Recall

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Inspiration

Recall was inspired by a simple but universal experience: searching for the right place to study, work, or socialize and realizing that location alone doesn’t guarantee the right environment. As students balancing academic pressure, meetings, and social life, we found ourselves repeatedly moving between cafés, libraries, and public spaces trying to find somewhere that matched our needs in the moment.

Through research, we discovered that people deeply value their “go-to” spots, yet frequently experience frustrations such as overcrowding, noise mismatches, limited seating, and unpredictable availability. We asked ourselves: what if discovering spaces felt intentional instead of stressful? Recall emerged from the desire to transform place discovery into an experience centered around mood, purpose, and community connection.

What it does

Recall is a real-time discovery application that helps users find cafés and community spaces aligned with their current needs; whether focusing, collaborating, or relaxing.

Using live environmental data and intuitive filtering, users can:

Discover nearby locations based on energy level, productivity needs, or social intent
Explore spaces through an AR Discover Camera that naturally onboards interaction
Save favorite locations and build a personal “scrapbook” of meaningful experiences
Transform everyday visits into shared community memories Rather than simply showing places, Recall helps users find environments that fit their needs at that moment.

How we built it

Our process combined research-driven design using Google Forms, with wireframing and rapid prototyping on Figma, and Google Gemini for guidance.

Our team conducted surveys with 40 participants to understand how people choose and experience their favorite locations.

After analyzing the data received from our respondents, we synthesized common pain points into core design opportunities, designed user flows prioritizing clarity, accessibility, and minimal cognitive load, developed interface concepts and interaction prototypes emphasizing intuitive onboarding, and integrated an AR-based discovery experience to make exploration visual and engaging. Every feature was directly informed by user insight and iterative design decisions.

Challenges we ran into

Some obstacles we faced throughout the creation of Recall included:

Translating complex environmental factors (noise, crowding, comfort) into clear digital interactions - Balancing ambitious features like AR discovery while maintaining usability
Narrowing broad research insights into a focused, achievable solution within a limited design-a-thon timeframe
Designing an experience that felt innovative without overwhelming first-time users These challenges pushed us to prioritize simplicity, intentional design, and strong storytelling.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

After this weekend, we've learned how to:

Transform research insights into a cohesive, human-centered product concept
Design an AR onboarding experience that teaches users through exploration rather than instruction
Create a system that connects discovery with memory and community storytelling
Develop a project that blends UX design, psychology, and local culture into one unified experience

Additionally, our team is beyond proud of one another for bringing this idea to life. From three-hour time zone differences, final exams, to unexpected disruptions, we experienced first-hand throughout our design process how applications like Recall can be utilized to support and enhance our daily productivity and connection.

What we learned

This project reinforced that successful design begins with understanding people, not technology. We learned how powerful research synthesis can be in shaping meaningful solutions and how thoughtful UI decisions can reduce decision fatigue and improve user confidence.

We also learned the importance of collaboration, rapid ideation, and embracing ambiguity by turning scattered ideas into a clear and purposeful design vision.

What's next for Recall

Next steps for Recall include:

Developing social features that allow users to share rituals and local traditions
Conducting live usability testing to refine interaction flows
Exploring partnerships with local businesses to strengthen community engagement

Our vision is for Recall to evolve into a platform that helps people not only discover places, but build lasting connections with their environments and communities.

Thank you!