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Scoring Legend
Below is an example of how those scores show up on a profile in the cookbook. The sections that follow describe how each score is used when we evaluate technology.
Time to Wow
1-5How much effort or time is needed to get value from this cookbook item?
Score of 5 means very little time or work to understand and use the value in a project. Score of 1 means it's going to take some work and effort—value is not simple or easy to use.
Examples
Complex integration, multiple dependencies, significant effort required
Requires configuration and setup, moderate time investment
Copy-paste solution, works immediately with minimal effort
"As a CTO, I was always getting pitched or sold new tech. I found that if I spent 30 minutes on their site and setup a demo, I should be able to see the value. If I had to invest 2-3 hours to find the initial value then it was not a good option."
Ease of Use
1-5How much prior expertise or experience is required to use the tool effectively?
Score of 1 means you need to be a pro and likely need to code. Score of 5 means it's super user-friendly with no code needed.
Examples
Requires professional developer skills and coding
Some programming knowledge helpful but not required
No code needed, user-friendly interface, beginner-friendly
"Ease of Use is how I score solutions that I do not need to have years of experience to harness. I can vibe code this into place, and do not have to deal with complexity to get value."
Depth of Value
1-5How much value does the solution provide to the stack?
Higher scores indicate the more value a single solution provides to the stack. Point solutions have less lock-in issues. Resend.com does only email, so is easy to replace. Hubspot does everything, so is hard to replace.
Examples
Solves a single need. (easy to swap in/out)
Some blend of solutions
Solves a lot of stack needs in one place, one solution. (hard to swap in/out)
"Sometimes the best solution is the vendor or SaaS that does only one thing. Hubspot does so much, that the complexity of their offering is a turn off. Resend.com does email and email only."
Vibe Ready
1-5How well the tool aligns with creative flow, playfulness, or vibe coding.
Higher scores for tools that fit naturally into expressive, intuitive building. Can you vibe code this into place? Can you use it without having to read the docs? Or, is code needed to get value?
Examples
Rigid, prescriptive approach
Balanced structure and flexibility
Highly expressive, fun to use
"I love it when I can jump from idea to value without having to code. So I love it when solutions are so simple I can have an AI tool like Lovable or Bolt, do the heavy lifting, on things that were formally a dev only task. For example, AI setup GitHub Actions that will auto deploy staging to Cloudflare."
How to Use These Scores
When evaluating a technology for your project, consider all four dimensions together. A tool with high Time to Wow and Ease of Use might be perfect for rapid prototyping, while a tool with high Simplicity and Vibe Ready scores might be ideal for long-term maintainability.
Remember: there's no universally "best" score profile. The right technology depends on your team's expertise, project timeline, and specific requirements.