How Content Creators Can Use ChatGPT to Build Software or Apps With Zero Coding Skill

As a content creator, you're always keeping your eyes peeled for ways to bring your ideas to life more easily. There's one place in particular where ideas are plenty, but implementation is tricky, and that's software or app development. How often have you had a question from your audience and instantly thought, "I could build a brilliant app for that!"

That's where AI tools like ChatGPT come in, helping you to prototype your concepts more rapidly, even if you're not tech-savvy. It might be to create a prototype which an app developer can build from, or even to create a working tool all by yourself! Either way, in this guide, I'll dig into how to harness ChatGPT's capabilities to turn your creative sparks into tangible results.

We've been doing exactly this for a whole range of purposes, from content concepts to software products. I'll walk you through an example later, where we built a game to use as our stand showpiece at a recent conference. It was so cool to see it come together, and create a unique buzz around our space.

Let's dig into the principles first, though - how does it work.

How Does ChatGPT Work for Prototyping?

First, let's look at the top level. Why's it useful to non-techie creators in the first place:

1. It breaks down complex tasks into manageable steps
2. It provides code and solutions that often work on the first try
3. It can explain concepts in simple terms, making it accessible to non-experts

Now, let's look at how you can put ChatGPT to work for your next project.

Step 1: Explain Your Idea to ChatGPT

The first step is to clearly describe your project to ChatGPT. Don't worry about using technical terms - explain it as you would to a friend.

Task: Write a brief description of your project idea. Include what you want to create, why you're creating it, and any specific features you have in mind.

For example, you might write:

"I want to create a simple video game for my conference booth. It should be similar to Flappy Bird, but featuring my company's mascot. The game needs to be eye-catching and easy for people to play quickly."

Hint: this may or may not have been almost exactly what we started with on our own conference app 😉

Step 2: Ask for a Breakdown

Once you've described your idea, ask ChatGPT to break it down into steps.

Task: Ask ChatGPT to provide a step-by-step plan for your project. Be sure to mention your current skill level and ask for explanations of any terms you're not familiar with.

You could say:

"Can you break this project down into steps for me? I'm new to game development, so please explain any technical terms. I'd like a plan that starts with the absolute basics."

Step 3: Start with the Basics

Now that you have a plan, it's time to begin with the fundamentals. ChatGPT can help you set up your project and create a simple prototype.

Task: Ask ChatGPT to help you create the most basic version of your project. For a game, this might be getting a simple shape to move on the screen.

For instance:

"Let's start with the first step. Can you give me the code to create a block that jumps when I press the spacebar? Please include any setup instructions I'll need."

Where do you run this? You'll need an environment to actually put together the code itself. We used Unity for ours. It's a really powerful development environment, best known for some of the biggest games in the world. But it can also help you create just about any type of small app you can think of.

Best thing is, you can also use ChatGPT to get help in setting up and using Unity itself. Ask ChatGPT: "I'm using Unity to put this together. How do I set up a new project to run this code?"

Step 4: Iterate and Improve

With the basics in place, you can start adding more features to your prototype. ChatGPT can help you tackle each part of your plan one by one.

Task: Work through your plan, asking ChatGPT for help with each step. Be specific about what you're trying to achieve and any problems you encounter.

You might ask:

"Now that I have a jumping block, how can I add obstacles for it to avoid? Can you show me how to create moving objects that the block needs to jump over?"

Step 5: Debug and Refine

As your project grows more complex, you'll almost certainly run into little issues and bugs. ChatGPT is brilliant at troubleshooting these with you.

Task: When you encounter a problem, describe it in detail to ChatGPT. Include what you expected to happen, what's actually happening, and any error messages you're seeing.

For example:

"The obstacles are appearing, but they're not moving across the screen as I expected. Here's the code I'm using, and the error message - can you spot what might be wrong?"

Take a breather: Debugging can be frustrating. If you're feeling stuck, step away from your project for a bit. A fresh perspective can make all the difference.

Real-World Example: Jacob's Conference Game

Right, let me tell you a bit more about an experience we had with this. Jacob (my fellow 'Creator Toolbox Podcast' host) used ChatGPT to create a video game for our conference booth, despite having limited coding experience.

Jacob's experience really brings home the power of AI-assisted prototyping. In his own words:

"I went into chat GPT, I described this is what I want to do. Break down for me how I could do this. What sort of JavaScript libraries are there available to help me do this? And explain to it, I have no idea what I'm doing, so I'm going to need you to walk me through this step by step and give me an exact plan."

This approach allowed Jacob to tackle a project that was well outside his comfort zone. He was particularly impressed with how quickly he saw results:

"So, it spits out code, and first attempt, the whole thing works. Now it walked me through, you need to install this package, this package, this package (In Unity). Brilliant. Seeing that little block on the screen (moving aound), I had no idea how it was working, but I knew that it was working. That was insane."

In about two to three weeks, working an hour or two each day, Jacob had a fully functioning game ready for his conference. It was a hit at the booth and would have cost thousands (if not tens of thousands!) if we'd hired an agency to create it. Jacob's experience shows that with AI assistance, even complex projects can be broken down into manageable steps:

"That was the moment that I knew, it might not be quite here today, but sometime soon you're gonna be able to describe a whole bit of software and have it created in one go."

I hope this real-world example really brings home how ChatGPT can empower you as a content creators to bring your ideas to life, even in areas where you don't have a lot of expertise. It's certainly not about replacing human creativity. Instead, it's about providing a powerful tool to assist in bringing those creative ideas out of your head, and into the real (or digital, at least!) world.

Conclusion: The Power of AI-Assisted Prototyping

Using ChatGPT to prototype your app or software ideas can give you a whole new product area to explore. It allows you to experiment with concepts you might have thought were beyond your skills, opening up new possibilities for ways to serve your audience and create products to monetize your content.

Remember, ChatGPT is a tool to assist you, not replace your creativity. You're still the driving force behind your ideas. ChatGPT simply helps you bring them to life more quickly and efficiently.

Final task: Think about one of those app ideas that you've no doubt had over the past few years. What small, simple tool cool solve a real problem for your audience (or you!?). Spend 15 minutes describing it to ChatGPT and see what kind of plan it gives you. I bet you'll be surprised at how achievable your idea becomes with this AI assistant at your side.

So, get those sleeves rolled up and prepare to dive into that sea of code. Don't worry though, ChatGPT is your lifebelt, your boat and your skipper all in one!