Phase 1: The Tool Landscape · 15 min · Lovable · v0 · Bolt.new

The Decision Matrix

The right tool isn't the most powerful one. It's the one that matches your project, your comfort, and your timeline.

Real-world application: What changes when you use this: you can pick the right tool for a project in 2 minutes instead of 2 hours — which means you start building sooner and waste less time on setup.

What you will learn

Use a decision matrix to pick the right tool category based on three factors
Understand when to switch tools mid-project
Recognize the cost of using the wrong tool category
Make tool decisions confidently without second-guessing

Objective

Your mission

Apply a 3-factor decision matrix to your 3 scoped projects (from Phase 00, Lesson 03) and pick a specific tool for each. Output: tool_decision_record.md.

You need: Your project_scoping.md from Phase 00. A text editor.

Time: 15 minutes.

Step 1: learn the three factors (3 min)

Factor 1: Project Complexity

Simple (landing page, calculator, list app) → Browser app builder
Medium (multiple pages, forms, some state) → Browser app builder first, switch to IDE-native if needed
Complex (existing codebase, multi-file features, backend) → Terminal agent or IDE-native

Factor 2: Deployment Needs

Need a live URL now → Browser app builder (built-in deploy)
Need local development first → Terminal agent or IDE-native
Need to deploy to a specific platform → Terminal agent or IDE-native

Factor 3: Technical Comfort

Browser-only, no terminal → Browser app builder
Basic terminal commands → IDE-native
Comfortable with terminal, git, project structure → Terminal agents

The cost of the wrong tool
Using a browser builder for a complex existing codebase: you can't import the project, you can't make targeted changes, you regenerate everything and lose existing work. Using a terminal agent for a simple landing page: you spend 30 minutes on setup when you could have deployed in 5 minutes. The matrix prevents both mistakes.

Step 2: apply the matrix to your 3 projects (10 min)

For each project from your project_scoping.md, answer the three factors and assign a tool category + specific tool.

Write in your file:

## Project 1: [name]
- Complexity: [simple / medium / complex]
- Deploy needs: [live URL now / local dev first / specific platform]
- Technical comfort: [browser-only / basic terminal / terminal-comfortable]
- Tool category: [which one]
- Specific tool: [e.g., "Lovable" not just "browser app builder"]
- Why this specific tool: [1 sentence]

## Project 2: [name]
[same structure]

## Project 3: [name]
[same structure]

Step 3: note when you'd switch tools (2 min)

Sometimes you start with one tool and need to switch. This is normal:

Browser builder → IDE-native: Prototype built in Lovable, now need complex multi-file feature → export code, open in Cursor
Any tool → Terminal agent: Need to debug with tests, logs, and full file control

Write in your file:

## When I'd Switch Tools
For Project 1, I'd switch from [tool] to [tool] if: [scenario]

You're browser-only, need a live URL today and are building a simple landing page. What does the decision matrix pick?

Simple project, live URL now, browser-only comfort: all three factors point to a browser builder. A terminal agent would cost you half an hour of setup for nothing.

Key Terms & Next

You're done

Save your tool_decision_record.md. You now know exactly which tool to use for each project and when to switch.

That's the whole lesson. Now do the lab.

Its hands-on lab, and the lessons after it, open with a free account — the opening phases of 29 of 35 courses are free, no credit card.

Key terms in this lesson

Agent