DReading

I’ve designed plenty of iOS apps, but building and shipping one entirely on my own was a new challenge. Over the course of a weekend, I developed an app aimed at helping dyslexic readers like my son—and myself. It’s straightforward: snap a picture of printed text, use Apple’s new Vision framework to detect the text, layout and language, and read it aloud using premium voices. It solves a specific problem I’ve encountered firsthand, having struggled with dyslexia when I was younger. Even though I hadn’t worked with Swift in a while, AI-powered tools like Cursor made the process much more approachable. Instead of getting caught up in technical hurdles, I was able to focus on design and functionality, with AI helping me through debugging and even the submission process. What’s exciting is how accessible this technology has become. The ability to build niche solutions like this app—working entirely offline, with no tracking, and fully respecting user privacy—used to require deep technical expertise. Now, it’s democratized. With the right tools, anyone can build something meaningful. AI isn’t just simplifying development—it’s opening the door for creators of all kinds to bring their ideas to life. It’s a great time to build. It might not be for you, but if you know someone who could benefit from it, they can check the app out.