ElseWhen

Inspiration

Calendars know when we are busy, but not what we want to do with our free time. Event platforms show many options, but rarely consider how we feel or what we can handle.

Elsewhen asks:

What if planning started with how you feel today, rather than with a task list?

What it does

Elsewhen uses a 2D map called What matters right now?

Users place themes such as Connection, Movement, Focus, and Novelty based on:

• Want: how much they desire it
• Capacity: how much energy they have for it

Someone may want connection but lack the capacity for a crowded event. Elsewhen can then suggest something gentler, such as a small workshop or structured meetup.

The icons change expression and color based on their position, showing states such as excited, curious, tired, or lonely.

Availability is handled separately. Elsewhen assumes time is free unless blocked by calendar events. Users can manually exclude free slots or mark a calendar event as Free anyway.

How we built it

The frontend uses an interactive 2D canvas. Each theme stores want and capacity values that directly influence recommendations.

Calendar availability follows this model:

free time = search window − calendar events ± manual overrides

Tavily searches for real events that fit the user's location and available time.

Gemini, accessed through OpenRouter, analyzes the results and estimates:

• which themes each event satisfies;
• the event's social, physical, focus, and novelty demands;
• time, location, and cost;
• whether the information is reliable enough to use.

The final ranking is deterministic. Gemini interprets events, while our scoring system compares them with the user's chart state.

This makes the interaction predictable: lowering social capacity should reduce demanding networking events, while increasing movement capacity should make active events more relevant.

Elsewhen presents a few understandable options instead of an overwhelming list.

Challenges we faced

The main challenge was separating preferences from constraints.

Time availability is a constraint. Social capacity is a state.

An event outside a free time slot is impossible. An event that feels slightly too social is not impossible; it simply ranks lower.

We also wanted the 2D canvas to feel expressive without becoming a complicated questionnaire. Four themes, draggable markers, and changing icon states made the interaction simple and understandable.

Event data was another challenge. Search results often have incomplete or inconsistent information. Gemini helps normalize the results, but we kept ranking deterministic so recommendations remain explainable and predictable.

What we learned

Want and capacity are not the same thing.

Someone can strongly want connection while having little energy for social interaction. That should not eliminate connection; it should change the type of recommendation.

We also learned that AI works best when given a focused role:

• Tavily discovers events.
• Gemini interprets them.
• Deterministic code ranks them.

Elsewhen is not trying to fill every empty space in a calendar.

It helps people find what fits in that space today.

Built With

• html
• javascript
• openrouter
• tavily