Thrive

Log In page
Dashboard containing all deadline that are retrieved from the VLE
The plant advances two stages if you complete two tasks
Form for schedule customization
Customized schedule generated with Gemini based on information inputted in the form

Inspiration

Higher education environments often present overwhelming workloads and expectations, leading to increased procrastination among students. First-year university students are particularly vulnerable to these challenges, as they have not developed the necessary habits to succeed compared to older students. Moreover, plenty of VLEs are structured non-optimally, which would further hinder the students from even comprehending the sheer load of deadlines present.

What it does

Imagine instead a world where you can effortlessly track your completed tasks and visualize your productivity in real time. Thrive is an interactive task manager plugin that transforms your to-do list by blending productivity with the joy of caring for virtual faculty-tailored avatars on Eclass and other VLEs. It is also capable of creating daily time blocks for completing assignments in accordance with your own preferences.

How we built it

We developed Thrive as a full-stack web application using the Remix framework. We utilized JavaScript XML in combination with CSS to design the layout of the site and the various “popups” (the form and the daily schedule). We created 8 sprites of the sprout at various stages of its life using Figma. We integrated Google Gemini to optimize the daily schedule by taking in the input that the user enters on the form regarding the difficulty level of each subject, their favourite subject, and the time at which they work best.

Challenges we ran into

It was a bit difficult to implement Gemini, especially since we never had any experience with AI integration. Gemini was supposed to process the data entered into the form and then output something that coincided with our requirements that we could easily store into an array. Refining this process took around 8 hours. In addition, it took an exorbitant amount of time to perfect the transitions/animations between the sprites of the sprout.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are pleased with all the solutions to the aforementioned challenges that we managed to obtain through trial-and-error, as well as assistance from our mentors (for the AI aspect). We are also proud of the sleek/professional quality of the design and the seamless transitions. It is structured in such a way that optimizes workflow efficiency for the user; the virtual pet/plant aspect does not allow for excessive engagement; the application will not detract from the pressing tasks but will serve as a brief respite or extrinsic motivation.

What we learned

We learned how to do back-end operations that involve the utilization of AI APIs, how to insert svg files from Figma and resize them, and how to make rudimentary animations using CSS.

What's next for Thrive

To fully reach its potential, our prototype would need to be established as a plugin for various VLEs that require restructuring. From there, our program can fetch all the deadline data directly from whatever is inputted by professors onto calendars within those VLEs.