FoundIt — How a Lost and Found Should Be

Inspiration

Our group experienced the problem ourselves: one member lost his car keys, another lost his glasses, and we saw how inefficient most lost and found systems are today. To validate this, we went around asking people if they had ever lost something and how the experience went. Almost everyone had a story, and the most common complaints were about car keys, expensive textbooks, and other non-electronic items — things that can’t be tracked like a phone or laptop. This made it clear the problem is widespread and frustrating.

What We Learned

How to turn an idea into a working prototype quickly.
The importance of listening to real-world user feedback.
How to design for a universal pain point with a simple, usable interface.
The value of teamwork and time management under pressure.

How We Built It

A platform where people can post what they lost or what they found, with a description and details.
The system compares reports and checks for possible matches.
When a match is found, the right person gets notified so they can recover their item.
The design is minimal, clear, and built for speed.

Challenges We Faced

Handling different ways people describe items (e.g., “reading glasses” vs. “eyeglasses”).
Keeping the system simple but effective.
Working within strict time constraints.
Designing a smooth, intuitive workflow end-to-end.