Everyday AI Fluency

NATURALLY OBVERSANT

I'm becoming more alert to problems around me and the opportunities that AI presents to solve them. My first instinct now is different than it used to be. I don't reach for the same tools every time I have an idea. I don't follow the same process for every task. AI has integrated into how I naturally think about solving things in my everyday life. It's changed not just how fast I work, but how I evaluate what's worth doing in the first place. Recognising value early.

This shift became clear one afternoon at a local driving range with my son.

CONTEXT

He's a junior golfer competing at a high level, which means we spend a lot of time on courses and ranges. For a long time, I'd been capturing his session data the traditional way: opening a Notes app, typing out distances, trying to mentally average numbers later, hoping I hadn't forgotten anything. It worked, sort of. But it was disconnected, slow, and it took my full attention away from actually watching him play and enjoying the time together.

Traditional tracking in my iOS Notes App

The local range we play at doesn't have an application compatible with the technology there. It wasn't easy to track my son's distances, until now. I told my son I was going to build 'an app' for it, right there, and he laughed at me. Instead of defaulting to what I would normally do, which was open up the Notes app, I decided to quickly built a prototype in Claude. One clear prompt and one minute later, I had a prototype. No download, no setup, no friction. I could use it immediately.

First version: Start a session, select a club, enter distances, view report

THE 'AHA' MOMENT

What struck me most wasn't the speed. It was what the speed enabled. Not only that, I saw the amazement on my 10 year old's face when I showed him. I found it special to witness his reaction and that inspired me. Instead of managing a disjointed tool, typing, interpreting data, worrying about the insights in the moment, I could just be there. I input the numbers as we went, and the app handled the rest. The numbers were there when I needed them, but now I got my attention back.

FEEDBACK & DECISIONS

Between shots and club changes, I could immediately see opportunities to improve the user experience and interface. The navigation wasn't the best although usable, and intuitive enough for me. Some terminology didn't match my expectations. There was no easy way to return to previous sessions and more. Two more prompts, five minutes total, and I had something I could use for the rest of our time on the range and future sessions.

And then I stopped.

Because it was done. It was meeting the need. We were using it. The data was there. Adding more would have been adding complexity for no reason. This is where I think a lot of design goes wrong, we keep iterating because it's in our nature, because there's always something that could be better. But better for whom? Toward what end?

The prototype was enough. It solved the problem. It let us do what we came to do.

Version 3 - Improved navigation, better copy and ability to view previous sessions

WHAT'S NEXT?

Well, that is still unfolding. I am thinking about what I want to do: publishing it, getting feedback from other golfers, maybe working with clubs to distribute it. Monetisation ideas, sure. I have many ideas of how to improve the UX and UI, and features that could be added, but that's not the point.

WHAT'S THE POINT?

The point is that I'm now naturally thinking in this way. What could I build in minutes? What would serve this moment? How fast can I get something real in people's hands to learn from?

This is what AI fluency means to me, what matters, and how it's becoming an everyday part of how I think, how I solve problems, create value and finally, impactful moments that people will enjoy and remember.

Actually, on that note, I will publish and distribute… Watch this space!