variations.
- Narrow down and refine with Flash.
- Export clean code and keep building.
Final Thought
Hallucination in code generation often gets a bad name—but it can be one of the most valuable creative assets in early-stage ideation. By treating randomness as raw material rather than waste, vibe coding turns chaos into clarity, and imagination into iteration.
🎯 Lesson: Use the LLM for its strengths—not to be perfect, but to be prolific. Then step in as the editor, not the author.
Beyond Web Design
While this post focuses on web design, the underlying principle—rapid exploration of randomness—can apply to many domains. Imagine similar workflows embedded in all coding tools: a one-click way to hallucinate multiple plausible options for a function, a layout, or even a data pipeline.
🤔 What if randomness wasn’t feared in code, but tamed, shaped, and reused like any other asset?
This becomes especially important in real-world development, where requirements are rarely 100% complete. Hallucination may be dangerous when precision is required—but vibe coding embraces gradual refinement, where underspecified parts are expected, and generative AI must actively fill in the gaps.
In that world, hallucination isn't just useful—it’s essential. And tools that support structured, efficient exploration of hallucinated variations might soon become core components of modern developer workflows.
💡 Let the AI dream wildly at first. Your job is to help it wake up into something real.