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Series · 4 parts

iPhone App Development - TV Scene Narrator

Describing On-Screen Scenes for People Who Are Blind — Building an AI-Powered "TV Audio Guide"
Part 1Support for Seeing

Describing On-Screen Scenes for People Who Are Blind — Building an AI-Powered "TV Audio Guide"

When someone who is blind or has low vision watches TV or a video, the hardest part is not knowing what's happening on screen. Is it day or night? Is it a crowded room, or just a couple of people talking? Dramas are full of things that dialogue alone doesn't convey. To ease that frustration, we're going to build an iPhone app that has AI describe the scenes for you. Even if you've never built an app before, we'll walk through each step carefully.

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Why Does Building Your Own iPhone App Cost So Much?
Part 2Support for Seeing

Why Does Building Your Own iPhone App Cost So Much?

Let's start by looking at what you actually need in order to build your own iPhone app. Most of you reading this probably already own an iPhone. But when you're making a smartphone app to support someone with a disability, you may want to set up a "dedicated device" — and in that case, buying a used Android phone and installing the app on it is another realistic option. So let's take a look at how developing and using your own smartphone app differs between iPhone and Android.

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The Prompt That Gets AI to Build an iPhone App for You
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The Prompt That Gets AI to Build an iPhone App for You

"I'm not an engineer — how am I supposed to build an app?" If this project caught your interest, chances are that question crossed your mind. Here's the short answer: once you clear the very first hurdle, the rest is simply "telling the AI what you want." In this article, I want to help you take that first step. Once you get past it, you'll be able to shape apps to your own liking as much as you want — so hang in there and follow along!

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Building an iPhone App from a Full Prompt with ChatGPT
Part 4Support for Seeing

Building an iPhone App from a Full Prompt with ChatGPT

"So which AI should I actually use?" is probably a question we'll keep hearing for years to come. There are so many things to weigh — performance, speed, cost — that comparing AI tools is always tricky. Here, though, we'll walk you through how to work with ChatGPT. Just as learning to ride one bicycle means you can ride any bicycle, once you get comfortable with one AI, switching to another isn't hard. Start by using ChatGPT to get a feel for the baseline: how to use AI for app development.

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