FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS

Hey, I'm Luke, founder of Centercode. This was a fun solo weekend project. I'm a product person at heart who still loves building things — this was my way of scratching a creative itch to compliment my day job.

Years ago, a fellow CEO mentioned he'd written a "user manual" for himself to share with his team — a document explaining how he works best, his communication style, his pet peeves. I loved the concept and sat down numerous times to write my own, but was never happy with the result. AI changed that. Instead of just writing one for myself, I built a tool so anyone can create one.

Glad you asked. Here's the full ingredient list:

Plus a healthy amount of caffeine and a refusal to stop tweaking things.

100% of the code was written by AI. Not a single line was typed by hand. If that's your definition of vibecoding, then sure.

But I think vibecoding is a fine term for throwaway things that serve short-term purposes — prototypes, experiments, one-offs. When the goal is to build something that provides real, long-term value? That's something different. This project was shaped by hundreds of deliberate prompts — many of them pages long — each one informed by hundreds of hours of learning how to communicate with AI effectively, all built on 25 years of hands-on experience in engineering, UX, and product development. The product you're using looks nothing like the first few versions, even though the whole evolution happened in a matter of days. Everything is accelerated now. But the judgment driving it isn't.

I don't think there's a great name for this yet. I think of it as AI-engineering — using AI as a powerful tool within a deeply experienced workflow, not as a replacement for one. The difference between vibecoding and AI-engineering is the same difference between asking someone to "make me a website" and knowing exactly what to ask for, why, and what good looks like when you see it.

I genuinely believe this is the future of software development. Not AI replacing builders — but builders who understand their craft getting dramatically more capable with AI as a partner. The expertise doesn't go away. It becomes leverage.

Centercode is a user testing platform that helps technology companies build better products by connecting them with real-world testers. Since 2001, brands like Apple, Google, Amazon, Salesforce, Intel, AMD, Cisco, AT&T, T-Mobile, BT, Roku, Sonos, Oura, Peloton, GoPro, FedEx, HP, Verizon, Qualtrics, and hundreds of other technology companies have used Centercode to run user testing programs that catch issues, validate ideas, and ship products people actually love. Think of it as the bridge between the people building products and the people using them.

Centercode's mission has always been to remove friction — specifically the friction between companies and their users. My Manual applies that same philosophy to the friction between teammates. Great products come from great teams, and great teams come from people who understand each other. Different problem, same DNA.

Centercode Labs is a free, growing collection of interactive web apps for product teams. Part "tools" that solve real problems (like generating beta announcements), part "toys" that celebrate the culture of product work (like arcade-style sprint games). Labs started as an internal hackathon and grew into something the team wanted to share with the world. My Manual is the latest addition to the collection.

Visit centercode.com to see the platform, or check out the blog for product development insights from the team. If your company builds technology products and you want to hear how real users feel about them before launch, that's exactly what Centercode is for. Say hi — we'd love to chat.

It's a playful, retro-styled document that tells your coworkers how to work best with you — your communication style, your operating hours, your superpowers, your pet peeves, what motivates you, and more. Instead of colleagues figuring you out through trial and error, you hand them a beautifully designed operating guide.

Nope. You can fill out the entire calibration questionnaire and generate a manual preview without signing in. You'll only need a Google account when you want to save, publish, or share your manual.

Most people finish the questionnaire in 10–15 minutes. AI generation takes a few seconds. So from "what is this?" to "here's my manual" is about the length of a coffee break.

Yes — you must be 18 or older. This is designed for workplace professionals, not school projects (though we appreciate the enthusiasm).

The core sections are: Basics (name, title, company), Performance Specs (your superpowers and expertise), Operating Hours (when and how you work), Communication (how you prefer to connect), Collaboration (feedback, motivators, pet peeves), Learning & Growth (how you develop), and Beyond Work (hobbies, fun facts, how you recharge).

If you manage others, you'll also see Leadership Style and Team Development. If you report to someone, you'll see Support Preferences. Up to 9 sections total, tailored to your role.

Only the Basics section is required (name, job title, company, and whether you manage or report to someone). Everything else is optional — but the more you share, the richer your manual becomes.

Yes. Your answers are automatically saved to your browser as you type. Close the tab, grab lunch, come back tomorrow — your progress will be right where you left it. No sign-in required to save progress.

Section navigation. Click any tab to jump to that section, or use your keyboard's left/right arrow keys. Checkmarks appear when a section is complete.

When you click "Generate Manual," your answers are sent to OpenAI's API. The AI transforms your responses into warm, conversational narrative — section content, quick reference tips, compatibility notes, and even an AI collaboration prompt you can paste into ChatGPT or Claude so they understand your work style.

No. We use OpenAI's API (not the consumer ChatGPT product), which means your data is processed for generation only and is not used for model training. See our privacy policy for the full details.

You can generate up to 10 manuals per 30 minutes. If you hit the limit, you'll see a countdown telling you when you can try again. This prevents abuse while keeping the service free for everyone.

While the AI works its magic, you'll see playful typewriter-animated status messages cycling through — complete with optional typewriter sound effects (which you can mute). There are 20 different messages. Collecting them all is not a feature, but we won't stop you from trying.

A themed cover, an inside cover with your initials, a table of contents, one page per section you filled out, and four appendices: Quick Reference Card (dos and don'ts), AI Collaboration Prompt (paste into ChatGPT/Claude), Compatibility Notes (who works well with you), and Meeting Protocol (meeting dos and don'ts).

Yes. Toggle Edit Mode to make inline changes to any section content, tips, or appendix text. Edits are saved immediately. Your manual has a version number that tracks both regenerations (major version) and edits (minor version) — just like real software.

You'll see a warning that regenerating will replace your custom edits. Your previous version is saved to your history before anything is overwritten, and the major version number increments.

Yes — choose from 10 options in the "Beyond Work" section of the calibration: Standard Issue, Classic Edition, Executive, Field Edition, Vintage, Creative Series, Stealth, Technical Blue, Engineering, and Limited Edition. Each one sets the mood for your entire manual.

On mobile, your manual is displayed as a scrollable vertical layout instead of the page-flipping flipbook. Same content, optimized for smaller screens and touch interaction.

You can download it as a Markdown file that includes all sections and appendices. Great for pasting into a README, wiki, or onboarding doc.

First, publish it using the "Publish & Share" button. Then share via the Share button (which uses your phone's native share sheet on mobile, or copies the link on desktop), copy the direct URL, or let someone scan the QR code on the back cover.

A Draft manual is completely private — even with the URL, visitors will see a 404 page. A Published manual is viewable by anyone who has the link.

Every manual gets a short code URL (like /AB12CD). You can also enable a vanity URL that uses your name and company (like /jane-smith-acme). Toggle it on for easy sharing, or off for more privacy. Your call.

Yes. When you unpublish, you can also choose to remove it from other people's bookshelves. Full control.

Your personal library. It shows your own manual plus any teammates' manuals you've saved. Think of it as a growing reference collection of operating guides for the people you work with.

When viewing any published manual, click "Add to Bookshelf." You'll need to be signed in. It's like bookmarking, but better-looking.

Yes — drag and drop to arrange them however you like. Your custom order is saved automatically. Put your closest collaborators front and center.

No. Only the original owner can edit their manual. Adding it to your bookshelf just gives you easy access to read it anytime.

Only what you explicitly provide: your Google account info (name, email, profile picture) for sign-in, your questionnaire answers, and the AI-generated manual content. No advertising trackers, no third-party marketing cookies. Full details in our Privacy Policy.

Before sign-in, everything stays in your browser's local storage. After sign-in, your data is stored in a Neon Postgres database. The app is hosted on Vercel. AI generation uses OpenAI's API. All US-based services.

Yes. There's a "Delete Account" option on your Bookshelf page. This permanently removes your account, manual, and bookshelf items within 30 days. All browser data is cleared immediately. No guilt trips, no dark patterns.

Only people you share the link with (when published). Draft manuals are completely invisible to anyone but you. You control everything through publish/unpublish and vanity URL settings.

Your progress is saved in your browser's local storage. If you cleared your browser data, used a different browser, or switched devices, unsaved progress may be lost. Signing in is the best way to ensure your data persists everywhere.

You've generated more than 10 manuals in the last 30 minutes. Wait for the countdown timer shown in the error message, then try again. Think of it as a mandatory coffee break.

The owner may have unpublished their manual, set it to draft, or the link might be mistyped. Reach out to the manual owner to verify.

The flipbook automatically scales based on your browser window height. Try maximizing your window or increasing your viewport size. On very small screens, the app switches to the scrollable layout instead.

Currently, Google is the only sign-in option. We went with simplicity for this release — no passwords to manage, no email verification flows. Just click and go.

That's the Hype Music player — 25 satirical corporate-themed tracks for your calibration enjoyment. "10x," "Force Multiplier," "Basic Facts" — you get the vibe. It's there for fun. Ignore it, or crank it up. We don't judge.