InnerCircle

Title
What is InnerCircle?
App's UX made in Figma
Dependent View
Caregiver View

Inspiration

The inspiration for InnerCircle comes from real-life experiences within our team. Two members, Mariam and Raisa, each have a relative living with dementia. Seeing the challenges firsthand helped us understand how stressful it can be for families. We also recognize that many others face similar situations, so we wanted to create a gentle, supportive tracking tool that helps caregivers keep their loved ones safe.

What it does

InnerCircle tracks a patient’s real-time location and automatically creates a personalized safe zone on a map. If the patient wanders outside that boundary, their caregiver gets an alert. The app focuses on being easy to use, with a clean UI, clear map visuals, and quick access to important information.

How we built it

We designed the user experience and interface in Figma, then built the frontend in React. For the backend, we used Java and Spring Boot to handle the location data, user profiles, and alert logic. We integrated the Google Maps API for live tracking and map rendering. Our team collaborated on each part—from UI to API calls—to tie everything together.

Challenges we ran into

Getting the Google Maps API to work smoothly with our frontend. Syncing live location data between the frontend and backend. Running out of time to polish our final demo, even though many features were working separately. Brainstorming a hardware solution when we realized patients often forget or lose their phones.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Creating a clean, functional UI/UX that feels simple and supportive. Successfully integrating the Google Maps API into our prototype. Building a working backend in Spring Boot that communicates with the frontend. Designing a realistic solution for a real-world problem. Added caregiver sharing, so multiple family members can monitor safely. Coming up with a hardware add-on (utility-belt phone holder) that strengthens the idea beyond just software.

What we learned

We learned how challenging real-time systems can be, especially syncing location data, user events, and map updates. We also learned how important accessible design is for apps involving health or caregiving. And as a team, we learned how to split work efficiently, troubleshoot API issues, and adjust when the demo didn’t go as planned.

What's next for InnerCircle

Improve the reliability of live tracking and add more alert customization. Build a utility-belt-style phone holder, or other hardware solutions, to make sure patients don’t accidentally leave the device at home. Create a simplified mode for patients with reduced digital comfort. Eventually, work toward medical-grade reliability and privacy compliance.