Dorchester — Oct 13th 2026

Eleanor, who is an expert software creator and coder, gave us a fascinating insight into how to use AI, in this instance, Anthropic’s Claude, to help create applications, check and rewrite existing code, all in a very interactive way with the operator in the driving seat but using enquiry and feedback to develop the project. She started by mentioning working in her student days for months getting a Transputer, a microprocessor designed for parallel computing, to simulate a cluster of balls in a rotating drum. She recently put the challenge to Claude in simple English and within minutes had the perfect dynamic image.

Eleanor then showed us how she was able to use, by interaction, to get Claude to create an app (NetworkChecker) with a series of simple instructions for a user to check through Network faults step by step.

She then put the question, ‘Can we visualise Music?’ And then showed us an app, MusicViz, that she had developed with Claude with amazing dynamic visuals reacting to the music, including the notes, rhythm, and volume. By suggesting to Claude a visual effect and then giving feedback on the results it produced, between them Eleanor and Claude produced a whole menu of different effects to visualise music.

The third app Eleanor had developed with Claude was to create a database of observed butterflies, including location, date, weather conditions, etc. Clearly, including an image was a desired feature, and Eleanor explained how Claude was able to access and advise on the risks of copyright and how to achieve the desired result. Whilst created as an IOS app, Eleanor showed that Claude was able to create the necessary links using iCloud to have the data synced between the phone and her Mac.

Twenty-five years before working with Claude, Eleanor had been playing with the idea of a physical magnetic display to attach to the fridge door for organising freezer contents. She had designed the visual display, to which she gave Claude access and then instructed Claude to create an app outputting to a similar visual display— an app to manage frozen food, its description, dates of purchase and when to consume by, and in which, if more than one, freezer. Claude very quickly, with feedback, produced a clear, functioning app, now available as IceSpie from the Mac OS App Store.

During the presentation, Eleanor stressed that using Ai to develop software is very much a user/AI joint effort with Q&A and feedback. Claude can also read existing Code, Eleanor demonstrating with Apple Xcode.

She concluded by speculating whether we Apple users could write an app with Claude’s help. On balance, probably not, except for those who have a grounding in software development and coding.

If anyone would like to have a play with these apps, IceSpie is available from the App Store and the other three are ‘prototype quality’, for which Eleanor is happy to send members a ‘TestFlight’ invite. She will need the OS build (Mac, iOS), the App they are interested in and their Apple id (email address) they have set up on their Mac/iOS device. Providing any other alternate email causes issues with TestFlight. For security, please make any request through [undisclosed email]. TestFlight apps expire after 90 days or, if the creator uploads an updated version, the app time is extended by 90 days.

Comments

Page 1