Inspiration
Growing up, I watched my grandparents’ stories fade as they aged—no easy way to capture their journeys, old photos yellowing, family connections lost to time. I wanted to build something that turns fleeting memories into a lasting legacy, a space where families can hold onto their history without complexity.
What it does
Legacy Story lets families document life stories through guided prompts, restore cherished vintage photos, build interactive family trees, create chronological timelines, and share memories with loved ones—all in one intuitive platform. Every feature centers on making heritage accessible and meaningful.
How we built it
We started with wireframing core user flows (story recording, photo management) in Figma, then built the frontend with React for dynamic UI. The backend uses Node.js/Express to handle data logic, with PostgreSQL for storing family details and Firebase for seamless sharing. CanvasJS powers the drag-and-drop family tree, and Cloudinary manages photo assets.
Challenges we ran into
Designing the family tree’s relationship logic was tough—ensuring automatic connections (parent/spouse/sibling) worked flawlessly across generations. We also struggled to balance simplicity with depth, making advanced photo restoration tools intuitive for non-technical users.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Creating a platform that feels warm and personal, not just functional—users say it “feels like home” when documenting their family’s story. The timeline feature, which weaves photos and stories into a cohesive narrative, is a standout win.
What we learned
Empathy is as important as code—talking to families about their pain points (lost photos, forgotten stories) shaped every design choice. We also learned to prioritize core features over “nice-to-haves” to keep the experience focused.
What's next for this project
Adding video story capture to let families record voice and movement alongside text, and integrating with local genealogy resources to help users uncover more about their roots. We also plan to expand collaborative tools to let multiple family members edit in real time.
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