Explain My Subject

Explain My Subject turns any topic into an interactive knowledge graph with notes, quizzes, and flashcards; helping students understand concepts visually instead of memorizing.

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Inspiration

Learning today is mostly linear — students read concepts one after another, but real understanding comes from seeing how ideas connect. This often leads to memorization instead of clarity.

The idea behind Explain My Subject was simple: what if instead of reading topics, you could see them? I wanted to create a system where knowledge is visual, connected, and easier to understand.

What it does

Explain My Subject is an AI-powered learning tool that transforms any topic or syllabus into:

  • An interactive knowledge graph
  • Structured study notes
  • A self-assessment quiz
  • Flashcards for revision
  • Deep dive explanations for each concept

It creates a complete learning loop:

Input → Explore → Understand → Reinforce

Users don’t just read content — they explore and understand how concepts relate.

How I built it

The project was built using a full-stack approach:

  • Frontend: Next.js, React, Tailwind CSS
  • Visualization: Custom Canvas-based graph engine
  • Backend: API routes with AI integration
  • AI Layer: Multi-LLM support (Gemini, OpenAI, Claude, Groq, Ollama)
  • Database: SQLite with Prisma

One key feature is real-time streaming, where the knowledge graph builds progressively as the AI generates concepts, making the experience dynamic and interactive.

Challenges I ran into

One major challenge was generating structured and consistent graph data from AI models. Ensuring that nodes and relationships were accurate required careful prompt design and validation.

Another challenge was building a smooth and performant graph visualization. Managing node positioning, edge rendering, and interaction without performance issues required a custom canvas-based solution.

Maintaining consistency across features like deep dive, notes, and quizzes was also complex, as all of them needed to stay aligned with the same topic context.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

I built a complete learning system, not just a single feature. The integration of graph visualization, AI-generated content, and reinforcement tools creates a cohesive experience.

The real-time streaming graph adds a strong interactive element that makes the product feel alive rather than static.

I also successfully implemented multi-LLM support, allowing flexibility in how AI responses are generated.

What I learned

I learned how to design systems focused on understanding rather than just delivering information.

I gained experience in structuring AI outputs reliably and building interactive visualizations from scratch.

I also learned how to balance technical complexity with user experience to keep the product intuitive and effective.

What's next for Explain My Subject

I plan to expand the system with features like guided learning mode, deeper graph expansion, and collaborative learning.

Future improvements include better personalization, spaced repetition for flashcards, and integration with educational platforms.

The goal is to evolve this into a full learning platform that adapts to how users think and learn.

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