SideQuest

Inspiration

University life can get quickly repetitive with classes, assignments, scrolling, sleep, repeat.

We wanted to build something that helps students break out of that routine without needing to organise a huge plan. Often the problem is not that there is nothing to do, but that people are busy at different times, do not know what to suggest, or simply do not have anyone to go with.

SideQuest was inspired by the idea of turning ordinary free time into small real-life adventures.

What it does

SideQuest helps users discover spontaneous real-world activities based on their time, budget, interests, and group size.

Users can:

• generate a personalised SideQuest
• choose moods and interests
• receive short multi-step challenges
• join open quests if they do not already have a group
• earn XP and progress through different explorer levels
• keep memories of completed quests in their Journal

How we built it

We first designed the user flow and visual interface in Figma, focusing on a simple mobile-first experience.

We then built SideQuest as a web application using Next.js, TypeScript, React, and CSS. The current prototype uses local mock data and interactive application state to demonstrate quest generation, joining activities, navigation, and progress tracking. Then, we used GitHub for version control.

Challenges we ran into

One of our biggest challenges was deciding how much to build within the hackathon timeframe.

Our original idea included many possible features, including maps, social systems, advanced recommendations, and more complex quest generation. We had to prioritise one clear user journey, which are discovering a quest, joining or starting it, and tracking progress.

We also had to balance making SideQuest feel playful without making the interface feel too much like a traditional game.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

That we created a working prototype with connected quest generation, joining and progress features. We are especially proud that SideQuest can work both for people with friends and for users looking to join others.

What we learned

We learned how important it is to keep the main user journey simple and clear, especially when building under a tight deadline.

What's next for SideQuest

We would like to expand SideQuest with location-based recommendations, real-time public quests, friend and group features, safety tools, and more personalised activity suggestions. Our long-term goal is for SideQuest to become an easy way to turn unexpected free time into real-world connection.

Built With

• cloudflare-workers
• css
• javascript
• lucide-react
• openai
• react
• typescript
• vinext
• vite