LockIn

Matches Page
Discover Page
Custom Profiles
Home Screen

Inspiration

Have you ever come home from a long, stressful day of classes and just wanted to play some Valorant, only to be met with toxic lobbies, rude players, and those 12-year-olds who just can’t stop ragebaiting you? Don’t worry, we have the solution.

As Valorant players who are people of color and members of other marginalized communities, we've experienced far too many racist, homophobic, and sexist encounters. LockIn was inspired by our lived experiences and the need to create a safe space in gaming. We wanted to create something that helps players find like-minded teammates and have fun gaming again.

What it does

Users can create customizable profiles with game preferences and optional filters to support safer spaces for marginalized communities. Our AI-assisted Discover page recommends potential matches, allowing players to connect with others. Players have the option to accept or decline incoming matches, and upon acceptance will see player information such as their Riot ID and Discord username.

How we built it

Frontend: React + Vite
Backend: Node.js
Design: Figma, Aseprite, Clip Studio Paint

We focused heavily on UI/UX to create a clean, intuitive experience while building a solid backend to support matchmaking and profiles.

Challenges we ran into

We struggled to implement Supabase into our web app, and decided to use our own local library to store user information for the time being. Since it was also our first hackathon, we had a few issues with time management and various technical aspects.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Built a platform centered on marginalized gamers
Created a full matchmaking flow from discovery to matching
Designed a cohesive visual identity from logo to UI
Laid groundwork for AI-powered compatibility analysis

What we learned

We learned how impactful intentional design can be, especially when building for underrepresented communities. We also gained hands-on experience connecting React, Vite, and Node.js into a functional web app.

What's next for LockIn

We plan to integrate Gemini AI to generate compatibility scores and match insights, expand filtering options, and continue improving safety and personalization features. We also plan to integrate a Valorant tracker API in order to verify users.