Nook & Roam

Inspiration

The inspiration behind why I chose this particular project is as a first-time mom who wanted to take her baby to go do something fun but age appropriate, I found it very difficult to distill the events down and find the information I was really looking for. The mental load was my second inspiration. A lot of moms experiences the mental load as do other family members, and when you are already doing so much planning and putting things together, trying to determine if an event is the right fit for your family over the weekend with 10 open tabs gets really exhuasting. In comes Nook & Roam.

What it does

Nook & Roam is a site for moms, parents, family members, etc. to visit and based on their location be able to find events within a 20 mile radius or within a 20 minute drive from home using estimated times based on their zip. If they are okay with allowing the site their location metadata, then still approximation based on that. The site can help the user distill down to the required criteria of an event that is 10 minutes, away, free, and stroller friendly.

How I built it

I built Nook & Roam using React, TypeScript, and Next.js, with Codex and GPT-5.6 assisting with planning, implementation, debugging, and design iteration. The prototype uses structured Tulsa events as sample data, a ZIP code or optional device location to estimate travel time, interactive filters, like "free" and "stroller friendy", direct registration links, and browser-based saved events. I focused on creating a warm, calm, and responsive interface that makes finding family activities feel simple rather than overwhelming.

Challenges I ran into

The biggest challenge was managing scope creep. There were many features and small improvements I wanted to add, so I constantly had to ask, “Is this necessary for the demo, or does it belong on the future roadmap?” I also had to balance providing families with enough useful information while keeping the interface simple and uncluttered.

Another challenge was balancing useful family details with a simple, uncluttered experience. Event information can also be inconsistent across different sources, particularly details like age suitability, stroller accessibility, and registration requirements. For this prototype, I chose to use curated examples and honest travel-time estimates rather than present incomplete information as exact.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

I'm proud of the problem I identified and the steps taken to create a prototype that provides a polished, functional layout for a user to quickly find something fun to do while also providing detailed information in a distilled fashion. Another add-on is identifying that not all events will fit the criteria, so providing the back-up option of looking at a place to go instead, helps families still do something fun.

What I learned

I learned how important it is to manage scope and identify which features are essential to a convincing prototype. I also improved how I work with AI: prompts with clear goals, relevant context, and specific constraints produced better results than broad requests. Most importantly, I learned that building a useful product is not just about adding features—it is about understanding what information users need and presenting it as simply as possible.

What's next for Nook & Roam

Next, I want to build a backend and database with an AI-assisted pipeline for discovering, organizing, and regularly updating events from trusted sources. I would also add user accounts, personalized recommendations, alerts for saved interests, more accurate routing, organizer submissions, and support for additional cities—eventually growing Nook & Roam into a trusted family lifestyle platform.

Built With

• codex
• gpt-5.6
• next.js
• openai-sites
• react
• typescript