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Your Development Workflow

When you open Specode, you start with a complete healthcare application foundation including all available components. Your job is to shape this foundation into your specific vision. Here’s how successful builders approach it:
1

Explore the Foundation

Start by understanding what you have. Specode provides a fully-functional healthcare app with patient, provider, and admin portals already connected.Review our Components Documentation to understand each component’s capabilities.
2

Define Your Vision

Before making changes, think about who you’re building for and what problem you’re solving.Key questions to answer:
  • Who are your primary users? (e.g., mental health patients aged 18-35)
  • What’s the core service? (e.g., therapy sessions, chronic care management)
  • What’s the main user flow? (e.g., book appointment → intake → video session → follow-up)
Example vision prompt:
I'm building a mental health platform for young adults. 
The main flow is: patient logs in →patient accesses dashboard → patients find therapists 
→ complete intake → schedule video sessions → track mood between sessions.
What components should I focus on?
3

Remove What You Don't Need

Simplify by removing components that don’t serve your vision. Less is often more.Example removal prompts:
Remove the lab results component - we don't handle lab work

Remove the cart, shop, and orders tabs, we won't be using e-commerce.
4

Modify Component Features

Next, customize existing components to match your specific needs.Example: Patient Dashboard Modification
Modify the patient dashboard:
- Hide the "Shop" tab in the header
- Hide the "My Orders" tab in the header
 - Add a section called "Previous Appointments" below the "My Appointments" table
  This section should list the user's previously completed appointments.
Follow-up refinement:
"In the patient dashboard:
- Make the "My Appointments" table display providers in a 3-column format
- Make the "Previous Appointments" section
- Remove the footer, it makes the page excessively long."
Second Follow-up refinement:
"In the patient dashboard:
- The "My Appointments" table is showing providers in a 2-column format, 
not a 3 column format. Please fix this. Also add the footer back."
Third Follow-up refinement:
"Thanks! The providers are now showing in a 3-column format. Can you decrease
 the vertical and horizontal heights and widths, respectively, of each card by 2pt?
5

Apply Branding

Finally, add your visual identity. Save this for last to avoid redoing work.Branding prompt sequence:
Update the color scheme:
- Primary color: #007AFF
- Secondary: #5856D6
- Keep the existing neutral grays

"Add our branding:
- Logo: [upload file]
- Clinic name: "Mindful Health"
- Update email templates with our logo and colors"
Pro Tip: Save major visual changes for the end. It’s easier to iterate on functionality without worrying about maintaining custom styling, and you’ll avoid having to redo design work as components change.

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How to Build Advanced Components

For more complex features that require custom functionality beyond the existing components:
1

Start with the Core Feature

Begin with the basic functionality, then layer on complexity.Initial prompt:
I want to add automated follow-up reminders when providers send 
messages to patients. If a patient doesn't read their provider's 
message within 2 hours, send them a reminder through CometChat.
2

Add the Data Model

Once Specode shows the initial implementation, refine the data requirements.Follow-up prompt:
Add reminder preferences to the patient settings:
- Toggle for chat reminders on/off
- Reminder delay time (default 2 hours, adjustable 30 min to 24 hours)
- Quiet hours (don't send reminders between certain times)
- Track message read status
3

Implement the Webhook Logic

Now add the actual reminder trigger using CometChat webhooks and scheduled jobs.Next prompt:
When a provider sends a message:
1. Set up a CometChat webhook to track message delivery
2. Start a timer based on patient's reminder delay preference
3. Check if message has been read when timer expires
4. If unread and within active hours, send reminder

The reminder should say:
- "You have an unread message from [Provider Name]"
- Include message timestamp
- Mark as system message to differentiate from provider messages
Scheduling reminders: For scheduled reminder checks, you’ll need a cron job service. Consider using cron-job.org - it’s free and simple to set up with your webhook endpoints.
4

Configure CometChat Integration

Set up the CometChat configuration for automated messages.Integration prompt:
Configure CometChat for automated reminders:
- Use the existing CometChat instance
- Create a system bot account for sending reminders
- Bot name: "Care Team Assistant"
- Bot avatar: use our clinic logo
- Messages should appear in the same chat thread but styled differently
5

Handle Edge Cases

Finally, address error handling and special scenarios.Refinement prompt:
Add smart reminder logic:
- Cancel reminder if patient reads message before timer expires
- Don't send reminders for automated system messages
- Maximum one reminder per message (no repeat reminders)
- If patient is currently online, delay reminder by 30 minutes
- Group reminders if multiple unread messages from same provider
Important: Complex features rarely work perfectly on the first try. Build incrementally, test each step, and refine based on what you observe. This iterative approach leads to more robust implementations.
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