I first got to know NotebookLM from a YouTuber I follow, who recommended this amazing tool for analyzing financial reports of public companies. As an investor in the stock market, I was intrigued, but as a software developer, I got even more excited. I immediately started thinking about how I could apply and leverage this to my own work. Could it help me manage documentation, understand complex PRDs or requirements, design a TLD, HLD or even brainstorm new features? The answer is yes.
So basically, for those who are not familiar with NotebookLM, it is a personal research assistant that can go through vast amounts of documentation (docs, links, videos, etc.), generate summaries, and even help you brainstorm. It’s an incredibly powerful tool for software developers looking to boost their effectiveness.
Things you can do with NotebookLM:
Learn a New Codebase: When you join a new large project, the first few weeks could be blur of documentation and code. Instead of spending days manually reading through hundreds of files, you can upload key modules, architecture diagrams, and design documents to NotebookLM.
Then, you can ask NotebookLM to "Summarize the core functionality of the OrderProcessing module." (which is of course an example module). You can also solve questions with it by simply prompting "Explain why the UserAuthentication service interacts with the Database layer in this specific way."
Streamlining Project Planning and Requirements: Project specifications, user stories, and technical requirements can be a mess sometimes. I'm sure most of you are familiar with how much its easy to give up on tools like Confluence for example, which can become a hell of outdated documents and projects. Therefore, you can upload all related documents for a new feature; PRDs, the technical design doc, and the user stories.
Then you can consolidating information. I ask it to "List all the user-facing requirements for the new dashboard" or "What are the key dependencies for implementing Feature X?"
You can also leverage it for test cases ideas based on user stories.
NotebookLM Mind Map
Learning Assistant: Learning new languages, frameworks, and tools is a constant part of a developer's life. I've started using NotebookLM as my personalized study guide. I upload tutorials, documentation, and best-practice guides from the web and usually generate it as a "podcast" which I find much more efficient to learn something new.
You can ask it to explain concepts, comparison of different technologies or frameworks, and some other specific questions.
By grounding its responses in my chosen learning materials, NotebookLM becomes a highly effective tutor tailored specifically to my needs.
Summarizing an article to a short podcast
I encourage you to give it a try and let me know what you think!
