Soft Focus

Focus on your tasks and your mental health -> Energy-aware productivity for neurodivergent minds

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Inspiration

We wanted to build a platform to unite and take care of all students, particularly neurodiverse students that struggle with managing their tasks. We are both on the spectrum, one with ADHD and another with Autism, so this became a very sentimental project for us and tailored to the issues people like us have to go through on a daily basis. We recognized that traditional productivity tools often fail to address the unique challenges faced by neurodiverse individuals - from executive dysfunction and task paralysis to the need for emotional support and community connection.

What it does

Soft Focus is a comprehensive wellness and productivity application designed specifically for neurodiverse students and individuals. The app combines several key features:

Task Management with ADHD-Friendly Design

  • Today View: Prioritized daily tasks with visual hierarchy and ADHD-friendly color coding
  • Life Tasks: Separate space for long-term goals and life management
  • Task Breakdown: Helps users break down overwhelming tasks into manageable steps
  • Pinned Tasks: Keep important tasks always visible to combat working memory challenges

AI-Powered Mentorship

  • Personalized AI Mentor: An empathetic AI companion that adapts its responses based on user tags (ADHD, Anxiety, etc.)
  • Conversation Memory: Remembers past conversations to provide contextual, personalized support
  • Warm Personality: Designed to feel like talking to a supportive friend, not a chatbot
  • Quick Prompts: One-tap access to common support needs ("I'm feeling overwhelmed", "Help me focus on a task")
  • Optional Voice Support: Text-to-speech responses for an immersive, accessible experience

Community Support (Community Pods)

  • Anonymous Connection: Join temporary support groups (3-5 people) based on shared struggles
  • Safe Spaces: 24-hour or 7-day pods that expire, ensuring fresh, judgment-free environments
  • Real-Time Chat: Connect with others facing similar challenges (Focus & Motivation, Overwhelm, Anxiety, Loneliness)
  • Matched Support Styles: Choose between "Just listening", "Advice & tips", or "Shared experiences"

Focus Mode with AI Attention Tracking

  • Camera-Based Focus Tracking: Uses AI (Presage SDK) to monitor attention and focus levels in real-time
  • Color Overlay Option: Optional calming color overlays to avoid the distraction of seeing yourself while maintaining tracking
  • Live Focus Metrics: Real-time graph showing focus percentage over time
  • Session History: Track focus patterns and improvement over time
  • 6 Calming Colors: Choose from scientifically-selected focus-enhancing colors (Calm Blue, Forest Green, Warm Beige, Soft Purple, Deep Gray, Ocean Teal)

The application creates a complete ecosystem where users can manage their tasks, receive AI-powered emotional support, connect with peers facing similar challenges, and objectively track their focus and productivity - all in one ADHD-friendly interface.

How we built it

We created the front end using Expo and React Native for rapid development and cross-platform compatibility, allowing us to quickly prototype and iterate on the user experience. The application leverages several modern technologies:

  • Frontend: React Native with Expo Router for navigation, TypeScript for type safety
  • Backend: Firebase for authentication (anonymous auth for privacy), Firestore for real-time database, and cloud storage
  • AI Integration: Google Gemini 2.0 Flash API for the AI Mentor feature, with custom prompt engineering to create an empathetic, ADHD-friendly personality
  • Voice Features: ElevenLabs API for text-to-speech conversion (optional feature)
  • Focus Tracking: Integration with Presage SDK for camera-based attention monitoring
  • UI/UX: Lucide React Native icons, React Native Chart Kit for data visualization, ADHD-friendly color palette with soft pastels

The architecture is fully asynchronous, with real-time updates for community pods and conversation syncing. We implemented comprehensive state management and local caching for offline functionality.

Challenges we ran into

We may have tried to be slightly over ambitious and ran into several technical challenges:

  1. Expo Go Limitations: Discovered that Presage (native Android SDK) isn't compatible with Expo Go, requiring us to implement a development build workflow
  2. API Rate Limits: Had to carefully manage API calls to stay within free tier limits for Gemini API and ElevenLabs
  3. Environment Variables: Struggled with Expo web's handling of .env files, requiring us to implement multiple fallback methods for API key configuration
  4. Firestore Security Rules: Needed to properly configure delete permissions for the conversation history feature
  5. Real-time Sync: Implementing real-time conversation history with Firestore while maintaining performance and user privacy
  6. Camera Permissions: Managing camera permissions across different platforms for the focus tracking feature
  7. Voice Integration: Balancing the desire for voice features with the complexity of audio playback in React Native
  8. ADHD-Friendly Design: Ensuring the UI wasn't overwhelming while still being feature-rich - finding the right balance of information density

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We have a full stack, ready to release and fully functional application that we can be proud of:

  • Complete AI Integration: Successfully implemented a conversational AI that genuinely feels supportive and understands neurodiversity
  • Real-Time Community Feature: Built anonymous, ephemeral support groups that actually work and feel safe
  • Innovative Focus Tracking: Created a non-intrusive focus monitoring system with color overlay options
  • Privacy-First Architecture: Anonymous authentication, temporary communities, and user-controlled data
  • Professional UI/UX: Achieved a polished, accessible interface that's both beautiful and ADHD-friendly
  • Comprehensive Features: Task management, AI mentorship, community support, and focus tracking - all in one app
  • Cross-Platform: Works seamlessly on web, iOS, and Android
  • Scalable Architecture: Built on Firebase with room to grow to thousands of users

Most importantly, we created something that we ourselves would actually use daily - a tool that addresses real pain points we experience.

What we learned

  • How to integrate cutting-edge AI APIs (Gemini, ElevenLabs) into mobile applications
  • Real-time database architecture and security rules with Firebase
  • The importance of designing for neurodiversity from the ground up, not as an afterthought
  • Native module integration in Expo and when to use development builds vs Expo Go
  • Prompt engineering for creating empathetic, personality-driven AI interactions
  • The balance between feature richness and cognitive load for ADHD users
  • How to build privacy-preserving community features (anonymous auth, ephemeral groups)

What's next for Soft Focus

Short-term improvements:

  • Fine-tune the Presage integration for more accurate focus tracking
  • Add session history and analytics for focus sessions
  • Implement AI-generated insights from focus data ("You focus best in the mornings")
  • Add Pomodoro timer integration with focus tracking
  • Create achievement system and streaks for motivation
  • Implement notification system for task reminders (ADHD-friendly, not overwhelming)

Medium-term features:

  • Export conversation history for journaling
  • Mood tracking integrated with AI mentor
  • Integration with calendar apps for automatic task scheduling
  • Social features: Share achievements (optional)
  • Desktop app for focus mode during work/study sessions
  • Offline mode with local database sync

Long-term vision:

  • Professional therapist referral system
  • Integration with educational institutions
  • Research partnerships to study neurodiversity and productivity
  • Community-driven content (tips, strategies, success stories)
  • Guided exercises (CBT, mindfulness, ADHD coping strategies)
  • Parent/educator dashboard (with user consent)

Our goal is to create not just an app, but a lasting community and support system that makes a real positive impact on the lives of neurodiverse individuals. We want Soft Focus to be the companion that helps people like us thrive, not just survive.

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