HomeHero

Inspiration

Juggling everything at once is hard. Classes, assignments, part-time jobs, clubs, and still remembering to take out the garbage or buy groceries. For people with ADHD, anxiety, or just overloaded schedules, small household tasks get lost, expenses pile up, and roommate coordination can become awkward or stressful. We wanted to build something that makes shared living simpler, friendlier, and more accessible, especially for students balancing heavy mental loads.

That’s how HomeHero was born.

What it does

HomeHero helps households organize their shared living environment without stress or confusion.

Users can:

Create, schedule, and assign household tasks (garbage, bathroom cleaning, dishes, etc.)
Track grocery needs and store costs for budgeting
Record and split shared expenses fairly
Visualize responsibility so tasks don’t all fall on one person
Avoid confrontation by letting the system manage accountability
Reduce stress through clear structure, reminders, and simple UI
For those who are neurodivergent (e.g., ADHD) or anxious or simply who lives a busy life, HomeHero reduces cognitive overload by breaking down responsibilities into manageable chunks and keeping everyone on the same page.

How we built it

Frontend: Swift for easy mobile development Backend: Spring Boot REST APIs for chore, grocery, and expense logic Database: PostgreSQL (Supabase) for persistence ORM / Data Layer: MyBatis for mapper-based database interactions Designed with accessibility in mind: low visual noise, structured layouts, clear labels The architecture allows rapid feature expansion like reminder systems, calendar views, or roommate matching.

Challenges we ran into

Handling the complexity of splitting shared expenses fairly
Coordinating between frontend requests and backend serialization formats
Time pressure — balancing design, code, testing, and integration in 24 hours
Designing a product that effectively supports both neurotypical and neurodivergent users, as well as anyone managing a busy lifestyle.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Built a functioning full-stack product in one hackathon
Combined chores, groceries, and expenses into one unified workflow
Created an experience that reduces confrontation and roommate stress
Designed an accessibility-focused interface with clarity as a core value
Tackled common household pain points that often get ignored as “minor problems”

What we learned

Planning and organizing are critical - even small features like chores and grocery tracking need clear structure to be effective. Without a plan, tasks can get overlooked or duplicated.

Communication is key - ensuring all roommates are on the same page and agree on responsibilities prevents misunderstandings, reduces anxiety, and keeps the system working smoothly.

People don’t ignore chores out of laziness - mental overload, forgetting, or simply being too busy are common reasons tasks slip through the cracks. Tools like HomeHero can help manage cognitive load.

Technical lessons: