A scoop,
a phone,
and a choice.

How a few photographs at Ranc’s became an on-the-spot visual choice board for James.

By An AUsome LifeOctober 7, 2026Lexington, MA

Two family members standing in a brick-lined passage, one holding an ice cream cone and a blue tablet case — An ice cream cone, a brick-lined passage, and a photograph from our Lexington outing.

An ordinary afternoon, with a new idea

Some families make visual supports at their kitchen table. On this afternoon, I wondered if I could make one at the ice cream counter.

We were heading to Rancatore’s in downtown Lexington—Ranc’s, as we call it—and I had my phone with me. James, my 14-year-old son, is autistic and non-speaking. He communicates in ways that include pointing and using his iPad, so clear pictures are part of our everyday life.

We had already made a little visual board to choose where to go. Ranc’s, Cookie Monstah, and Wilson Farm each had their own picture. Once we reached the ice cream shop, there was another decision waiting for us: the flavors.

Rather than try to recite the entire case out loud, I took photographs of the actual displays and shared them with AI. Could it turn what was in front of us into pictures James could consider on the spot?

We ended up with a photo just outside, an ice cream cone in hand. It is a reminder of what the exercise was for: not a perfect piece of design, but an ordinary afternoon with room for James’s choices.

A small experiment, right at the counter

From the flavor case
to the flavor board.

These are the real photographs and the original combined choice board we made during our outing.

Original phone photograph of labeled ice cream tubs behind the Rancatore's counter — We started with what was physically in the shop, not a generic ice cream menu.

The complete original cone-and-flavor board, with Choose my cone at the top (regular, waffle and cake) and Choose my flavor with labeled illustrated ice cream choices below. — The complete combined cone-and-flavor choice board from our outing, in its original arrangement. The AI-illustrated flavors still need checking against the actual case.

A helpful distinction: the photographs document what we saw. The AI illustrations translate those choices into a visual format. They are not a verified menu.

Before the ice cream counter

First we chose where to go.

We started with a visual destination board: Cookie Monstah in Burlington, Ranc’s in Lexington and Wilson Farm in Lexington. Each place had a familiar storefront picture rather than a generic picture of a cookie or an ice cream.

Then, at Ranc’s, we made the combined cone-and-flavor board shown above. Its original layout keeps three cone choices at the top and the labeled flavors below, so we can ask one clear question at a time.

The technology wasn’t making the choice for James. It was helping us show him the choices.

Original James chooses where do I want to go board showing the storefronts for Cookie Monstah in Burlington, Ranc’s in Lexington, and Wilson Farm in Lexington. — Our original three-place destination storyboard, without redesigning it.

A few things I learned

Fast doesn’t mean finished.

The AI was quick, but it wasn't automatically right. It can invent a flavor, misread a handwritten label, or make a beautifully crowded page. Our large flavor board was a useful first pass, but for actual use, a shorter selection might be far easier to navigate.

The real photos were important because they gave us something concrete to check. And while the board was new, it was never meant to replace James’s established AAC supports or his ability to say no, ask for something different, or take a break.

Sometimes the best visual is simply the photograph you already took.

From our camera roll

The photographs behind the board.

Unaltered-in-content photos from our visit, not stock images or AI depictions of the shop.

Photograph of another view of the ice cream display case and counter — The shop counter and the illuminated case.

A different section of the ice cream display behind glass at Rancatore's — More of the case, from a second angle.

The window-side portion of the Rancatore's ice cream counter — A look toward the windows at the end of the counter.

The part worth remembering

A scoop of ice cream is an ordinary pleasure. A chance to choose it for yourself should be ordinary, too.

Our family field note from Rancatore’s, Lexington, Massachusetts. This is an example of a personal visual support—not a substitute for individualized AAC guidance.

Planning your own stop? Read our Rancatore’s, Lexington field note for visit details, parking, and practical access notes.

Rancatore’s official website ↗