Inspiration
As college students, procrastination is something we all struggle with studying alone, losing motivation, and waiting until the last minute to get things done. I wanted to create something that made productivity feel easier, more social, and even fun. That was the inspiration behind Buddy: a tool that turns studying into a shared, and motivating experience rather than a lonely battle with deadlines.
What it does
Buddy helps students stay productive by combining:
SMART goal-setting
Social accountability with friends
Gamified wagers and rewards
A built-in study space and Pomodoro timer
Progress tracking
Study proof uploads
Optional recap calls for peer learning
Users can create study tasks, connect with friends, track each other’s progress, and keep one another accountable with friendly reminders or fun wagers. Buddy turns productivity into a team effort, making studying structured, engaging, and less stressful.
How we built it
Buddy was created through a blend of thoughtful design and AI-assisted development:
I designed the entire UI in Figma, focusing on simplicity, clarity, and features tailored specifically to student needs.
I implemented the app using code created and refined with the help of LLMs like Claude and ChatGPT, allowing me to quickly prototype and iterate on ideas.
The project was built under tight time constraints, so every feature was intentionally chosen to provide the most impact for the student experience.
The end result is a working prototype that blends modern UI/UX design with AI-driven coding to bring the concept to life.
Challenges we ran into
Building Buddy came with several challenges:
Getting the core functionalities working on short notice was difficult, and some features took longer than expected.
I spent a lot of time designing the UI on Canva before switching to Figma, and it didn’t turn out how I first envisioned, which was discouraging.
Balancing design and functionality was harder than I thought. I realized I should have allocated more time to coding earlier on.
Technical hurdles like integrating timers, managing state, and connecting user inputs pushed me to problem-solve quickly.
Even with these challenges, each obstacle taught me something valuable about development and project planning.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Despite the time pressure, I’m proud that:
I built a functional prototype of an app I genuinely believe students would benefit from.
The UI design is intuitive, clean, and built fully from scratch.
I successfully integrated multiple features: SMART goals, friends, timers, and wagers into one cohesive experience.
I learned to use AI tools meaningfully to assist my development process.
I turned a personal struggle (procrastination) into a real solution.
What we learned
This hackathon taught me:
The importance of prioritizing functionality over perfect visuals, especially under time limits.
How to design UI/UX more efficiently using Figma.
How to use AI tools effectively without relying on them entirely.
How to manage scope, break large ideas into smaller features, and iterate fast.
That building an app, even a simple one involves design, planning, coding, debugging, and constant problem-solving.
Most importantly, I learned what I want to improve if I continue developing Buddy.
What's next for Buddy
I definitely want Buddy to grow into a real app that students can actually use. Future plans include:
Completing and polishing all functionalities
Adding authentication, friend requests, and real-time progress updates
Creating better timers, reminders, and study analytics
Improving the UI and refining the user journey
Adding more gamified elements like streaks, badges, or group challenges
Rebuilding the app with cleaner, more efficient code
This hackathon helped me understand exactly what Buddy can become, and I’m excited to keep developing it with more time, patience, and attention to detail.
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