Inspiration
We drew inspiration from how Discord displays user activities in real time. We wanted to create a way for people to connect with friends and colleagues in a subtle, fun, and interactive manner, without disrupting their workflow. The goal was to bring shared activities to life visually, making online interactions more tangible and engaging.
What it does
Our app brings friends to life as animated cats on your screen. Each cat represents a user, moving, and interacting in real time. This overlay allows users to observe and engage with each other’s virtual presence while continuing their daily tasks. By turning social interactions into playful, dynamic visuals, the app encourages spontaneous engagement, strengthens connections, and makes collaborative work or casual interaction more enjoyable.
The application used is displayed on top of their cat with their name. An user can create an account to join their friends and see all of them!
How we built it
We built the app using Electron for the desktop overlay, and Node.js with WebSockets (Socket.IO) for real-time communication. Each user’s cat is represented as a sprite with multiple animations, synced to the server to reflect real-time interactions. Messages and actions are transmitted instantly, allowing users to communicate and interact seamlessly through their cat avatars.
Challenges we ran into
Smooth real-time movement: Ensuring cats moved fluidly without lag, even with multiple users on screen. Overlay integration: Making the cats appear on top of other apps while remaining non-intrusive. Synchronization: Keeping animations and interactions consistent across all connected clients. User engagement: Designing interactions that felt natural and fun without being distracting.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Successfully created a real-time, multi-user overlay where cats move and interact responsively. Developed a playful, non-intrusive social interaction model that encourages users to engage with friends. Implemented a robust network system that maintains smooth animations and communication between users. Made the app customizable, allowing users to choose cat appearances and animations.
What we learned
- Real-time systems require careful balancing of network performance and client-side rendering to maintain a smooth experience.
- User experience is key: even subtle animations can make interactions more engaging and emotionally resonant.
- Overlay apps introduce unique technical challenges, such as click-through functionality and rendering on top of other applications.
What's next for Cativity
Add more interactive behaviors for cats, like gestures, reactions, and collaborative games. Introduce customizable environments where cats can explore or play together. Expand to mobile platforms to connect users across devices. Enhance AI-driven behaviors so cats can exhibit semi-autonomous actions based on user activity, making interactions feel even more lively. Explore integration with productivity tools to create subtle, gamified collaboration experiences.
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