It's insane how little we know about the things we consume
What I built in 48 hours to solve this problem.
By this time tomorrow I’ll be on a 14 1/2 hour flight from LAX to DOHA. Then after 15 hours of rest, I’ll be surfing the clouds again, coasting from DOHA to SVO (Moscow). I won’t be solo during these flights; I’ll be with my wife and 20 month old daughter, Sophia. Flying with a baby/toddler can be challenging. But after doing it already many times (Sophia has two passports and has already visited seven countries), it won’t be a new experience.
Speaking of challenges and choices, something that came up regularly while raising our daughter was what to feed her. Finding the right food is a challenge, especially when food labels can be misleading. There were many times when I purchased something labeled “friendly for kids” only to find out it was loaded with added sugars or ingredients I can’t even pronounce.
Googling the ingredients one by one would have taken ages. So a few months ago I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be convenient if I could:
Take a picture of the ingredients
Pull the latest data from a variety of trusted sources
Have AI summarize it for me
I put this thought into Raymond’s Idea Cabinet, unsure if I’ve ever get around to pulling it out. That was until 48 hours ago, when I decided to turn this idea into an app.
I’ve never built an app before. I have experience making games, but I’ve never fully released one. There are both things in common and things wildly different between making apps and games. One of the main ones is simple; games are for entertainment, apps are for utility.
The usefulness aspect of the app is exciting. When I’m making a game for someone, I can imagine them using the game to “escape” reality. Whereas with the app, I can imagine someone becoming smarter about the things they consume which can lead to them becoming happier and healthier.
Both have their purpose, but an app feels more “real” and practical.
It’s a problem that most people don’t think twice about the ingredients in their foods or products. They either trust the institutions that decide what’s good or bad. Or they simply don’t care. Maybe not caring is a secret to happiness. As they sayings go, “ignorance is bliss” and “what you don't know won't hurt you”.
But, there a lot of people who do care. People like me.
In my last post I talked about AI and how it’s changing the world. The fact that I can build an app without experience is proof. My app has dozens of files and hundreds of lines of code. I haven’t written any of it myself. It’s all generated by AI based on my instructions.
There are lot of challenges that come with using AI. AI can confirm things that aren’t true or get stuck in a feedback loop of bugs. But overall, it’s more good than bad. Like any tool, it’s how you use it that matters.
I’m hoping to share my app with you soon. A lot of progress was made in just a few days. I already have the basic functionality working. I want to launch it as soon as possible to get highly-valuable feedback.
I know the feedback will be gold. It may completely shift the direction of the app. Time will tell. In the meantime, it’s time for rest. I’ll need it for tomorrow.
Raymond Duke