Identifying the Challenge

Teams often struggle to reach a single cohesive idea during brainstorming, as remote and hybrid work environments create a disconnect among coworkers, making collaboration feel impersonal and isolating. Scattering effort and disconnection lead directly to burnout. We were inspired to create a system that made personal connections and organizational structure visible and manageable. Jigsolve was designed to transform chaotic ideas and fragmented teams into a structured, unified whole.

Insights and Findings

“My office isn’t nice to stay in all day. There’s no point in coming in.” — Hybrid Worker “Creating connections is hard work, especially if you’re an introvert.” — Reddit User “I isolate heavily and struggle to avoid it… sometimes I realize a week has passed.” — Reddit User These comments reveal a consistent theme: employees want authentic connection and a sense of belonging. While tools like Slack and Miro help with coordination and productivity, they fail to recreate the casual, social energy of in-person work. Key takeaway: Workers need digital environments that support both collaboration and emotional well-being. Our platform addresses this by using the puzzle metaphor to visually identify and solve gaps in support, skill, and connection.

Our Solution: The Hybrid Coworking Experience

Our goal is to create a fun hybrid coworking space that integrates AI in a supportive, approachable way, offering users quick opportunities to take mental breaks without leaving the platform.

Feature 1: AI-Integrated Whiteboard

An infinite shared canvas where teammates can write notes, sketch ideas, and brainstorm together. AI automatically summarizes and organizes the content to keep teams aligned and focused while maintaining a natural, creative flow.

Feature 2: Mental Break Game

A short, interactive mini-game that lets coworkers relax and connect during the workday. It provides a quick mental reset, helping maintain motivation and energy throughout long sessions.

Feature 3: Integrated Meetings and Calls

A built-in meeting tool that combines the reliability of standard video platforms with our unique collaborative features. This allows teams to communicate, create, and recharge in a single unified workspace.

Alignment with the CBRE Prompt

This project directly responds to CBRE’s challenge by building a digital workplace that fosters connection, reduces burnout, and sustains motivation. By using AI in an approachable and meaningful way, the platform bridges creativity, well-being, and productivity — all essential parts of the future hybrid work experience.

Why It Matters

The future of work should not just be efficient but human. Our platform brings people together to think, create, and recharge in one space, redefining what modern hybrid collaboration can feel like.

Challenges We Faced

Our biggest challenge was understanding the scope of our project within the 24-hour limit we were given. We needed to balance our comprehensive features with simplicity, ensuring that the AI felt like a helpful collaborator rather than an intimidating tool. It also took a bit of time to create something that was not only professional for CBRE but also playful and engaging for the end user. We figured it was worth creating a platform that encourages genuine human interaction without overwhelming users.

Conclusion

The future of work should not only be efficient but also human. Our platform brings people together to think, create, and recharge in one space, redefining what modern hybrid collaboration can feel like by providing a supportive space where teams can manage their projects and gain organizational clarity for the future.

We also created a responsive website that showcases the functionality of our two main features: the Main Whiteboard with AI Integration & Mental Break Game using Next.js, LiveBlock, Vercel & Figma. Try it out in the last link!