I have taken a break from pushing out new data types to play with some open source AI Image generators. I enjoy creative writing, though I cannot say I have ever finished any story I have started. Some hobbies just need to bring you happiness whether or not you share them with others.

For one of the stories where I was really enjoying the characters, I wanted to see what AI might think my scene looked like.

I have aphantasia or a near complete lack of any visual imagination. In software, this is a huge help as I do not get cluttered with "seeing" the end product when designing the essential core features. In my professional life, I am happy to rely on UX leads to help guide the wireframes.

In my hobby, however, I have been told by friends that my characters are really very alive and feel real....except that the world is barren without almost anything to help them see my "radio dramas." (My words, not theirs.) So, I thought, maybe I can describe for AI what I cannot imagine on my own and then slap it into the story. You know...cheat.

I was getting very close to getting the image right, and then I added a short phrase to describe the background as having undead in the swamp. Well, as you've guessed from the image above, my lack of specificity turned the entire image into a Marvel's Zombies comic.

I think this story worth sharing in and of itself; but if you want a business application for my story, software development is like this as well. Your end user often cannot describe with any level of specificity what he or she wants. The end user is often good at vocalizing what they do not want.

If we fail to ask follow up questions or to produce short demos, we may end up using a lot of resources to create solutions that do not help the user or solve the problem.

Help your customers and provide quick iterative solutions to help them feel empowered to shape the solution they really needed.