Building LangAI - Exploring Mobile AI

Early Exploration

LangAI was a project exploring mobile AI functionality. I wanted to build something that demonstrated how AI could be useful in a mobile context, and translation seemed like a perfect use case.

Choosing React Native + Expo

I chose React Native with Expo for rapid development. Expo made it easy to test on real devices and handle the build process without dealing with native code complexity.

App Modes

I designed the app with two modes: simple and complex. The simple mode was for quick translations, while the complex mode offered more options and settings. This gave users flexibility based on their needs.

Environment Variables

I implemented environment-variable support so the app could be configured for different environments without code changes. This made testing and development much smoother.

Screen Organization

The UI needed to be clean and intuitive. I organized the screens for language input, translation output, and history in a way that made the workflow natural. The history feature was particularly useful for users who needed to reference previous translations.

Learning Experience

I never deployed LangAI to production, but it was an important learning experience. It taught me about mobile development, AI integration, and building user-friendly interfaces for AI-powered features. The project is archived, but the experience was valuable for understanding how to approach mobile AI applications.

Looking Forward

The lessons from LangAI informed my later mobile projects, particularly around how to structure mobile apps and integrate AI features in a way that feels natural to users.