Awhile

Inspiration

Few months ago, my grandfather passed away.

Afterwards, I found myself thinking about the questions I still wanted to ask him.

What were you like when you were my age? How did you and Grandma meet? Were you happy?

They were simple questions. But I could no longer hear him answer them.

That made me think about what it means to preserve a person’s story. A photograph can capture a face. Written words can record an experience. But there is also the way someone tells a story: their familiar expressions, the pauses, the laughter, the sound of their voice.

I wanted to help families leave room for those conversations—and keep more of them when they happen.

That is where Awhile began. Not as a way to recreate someone who is gone, but as an invitation to sit with someone, ask a question, and stay awhile.

What it does

Awhile is an iOS prototype designed to turn family conversations into interactive storybooks.

AI Interviewer helps someone share their memories through guided conversation. Listening Mode quietly records family chats, with permission, without interrupting.

Stories, photographs, and original recordings come together in a personal book that families can revisit and keep adding to.

How we built it

I chose SwiftUI for the native iOS interface and OpenAI for voice interviews. The design connects recordings to editable story cards, presented through a warm, minimal interface inspired by family albums. Gemini for pic-vid feature.

Challenges we ran into

The hardest design challenge was helping AI guide a conversation without taking it over—or inventing details.

I learned that preserving memories is not about generating a more impressive story. It is about keeping someone’s own words, perspective, and voice intact. Sometimes, the most useful thing AI can do is simply listen.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

The demo video and the presentation

What's next for Awhile

I plan to test with families and explore multilingual interviews, printed keepsake books, and an e-ink companion for capturing memories whenever they come to mind.

Not every story changes the world. Some mean the world to us.