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Vibe-code a voice status app for a client at 78 with Emergent

WorkedEvidence: Article or interviewPosted Last checked

Lewis Dickson, a 78-year-old retiree, used Emergent to vibe-code a voice web app that answers what's our AED status from a database.

How to use this

  1. Tap Copy prompt.
  2. Open the tool the case used (or a similar one) and paste the prompt; results may differ from the original.
  3. Paste it into the message box.
  4. 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.

What the prompt labels mean

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.

Build a simple web app that works on a phone. It has one button: tap it and ask a question out loud, like "What's our AED status?" The app checks our database of AED units and reads back the answer. Keep the screen simple and large enough to use on a phone.

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 Emergent. These are general chat tools, so results may differ.

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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: Build a small phone-friendly web app that answers spoken questions from a database, without me writing code.

Questions to ask me first:
- What questions should the app answer, in the users' words?
- Where does the data live, and who should be able to see it?
- Who will use it, and on what phones?

Inputs (fill in or confirm):
- Example questions: [QUESTIONS]
- Data source: [DATABASE OR SPREADSHEET]
- Who may use it: [USERS]

Rules:
- Build one screen with a single large button and a spoken and written answer.
- Only answer from the data; if a question can't be answered, say so plainly.
- Require a sign-in before anyone sees company data.
- Explain each step in plain words before you change anything.

Checkpoint: After the first working version, stop and let me test three real questions before adding anything.

If you get stuck: If you can't reach the data source, tell me exactly what access you need instead of inventing sample data.

Verify before you finish: Ask three test questions and check each answer against the data.

Output: A working web app link, plus a short note on how to update it.

Done when: A user can tap, ask a question and hear a correct answer from our data.

AI tool

Emergent

Outcome

Lewis Dickson, a 78-year-old retiree and technology consultant who worked for IBM in the late 1970s, started vibe coding with Emergent because it handled the full stack: no connecting a back end or calling in developers. Starting with a couple of simple things, Dickson has now built a dozen or more apps. The last two were for an AED company. One pulls the company's data from its existing camera provider's website. The other is a voice web app: open it on a phone, tap a button and ask, "What's our AED status?" It checks the database and answers. When Dickson showed the CEO a demo, the CEO lit up.

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/retiree-vibe-coding-seniors-ai-lewis-dickson-2026-2

Context: An as-told-to essay. Dickson is a technology consultant who has built software for decades.

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