NCAD Archive

The experience is best on mobile and I encourage you to use view it on mobile device, thanks!

Inspiration

The inspiration for the NCAD Archive App came directly from my experience at college. NCAD is full of creativity, but all the amazing work and creative spaces were scattered. We were making great things, but there wasn’t a single platform where we could see what others were working on. That gap led to the idea of creating one central space to collect and showcase every creative project and hidden corner of the campus.

What it does

The NCAD Archive App allows users to document and upload their work—photos, projects, and ideas—essentially acting as a gallery for the NCAD community. But what makes it unique is the location-based tagging feature. Every upload is linked to a physical location on campus, so users can explore the college, visit those exact spots, and experience the creative work in its original context—whether it’s a mural, installation, or a lesser-known corner full of history.

How we built it

The app was designed in Figma and built using Bolt. It started as a UI/UX design project, but gradually evolved into a working app. I focused on building a minimal and intuitive interface, and gradually implemented backend functionality to support uploading, tagging, and browsing content.

Challenges we ran into

One major challenge was transferring designs from Figma into Bolt—it wasn’t always seamless, and Bolt sometimes didn’t generate what I expected. I ran out of credits mid-way and had to create a new account and re-enroll in the Bolt challenge. I also wanted a voice command feature to dictate changes, but Bolt didn’t support that. As a designer, backend development was tough for me, and while it’s still not perfect, I managed to make it work enough to support the main features.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

The biggest accomplishment is that the app is fully functional and live. The location-based tagging feature works, and a few users have already started exploring and uploading their work. I’m especially proud that five people are already on the platform. After June 30th, I plan to place QR codes around the NCAD campus so that more students can join, explore, and share their creative spaces.

What we learned

I learned that coding isn’t as intimidating as it seems—you just need to understand the structure and logic behind it. Bolt is a powerful tool if you use it the right way. I found the “discuss” feature especially helpful, more than just giving direct commands. I also realized the value of GitHub—creating branches before making big changes really helps. Overall, this project taught me how to bridge design and development in a meaningful way.

What's next for NCAD Archive

The next steps are to make the backend more robust and scalable. I also want to add features like comments, making it more interactive—almost like a social platform, but just for the NCAD community. The goal is to turn the app into a space where people can not only archive their work but also engage with each other’s creativity and truly bring the campus community together.

Built With

• bolt.new
• chatgpt
• figma