I have two visually impaired people in my family. And I am personally affected — colors often carry little information for me. That is why Vision is not the first app in the series for selfish reasons, but because I can directly contribute here. I know what it is like when a hint in text or image form is not a hint because you don't even recognize it in the first place.
Icons are not access
Viele Apps haben Icons und halten sich für barrierefrei. Aber was bringt ein Icon jemandem der es nicht erkennt — und dessen Position sich beim nächsten Update sowieso wieder ändert? Wer nicht selbst betroffen ist, tut sich schwer, sich in diese Herausforderung wirklich hineinzuversetzen. Es geht nicht um den Haken auf der Checkliste — „wir haben ja was gemacht“. Es geht um echte Zugänglichkeit. Und die fängt erst dort an, wo ein Icon allein nicht mehr reicht.
What was in mind during development
Everyday situations where vision is needed but currently unavailable: a package in the supermarket, a letter in the mailbox, a room you enter and do not know, an object you are looking for but cannot feel by touch.
What already works today
- Read text (OCR) — Hold the camera up; the app reads aloud what is written
- Describe scene — the app describes what can currently be seen on camera
- Find object — specifically search for a certain item within the field of view
- Product scan — recognize and name packaging
- Recognize light/color — for everyone for whom color carries little or no information
- Camera Magnifier — zoom, contrast filter, lighting for residual vision
All six modes are real, not a mockup. Verified on two test devices (Galaxy S23 and S25).
Why this is the most difficult challenge
Vision is complex — even modern AI models struggle with interpreting images. And without partners from the AI industry, we have only limited access to the truly good models and the appropriate hardware in this early phase. That is exactly why this is the biggest challenge, to be honest.
But even if only the magnifier function remained: it can save your day. Sometimes that is exactly what is needed.
This series: Part 1 — Why I build these apps · Part 2 — Accessibility is not a nice-to-have