DreamScroll

a little progress before a little procrastination.

Inspiration

DreamScroll started with something we noticed almost every day.

Whenever we'd hang out with friends, it wouldn't take long before everyone was looking down at their phones. Conversations would slowly disappear, people would start endlessly scrolling, and somehow we'd all miss the moments happening right in front of us.

As students juggling school, extracurriculars, hackathons, and college applications, we realized we weren't any different. Doomscrolling wasn't just stealing our time—it was stealing opportunities to finish the things that actually mattered.

So instead of asking, "How do we stop people from using social media?" we asked a different question:

"What if social media could become a reward instead of a distraction?"

That simple question became DreamScroll.

What it does

DreamScroll is a productivity app that encourages users to complete a small goal before opening their favorite social media apps.

Instead of completely blocking social media, DreamScroll helps users build healthier digital habits by turning scrolling into something that's earned, not forbidden.

The app combines:

✅ Goal tracking
🤖 AI-powered encouragement
📈 Progress monitoring
📱 Social media unlocking after completing a task

The idea is simple:

Finish one small task.

Then enjoy one small scroll.

Because sometimes momentum starts with doing just one thing.

How we built it

We kind of built DreamScroll the same way the app was made to work: one small step at a time.

Jeremy designed the entire user experience in Figma, built parts of the application, and kept asking, "Would I actually use this?" whenever we added a feature.

Harvey wrote the story behind DreamScroll and helped give the project a personality instead of making it feel like just another productivity app.

Jessica created the presentation video and somehow made everything look way cooler than we imagined.

None of us were good at coding. Most of us were still figuring things out as we went. Whenever we hit a wall, we'd search, experiment, fix them again, and occasionally ask GPT or Codex for help.

(Until our Codex credits decided to disappear. That was... an experience.)

Looking back, I think we spent just as much time learning as we did building.

Challenges we ran into

Building DreamScroll wasn't exactly smooth sailing.

Most of us were still beginners when it came to coding, so there were plenty of moments where we'd spend way too long trying to figure out why something wasn't working.

On top of that, we all came from different schools with completely different schedules. Between classes, quizzes, projects, extracurricular activities, and college applications, finding a time when everyone could actually work together was honestly one of the hardest parts.

Then, halfway through development, our Codex credits expired.

Definitely not part of the plan.

We had to switch tools, learn more on our own, and keep pushing through. Looking back, it was frustrating, but it also forced us to understand the code instead of depending on AI for every answer.

In the end, we just kept reminding ourselves why we started.

One bug at a time. One feature at a time. DreamScroll slowly came together.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're proud that DreamScroll exists at all.

It started as a random conversation about how everyone's always glued to their phones, and somehow it became a real application that people could actually use.

We're also proud that we built something despite being beginners. There were countless moments where we had no idea what we were doing—but instead of giving up, we kept learning.

Seeing our prototype come together reminded us that you don't need to know everything before you start.

Sometimes you just need to start.

What we learned

This hackathon taught us that building an app isn't just about writing code.

It's about communicating ideas, dividing work, asking questions without being embarrassed, and trusting your teammates.

We also learned how AI should be used—not as something that builds everything for you, but as a learning partner that helps you understand concepts faster.

Most importantly, we learned that solving real problems starts by paying attention to everyday moments.

Sometimes inspiration is just watching your friends scroll through TikTok.

What's next for DreamScroll

This definitely isn't the end.

We want to continue improving DreamScroll by making the AI more personal, creating smarter productivity features, and testing the app with more students to learn what actually helps them build healthier digital habits.

Our goal isn't to make people quit social media.

It's to remind people that one completed task can be the beginning of something bigger.

Maybe one day, opening TikTok won't be the first thing we do.

Maybe it'll be the reward after chasing our dreams.