Inspiration
We were inspired by the barriers that many students with ADHD and autism face when engaging with dense academic material. Long lectures, overwhelming “walls of text,” and unstructured notes often make learning exhausting rather than empowering. We wanted to create a tool that reduces cognitive overload and makes studying more accessible, manageable, and personalized.
What it does
SimplyNote is a Flutter-based note-processing app designed to help neurodivergent students better understand and organize their learning materials. Users can upload class notes, documents, or meeting recordings through a file dropbox, view recent files, and manage their notes in a structured library with folders. Once a file is submitted, the app sends it to Google Gemini, which extracts key information and generates simplified, easy-to-digest notes. Users can format their notes by bolding, highlighting, and underlining text, and they can further simplify selected passages into more readable language (e.g., at a 12-year-old reading level). The app also supports text-to-speech, powered by ElevenLabs, allowing users to listen to their notes with natural-sounding voices to support auditory learning.
How we built it
We built SimplyNote using Flutter for a smooth, cross-platform mobile experience. For AI processing, we integrated Google Gemini’s API to analyze documents and generate summaries. We also used ElevenLabs API for text-to-speech capabilities to support auditory learning. The app’s interface includes a file management system, a notes library, and interactive text-editing tools to give users control over how they engage with their content.
Challenges we ran into
One major challenge was designing an interface that was both powerful and not visually overwhelming for ADHD/Autistic users. We also faced difficulties in ensuring Gemini consistently extracted the “most important” parts of documents, as relevance can be subjective. Additionally, integrating multiple APIs while maintaining app performance and usability required significant debugging and optimization.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We are proud of successfully creating a functional, user-centered app that meaningfully supports neurodivergent learners. Implementing AI-powered note simplification, interactive formatting tools, and a structured file system in Flutter was a significant technical achievement. We are especially proud of building something that prioritizes accessibility and learning equity.
What we learned
We learned a lot about user-centered design, especially when building for neurodivergent audiences. We gained experience working with AI APIs like Gemini and ElevenLabs, handling real-world data, and balancing technical functionality with intuitive UI design. We also learned the importance of iterative testing and feedback when designing accessibility-focused tools.
What's next for SimplyNote
- Introduce child-friendly learning visuals, such as shapes, icons, and illustrations to support early learners.
- Allow users to incorporate images alongside text-based notes for more visual understanding.
- Implement an AI-powered quizzes section that generates questions based on a user’s notes to test comprehension and reinforce learning.
- Adapt note simplification styles based on age group or learning preference, making explanations more visual for kids and more analytical for older users.
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