monkeypro

Lofi Monkey!
Loading screen
Timer page + todo list
AI recommended learning techniques
Profile page with preferences
Monkey accessory shop
Personal stats page
Friendly and competitive leaderboard!
Example of a study technique/strategy page
Archive of different study techniques/strategies
Our initial prototype before we learned Figma!

Why?

Do you suffer from monkey mania? In our increasingly connected world, there's been a troubling trend crawling in the shadows of all our peers and society at large: doomscrolling. This phenomenon--where users continuously scroll through either negative news or short-form videos despite the psychological distress it causes--has become particularly prevalent among Gen Z and Gen Alpha, with nearly 1 in 3 U.S. adults who use social media engaging in this harmful, self-destructive behavior. Approximately 53% of Gen Z is affected, including many members on this very team :(

When we observed how many of our fellow students lost productive hours to endless social media scrolling, we wondered: what if we could transform wasted screen time into meaningful progress? What if the same psychological hooks that keep people doomscrolling could be repurposed to encourage positive habits? You don't want to be a mediocre monkey do you? This idea sparked monkeypro--a gamified productivity app companion designed to make studying as engaging as scrolling through your favorite TikTok or Instagram Reel, but with positive outcomes for users.

What it does

Monkeypro is a productivity application that fights the urges of doomscrolling by making studying fun--like leveling up your own personal stats! At the core, it's a timer-based system built around evidence-based study techniques including:

Active recall sessions
Mind mapping exercises
Pomodoro time management
Feynman technique learning blocks
...and much more!

What sets monkeypro apart is our monkey companion system. Each user adopts a personal digital monkey that grows and evolves as you achieve your goals. Every completed task or study session earns you banana slices, our in-app currency. It can be spent in our shop to purchase fun outfits and accessories for your monkey companion.

Also, if you ARE doomscrolling even if you have the app, we will always know. A notification will pop up if you're scrolling on your favorite platform--Instagram, TikTok, YouTube--to remind you to finish your daily tasks!

The app also features a comprehensive statistics dashboard (similar to Spotify Wrapped, a summary of what you listened to each year, but ours will be continuously updated) that shows your productivity metrics across various timeframes (day, week, month, year), celebrating your achievements and progress over time while also providing another source of motivation!

On the main screen, users can easily access:

A timer for different study techniques
A dynamic to-do list that integrates with Canvas and Gradescope APIs for automated verification (yes we checked, these actually exist!) And if you did not know, many universities use Canvas/Gradescope to check the validity of submitted assignments--which can help us prevent users from working around a trust-system.
Your monkey companion who reacts to your productivity
Quick-view statistics showing your current progress
A list of the most effective, scientifically-proven study techniques that you can read about to learn more.

The leaderboard feature allows friendly competition among peers, with the ability to "nudge" friends to complete their tasks, creative a supportive community of productive people!

One of the more hidden features of our product will be the use of machine learning (which can be turned off if you don't vibe with that). In the beginning, we will ask a survey about what type of learner you are, and what goals you need to accomplish. Our backend model will identify which tasks are at the top priority and remind you more frequently to finish it (if you forget). We will assign labels to the different tasks (high prio, low prio, exam prep, assignment, etc.) and suggest the study techniques with the highest compatibility rating for that specific task. Now, onto how we made it on Figma!

How we built it

We designed monkeypro entirely in Figma, with some background research on effective study techniques, for different types of studying (retaining information, encouraging creativity, and studying for exams)

We designed monkeypro to be:

Engaging: With colorful, playful design elements that make productivity feel fun and rewarding.
Accessible: With adaptable interfaces for different user needs and a color palette friendly for colorblind individuals. With our AI, we will be able to recognize different users' learning needs and adapt to them regardless of their situation.
Ethical: Consciously designed to promote healthy habits rather than addictive behaviors.

Challenges we ran into

Our team faced several challenges (most of them were shared!!!) during this hackathon:

Time felt short as this was the first hackathon experience for several team members and they were still getting used to the experience.
Adapting to new software, like Figma, which had a steep learning curve for the features we wanted to use. Many of us were using Figma for the first time!
Identifying genuine market gaps required careful considerations of who we wanted our target audience to be, and what traditional habits we wanted to break with new technology.
Balancing the gamification aspects to be motivating without becoming another form of digital addiction.
Designing an interface that would appeal to both students and working professional who have different productivity needs.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Despite these challenges, we're particularly proud of creating a product that directly addresses "save the world" theme by targeting a modern social problem--excessive and harmful social media use. We're also proud of learning professional design tools like Figma to create a solution that turns wasted time into productivity.

One of our team members, Dishita, was exceptionally proud of thinking of the monkey theme, her favorite animal--which is both memorable and motivating.

What we learned

This hackathon has been a great learning experience for all members of the team. From zero to hero, aka the hero monkey saving our world, we discovered the importance of designing proper planning time to ideate impactful and viable products. We also gained a lot of experience with Figma and the entire design process, which was new territory for team members who are primarily familiar with development. Additionally, we also deepend our understanding of ethical design practices that promote positive user behaviors.

What's next for monkeypro?

monkeypro is just getting started! After this hackathon's successful jumpstart, we're committed to developing the full application over the summer. During that period, we will:

Implement a full-featured mobile application with cross-platform compatibility
Expand on API integrations beyond academic platforms to include professional productivity tools
Develop more sophisticated monkey companions with increased interaction possibilities and advanced animations
Create a community feature where users can share study techniques and productivity tips
Research and incorporate additional evidence-backed learning methods

By continuing to develop monkeypro, we aim to create a tool that not only helps individuals be more productive but contributes to a healthier relationship with technology for everyone--one mindful monkey at a time.

How to follow our progress

Our team will be posting frequent updates on LinkedIn about app updates and advancements. Feel free to follow all of us to keep in touch with our development process!