Pathfinder

Adaptive learning platform with AI that meets neurodivergent students where they are. 4-level lessons, voice support, and instant feedback for students across Nigeria and West Africa.

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Inspiration

In Nigerian classrooms, neurodivergent students those with ADHD, dyslexia, autism, or slow processing speeds are mislabeled as lazy or unintelligent. Every student receives the same lesson, delivered the same way, regardless of how their brain processes information. Teachers have no tools to understand why students struggle, and students fall behind and disengage entirely.

We built Pathfinder because we believe that every student deserves to learn the way their brain actually works.

What It Does

Pathfinder is an AI-powered adaptive learning platform designed for secondary school and university students in Nigeria and West Africa who are neurodivergent or learn differently. Teachers get real visibility into how each student learns.

Pathfinder adapts how it teaches, not just what it teaches. Every lesson has four explanation levels:

  • Level 1: Plain-language explanation with no jargon
  • Level 2: Real-world analogy rooted in Nigerian daily life
  • Level 3: Visual representation (SVG diagrams or step-by-step breakdowns)
  • Level 4: Interactive questions with immediate feedback

Every lesson has voice support for dyslexic learners. University students can upload PDFs or paste lecture notes, and Pathfinder generates four adaptive micro-lessons instantly. Teachers get a class code system and a dashboard showing real student progress.

How We Built It

During LovHack Season 3 (September 26 - October 3, 2026), we built the complete Pathfinder platform from scratch:

Frontend: React with Create React App, styled with Tailwind CSS Backend: Supabase for authentication and database with Row Level Security AI: OpenRouter API for lesson generation using free-tier models PDF Processing: Supabase Edge Function (TypeScript/Deno) for secure, server-side document handling Voice: Browser's native Web Speech API (no API costs) Deployment: Vercel

What we built:

  • 4-level adaptive lesson system with quiz and flashcard features
  • AI lesson generation pipeline any topic a student searches becomes a full 4-level lesson saved to the database
  • Teacher dashboard with class code system and student roster
  • Progress tracking with visual journey maps
  • Pre-built curriculum across 9 topics (Mathematics, English, Basic Science)
  • Skills Hub for executive function training (university students)
  • Search functionality for AI-generated lessons

Challenges We Ran Into

  • Balancing complexity with simplicity: Building a feature-rich platform while keeping the interface calm and uncluttered for neurodivergent users
  • AI cost management: Using OpenRouter's free tier to scale lesson generation without infrastructure costs
  • PDF processing at scale: Handling large lecture notes without browser memory constraints using Edge Functions
  • Database design: Creating a schema that tracks individual student progress across thousands of topics while maintaining Row Level Security
  • Content creation: Hand-crafting SVG diagrams for 9 pre-built topics with plain, encouraging language appropriate for Nigerian students

Accomplishments That We're Proud Of

  • Built a fully functional, production-ready platform in 8 days
  • Created a design system specifically for neurodivergent learners (calm colors, large text, no time limits, encouraging feedback)
  • Implemented voice support across all content at zero API cost
  • Built AI lesson generation that works offline after the first load
  • Designed a teacher experience so simple that non-tech-confident educators can use it instantly
  • Pre-built curriculum with custom SVG visuals and proper pedagogical structure

What We Learned

Building Pathfinder taught us the real power of adaptive learning. We learned that neurodivergent learners don't need better content they need content delivered with patience, in multiple formats, without judgment.

We discovered the importance of teacher-facing design: the class code system had to be dead simple because teachers aren't always tech-confident. We also learned how to optimize for neurodivergent users by removing friction, eliminating time pressure, and designing for encouragement rather than failure.

What's Next for Pathfinder

  • Deploy to schools across Nigeria and West Africa
  • Expand the curriculum beyond the initial 9 topics
  • Add real-time teacher-student communication
  • Integrate with Nigerian school management systems
  • Build an offline-first mobile app for low-bandwidth areas
  • Create peer-to-peer learning features where students can help each other
  • Establish partnerships with Nigerian universities for ADHD executive function training

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