FoxNotes

The adding notes function
Tree of the folder and files
Greeting from pet
Sitting~

Inspiration

Productivity apps are good at telling you what to do but they rarely make you want to do it. I wanted to build something that feels a bit more alive, and a desktop pet is the right option, but I don't want it to be useless. The idea became an alive companion that helps with your todos.

What it does

FoxNotes is a desktop companion that can "remember" your notes and reminder, and helps you keep track of what's done or undone. It also has its own action like an actual pet, for instance, it sleeps when you don't interact with it. Everything will run locally, no internet needed, and data will be saved on your device.

How we built it

FoxNotes was built in Python using PySide6 for the desktop interface. I organized the application into separate components for the UI, reminders, notes, storage, settings, mood, and the fox’s behaviors. Data is persisted locally, and the application includes different idle, sleep, and task-related behaviors to make the companion feel alive. Artwork started with me drawing a rough draft, and then have AI assisting to complete the asset for its actions.

Challenges we ran into

The challenge I ran into was making it alive instead of like an image there. The character’s mood, behaviors, reminders, tasks, animations, and UI all needed to work together while keeping the application responsive and predictable.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I am proud that FoxNotes became more than a conventional productivity application. I created a desktop companion with its own behaviors and moods, while still keeping useful productivity features like notes, reminders, and tasks at the center of the experience.

What we learned

I learned that creating an engaging product is about more than implementing individual features. The way those features interact can completely change how the application feels.

What's next for FoxNotes

In the future, I would like to add more actions for the pet, and make the GUI better, hopefully I will get great ideas in the future and add a lot of fun and useful features.