Spoken Stories

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About the Project

I created Spoken Stories because of my grandpa. As a child, the only way I could remember his voice was through a storybook that let him record himself reading it. I’d listen to that book over and over, just to hear him tell the story in his own words. Those recordings meant everything to me — they brought comfort, kept his memory alive, and made me feel close to him even after he was gone.

I wanted to give every family a way to experience that same feeling: to hear the voices of the people they love, telling any story they want, long after those loved ones are no longer here.

What I Learned

Building this project taught me that preserving memories isn’t just about saving photos or videos. It’s about capturing the essence of someone, and nothing does that like their voice. I learned how deeply people connect with sound, and how powerful it is to hear a familiar voice say words they’ve never spoken before.

How I Built It

I combined voice cloning technology with a simple, family-friendly web interface. I focused on making it easy for anyone to upload a recording of a loved one or themselves, generate a custom narrated story, and download or share the audio. Throughout, I designed the website to feel warm, approachable, and comforting, never cold or overly technical.

Challenges I Faced

• Ensuring the recreated voices sounded authentic but not uncanny
  
• Making the onboarding process simple enough for all generations
  
• Balancing powerful technology with a user experience that feels emotional, not complicated
  
• Creating a clean UI that appeals to both younger and older family members
  
• Communicating the service’s value clearly and honestly, without feeling exploitative of grief

I’m proud of what Spoken Stories has become: a way for families to keep the voices of those they love alive, and to create new stories together that will last for generations.

Built With

• bolt
• elevenlabs
• supabase
• typescript