Project Info

Winner

Best UI/UX Hack

DOMO

Inspiration

We wanted to make studying feel fun instead of boring, inspired by the idea of raising a virtual pet and being able to care for and customize it as you go. We also valued mechanisms in study tools that allow users to keep track of their work and make progress feel meaningful and fulfilling. By caring for an animal and customizing it over time, studying feels less boring and more rewarding. That’s where our name comes from: DOMO (pronounced “doh-moh”). It plays on the phrase “do more,” but in a gentler way, encouraging progress without pressure!

What it does

DOMO allows you to set a focus goal and a timer. Once started, the app will keep you locked in to focus on your goals. After completing a successful study session, you earn in-game currency and write a quick reflection about what you accomplished, still need to do, and just help you keep track of your tangible progress. The app will also reward you with currency once the timer ends, which you can use to buy accessories for your pet once. This serves as a way to help keep you motivated to follow through with study sessions by giving you rewards.

How we built it

We built DOMO as a mobile app using React Native and Xcode to develop and test the iOS version. The app is structured around multiple screens, including onboarding, home, focus timer, shop, and reflection logs We used component-based design to keep UI elements reusable and organized Shared state is managed through context to track the pet’s status, in-app currency, and study session progress Navigation between screens is handled through a stack-based flow to create a smooth and intentional user experience

Challenges we ran into

This was also our first time building an iOS app, so there was a learning curve in figuring out mobile workflows, navigation, and debugging issues we hadn’t run into before. A lot of the process involved trial and error, Googling, and learning on the fly. Finally, like most hackathons, we had to balance big ideas with limited time. We had many features we wanted to add, but learning how to scope realistically and focus on what mattered most was a challenge in itself.

Accomplishments we're proud of

Amber: Designing and rendering all the characters, accessories, and almost all the assets in the app during the short time frame! Joey: Learning how to build an IOS app for the first time + closet feature! 😎 Max: Building an iOS app for the first time! Manuel: Sourcing sound effects and finding creative ways to enrich user experience.

What we learned

Building DOMO taught us that productivity tools aren’t just about timers or tracking data — motivation is emotional. When focus is paired with encouragement, rewards, and reflection, it feels less stressful and more sustainable, especially for students. This was also the first time both Max and Joey built an iOS app. We learned how to break a larger idea into achievable pieces, debug unfamiliar mobile workflows, and make intentional design decisions under time pressure. Along the way, we explored how to effectively use AI as a development tool. From brainstorming features to troubleshooting issues, we learned how AI can speed up development while still requiring thoughtful human judgment and iteration!

What's next

We want DOMO to grow into a long-term study companion that supports focus while staying fun and low-pressure! We hope to implement the following: Accessibility to everyone, including Android users 🙈 Screen time locks or app usage monitoring during study sessions Adjustable studying intensity so users can control how fast their pet gets hungry or progresses Built-in background music, ambient sounds, and custom sound effects More accessories and backgrounds in the shop Pet evolutions tied to long-term consistency More interactions with the pet, such as petting or playing Our goal is to make studying feel more rewarding and personal, rather than stressful or rigid!

This is a new React Native project, bootstrapped using @react-native-community/cli.

Getting Started

Note: Make sure you have completed the Set Up Your Environment guide before proceeding.

Step 1: Start Metro

First, you will need to run Metro, the JavaScript build tool for React Native.

To start the Metro dev server, run the following command from the root of your React Native project:

# Using npm
npm start

# OR using Yarn
yarn start

Step 2: Build and run your app

With Metro running, open a new terminal window/pane from the root of your React Native project, and use one of the following commands to build and run your Android or iOS app:

Android

# Using npm
npm run android

# OR using Yarn
yarn android

iOS

For iOS, remember to install CocoaPods dependencies (this only needs to be run on first clone or after updating native deps).

The first time you create a new project, run the Ruby bundler to install CocoaPods itself:

bundle install

Then, and every time you update your native dependencies, run:

bundle exec pod install

For more information, please visit CocoaPods Getting Started guide.

# Using npm
npm run ios

# OR using Yarn
yarn ios

If everything is set up correctly, you should see your new app running in the Android Emulator, iOS Simulator, or your connected device.

This is one way to run your app — you can also build it directly from Android Studio or Xcode.

Step 3: Modify your app

Now that you have successfully run the app, let's make changes!

Open App.tsx in your text editor of choice and make some changes. When you save, your app will automatically update and reflect these changes — this is powered by Fast Refresh.

When you want to forcefully reload, for example to reset the state of your app, you can perform a full reload:

Android: Press the R key twice or select "Reload" from the Dev Menu, accessed via Ctrl + M (Windows/Linux) or Cmd ⌘ + M (macOS).
iOS: Press R in iOS Simulator.

Congratulations! :tada:

You've successfully run and modified your React Native App. :partying_face:

Now what?

If you want to add this new React Native code to an existing application, check out the Integration guide.
If you're curious to learn more about React Native, check out the docs.

Troubleshooting

If you're having issues getting the above steps to work, see the Troubleshooting page.

Learn More

To learn more about React Native, take a look at the following resources:

React Native Website - learn more about React Native.
Getting Started - an overview of React Native and how setup your environment.
Learn the Basics - a guided tour of the React Native basics.
Blog - read the latest official React Native Blog posts.
@facebook/react-native - the Open Source; GitHub repository for React Native.

Analysis

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Metric

Figures cover GitHub contributors during the hackathon window. A co-authored commit counts in full for each author, so per-member totals add up to more than the whole-team figures.

Technology

Found in codeClaimed only

JavaScriptIn code
KotlinIn code
ReactIn code
SwiftIn code
TypeScriptIn code

5 of 5 appear in the indexed code.

AI coding agents

No AI coding agent signals were found in this repository.

Detected from committed agent config files and commit authorship. Absence of a signal is not proof an agent was unused.

Codebase size

Source size

125 KB

Source files

Counts recognized source files only; vendored directories, binaries and lockfiles are excluded, so this is smaller than the repository on disk.