Aro Club

Inspiration

What it does

How we built it

Challenges we ran into

Accomplishments that we're proud # ARO Awaken Your City

A world of opportunity to learn, earn, and belong.

Inspiration

ARO began while I was traveling abroad and thinking about teaching language classes to support myself. I had something useful to share, but I didn’t know how to find someone who wanted to learn, where we could meet, or how I would get paid. Teaching was the part I felt ready for. Everything around it was the obstacle. At first, I imagined something like “Uber for skills.” You could arrive somewhere new, offer what you know, and find people who want to learn. Teaching a language could help you afford another week abroad while introducing you to people you would never have met otherwise. Someone learning from you could finally try something they had been putting off.

My marketing work with restaurants, cafés, and bars helped me see how this could work locally, too. With a willing host, a quiet café could become a place to practice a language. A favorite neighborhood spot could become the setting for a photography lesson. People could share a skill and introduce others to the places they love. As I researched loneliness and human connection, I kept returning to how difficult that first step can be. Wanting to meet people doesn’t always tell you where to go or what to say when you get there. Having something to learn or share gives you a reason to walk through the door.

I’m building ARO for both sides of that moment. I want someone arriving in a city knowing nobody to teach a class, get paid, and leave with people they want to see again. And I want someone who has lived there for years to feel that curiosity return: to discover a hidden place, try something unfamiliar, and realize there is still so much around them to explore.

What I’m building

ARO is an app for creating and discovering real-world opportunities. Its planned opportunity engine brings together what people want to learn, what others can teach, and the places where they could meet. A person could find a class, offer a skill, or turn a favorite local spot into an experience worth sharing. I also want ARO to make discovery playful and rewarding, with progress tied to things people actually do. One day, I imagine opening an AR view and seeing opportunities around you as you walk through a city. That is part of the vision, not a feature of the current prototype.

How I built it

I started with the journey a person would take: discover something nearby, understand who is hosting and what joining involves, make a plan with others, then have the experience. From there, I designed a Passport where those moments can become memories worth keeping.

I built the visual prototype with Next.js, React, and Tailwind CSS. It includes early versions of discovery, opportunity details, Circles, creation, and personal expression. I’m shaping two paths within one app: Explore for people who want to learn and Host for people who have something to share.

What I learned

Making an activity look inviting is easier than helping someone feel ready to go. They need to know the price, the place, the people, and what happens if plans change. Hosts need that same clarity when they put their time and skills into a class.

That has changed how I design ARO. The playful parts should make people curious; the practical parts should give them enough confidence to show up.

Challenges and what’s next

The hardest part is connecting all of those moments into one reliable experience. I also have to be honest about what the prototype proves. Some screens use preview data. Live bookings, payments, host earnings, and Season rewards still need implementation and testing.

My next goal is one complete local journey: a person finds a class, knows what they’re agreeing to, joins it, attends, and wants to come back. If I can make that work well, ARO will have a foundation to grow with its community.

What changed: I moved the story into your voice, made the human reason for building ARO more specific, and kept the current build status clear.of

What we learned

What's next for Aro Club

Built With

• figma
• javascript
• llm
• nextjs
• python