We started with a simple question.
Why does ADHD medication work perfectly one day and feel useless the next?
This came from real experiences. People we know, and even ourselves, noticed the same pattern. Same dose, same routine, but completely different results. Some days feel focused and productive. Other days feel frustrating and confusing. There is no clear explanation.
So we decided to focus on that problem.
We talked through ideas as a team and kept coming back to one thing. The issue is not just focus. It is the inconsistency. Sleep, caffeine, mood, and daily habits all play a role, but most people cannot see how they connect.
That is where FocusFix comes in.
We built a simple website that helps people on ADHD medication track a few key things each day. Sleep, mood, focus, caffeine, exercise, water, and whether medication was taken. The goal was to keep this as simple as possible so that it does not feel like another overwhelming app.
From there, the product turns those daily check-ins into patterns. Instead of just showing numbers, we show relationships. For example, how low sleep might connect to lower focus, or how late caffeine might affect mood the next day.
We also added an optional AI reflection feature using Google Gemini. After a check-in, users can choose to get a short summary that helps them reflect on their day. This is not meant to give medical advice. It is just a second perspective that helps users notice patterns they might miss.
One thing we were very intentional about was keeping the experience clean. Many ADHD apps today feel cluttered or overwhelming. We avoided gamification, streaks, and unnecessary features. The goal was to build something calm and easy to use.
We also included a small resource section with trusted ADHD support links. This adds context and makes the product feel more complete without taking focus away from the main experience.
What we learned
We learned that building less is actually harder than building more.
At first, we had many ideas. Wearable integrations, social features, advanced analytics. But we quickly realized that trying to do everything would lead to a weak demo. So we focused on one core idea and built around it.
We also learned how important storytelling is. A working product is important, but being able to clearly explain the problem and show how your solution helps is what makes people connect with it.
On the technical side, we learned how to quickly integrate an AI API into a real product flow, not just as a standalone feature. We also improved our frontend skills, especially in building clean and intuitive UI with React and Tailwind.
How we built it
We built FocusFix as a web application so it is easy to access and demo.
The frontend is built using React and styled with Tailwind CSS to keep the design clean and consistent. We used Recharts to create simple and readable graphs that highlight patterns over time.
For the AI reflection feature, we integrated Google Gemini API. It takes the user’s daily inputs and returns a short, grounded reflection.
For this hackathon version, we used local storage to manage data. This allowed us to focus on the core experience without adding unnecessary complexity like authentication or a full database.
The app is deployed using Vercel so it can be accessed publicly.
Challenges we faced
The biggest challenge was deciding what not to build.
We had many ideas early on, but we had to cut most of them to stay focused. That was not easy, but it made the final product much stronger.
Another challenge was designing something that feels helpful without feeling overwhelming. Since our target users are people with ADHD, the interface had to be very simple and calm. Even small design decisions mattered.
Integrating AI in a meaningful way was also a challenge. We did not want it to feel like a generic AI feature. Making it optional and keeping the responses short and reflective helped solve that.
Time was also a constraint. We had to move quickly, divide tasks clearly, and focus on building a smooth demo rather than a perfect system.
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