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Vibe code a dog breed-spotting iPhone app with Claude as a designer
WorkedEvidence: Article or interviewPosted Last checked
Designer Cynthia Chen built Dog-e-dex, a dog breed-spotting iPhone app, over about two months by copying Claude code into Xcode.
How to use this
- Tap Copy prompt.
- Open Claude.
- Paste it into the message box.
- Send it, then read the answer before acting on it.
New to this? What's a prompt?
A prompt is the message you send to the AI tool. Copy the one on this page, put your own details where it asks, and read the answer before you act on it.
Prompt
Recreated prompt
The source didn't share its exact prompt, so we wrote one from what it describes. The result shown is the source's, not ours.
The person didn't share their exact words, so we wrote this from what they described. We haven't tested it, and they didn't use this exact version.
I'm a designer with no coding experience and I want to build an iPhone app that lets me snap a photo of a dog, identify the breed, and save a profile for it. Walk me through building it in Xcode step by step, and give me the code for each screen.
Try this in:
Sends the Recreated prompt shown above. ChatGPT and Grok open with it filled in, and ChatGPT may send it straight away. Gemini and Claude open empty, so we copy the prompt for you to paste. Every button also copies it.
The source used Claude. These are general chat tools, so results may differ.
Opens in a new tab. We don't see what you send.
These links are only a shortcut. We're not affiliated with OpenAI, Google, Anthropic or xAI, and your results may not match the source.
Optional stronger version
Our rewrite with extra checks. The poster didn't test it.
Before you start, ask me 1–3 short questions about the details below and wait for my answers. Once I've answered, confirm the plan in one line and run the whole task start to finish. Goal: Help someone with no coding experience build a simple iPhone app in Xcode, one small step at a time. Questions to ask me first: - What should the app do, screen by screen? - Do you have a Mac with Xcode installed, and an iPhone to test on? - Have you built anything in Xcode before? Inputs (fill in or confirm): - App idea and screens: [SCREENS] - Design or sketch: [UPLOAD SCREENSHOT OR DESCRIBE] - Where I'm stuck: [ERROR OR SCREENSHOT] Rules: - Start with the smallest working version, then add one feature at a time. - For each step, tell me exactly where in Xcode to click and which file the code goes in. - Explain each piece of code in one or two plain sentences. - If a feature needs a photo-recognition model or outside service, explain the options and any costs before writing code. - Don't collect or send personal data without telling me. Checkpoint: After each step, stop and ask me to run the preview and tell you what I see. If you get stuck: If I paste an error, explain it simply and give the smallest fix. Verify before you finish: Check that each code block is complete and matches the file and step you named. Output: Numbered steps with full code blocks and a one-line check for each step. Done when: The app runs in the preview and does the first feature I asked for.
AI tool
Outcome
Cynthia Chen, a San Francisco product designer with no formal engineering training, had wanted an app for cataloguing dogs spotted, for years. Over about two months of free time, Chen built Dog-e-dex, an iOS app that lets users snap a photo of a dog, identify the breed and save a profile. Replit, ChatGPT and Cursor came first, but things only clicked after Chen found Claude in January. Chen copied the code Claude generated into Xcode, Apple's app-building tool, even without fully understanding how it worked, and said 'It was like magic.' When Claude got stuck, Chen broke the instructions down step by step until it understood, and advises being very intentional, very specific and very nice when prompting.
Evidence: Article or interviewA newsletter, journalist or interview account of what happened.
Source
- Posted
- by Lee Chong Ming (Business Insider)
- Last checked
- Method:
- How we verify
https://www.businessinsider.com/non-technical-people-vibecoding-lessons-ai-apps-2025-9
Context: Chen had no engineering training and copied code without fully understanding it; get an experienced review before publishing an app.
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