Brief2Check

Clarity before creation

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Inspiration

As second-year computer science students, we work on a lot of group-heavy projects- hackathons, college events, presentations, and creative submissions. One recurring issue we noticed is that communications rarely happen together and at one place. Instead, teammates share requirements in fragments: some points in WhatsApp messages, others in Slack threads, emails, meeting notes, or last-minute follow-ups. Each person adds context from their own perspective, often assuming others will “pick up” what matters.

The result isn’t a lack of communication—it’s over-communication without structure. By the time we start working, responsibilities and requirements are already scattered, and it becomes easy for critical details to slip through—leading to confusion, missed expectations, and repeated clarification during reviews.

What it does

Brief2Check is an Adobe Express add-on that acts as an AI- enabled instruction parser. It takes long, unstructured walls of text and instantly breaks them down into checkable tasks categorized by departments, such as Marketing, Product, Legal, and Brand.

  • Real-time Progress: A dynamic progress indicator tracks how many tasks are completed out of the total.

  • Iterative Updates: Users can add new instructions mid-workflow to update the existing checklist.

  • Professional Export: It generates timestamped PDF reports showing the status of every task, allowing for effortless stakeholder updates without leaving the Adobe Express workspace.

How we built it

The workflow is intentionally simple:

  1. Users paste raw instructions exactly as they receive them—emails, messages, documents, or notes.

  2. An AI model analyzes the text and breaks it down into discrete tasks.

  3. Tasks are grouped by department and displayed as a checklist inside Adobe Express.

  4. Users can check off tasks as they work, with a live progress indicator showing completion status.

  5. New feedback can be added at any time and merged into the existing checklist.

  6. Users can manually add, edit, or remove tasks as requirements evolve.

  7. A department-wise Export to PDF feature generates a read-only status report with timestamps and task states.

Tech Stack

  • Frontend : Built using the Adobe Express Add-on SDK with HTML, CSS, and Vanilla JavaScript to maintain a lightweight and native feel.

  • Backend : A Node.js server using Express.js handles the communication between the add-on and the AI.

  • AI Engine : We integrated the Google Gemini 3 Flash Preview model via the v1beta API to perform the heavy lifting of extraction and categorization.

  • Utilities : We used jsPDF for client-side report generation and dotenv for secure environment-based configuration.

Challenges we ran into

We struggled to ensure AI output stayed deterministic and trustworthy without hallucinating or rewriting the user's intent. Technically, we had to force valid JSON using JSON Mode to prevent AI "chatter" from breaking the parser. We also focused on avoiding feature creep into complex project-management territory, keeping the UI simple while handling dense input.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Designing a feature that reduces review friction without changing how people write instructions

  • Creating a tool that works for presentations, designs, and documents—not just one format

  • Building a working Adobe Express add-on with real-world applicability

  • Keeping AI usage responsible, assistive, and enterprise-safe

What we learned

  • Information Overload : We learned that most workflow problems stem from information overload, not a lack of communication.

  • AI for Structure : AI is most effective when used for structuring and assistance, rather than autonomous decision-making.

  • Focused Tools : Small, focused tools can significantly reduce rework and shorten review cycles.

  • Enterprise Trust : Designing for trust means keeping humans in control of the checklist at every step.

What's next for Brief2Check

In the future, we want to take Brief2Check even further:

  • Context-Aware Scanning : We plan to integrate "Live Scan" functionality where the AI analyzes your active presentation or design and automatically checks off tasks as it detects them being completed.

  • Smart Task Linking : Automatically highlighting the specific part of the original brief a task came from.

  • Collaboration Features : Allowing multiple team members to sync the same checklist in real-time.

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