Focus Garden | Devpost

Inspiration

I've always struggled with learning efficiently, trying to minimize effort while maximizing results. That led me down a rabbit hole of researching how to learn how to learn. I discovered countless proven techniques backed by psychology and neuroscience, but as I went deeper, I hit a new problem: I couldn’t keep track of what I was learning, especially the actionable parts. I found myself wishing for a library that stored all the useful learning techniques in one place, and even better, a magical assistant that could understand my struggles and recommend exactly what I needed.

“Snap back to reality,” I’d tell myself after daydreaming about this during a biology lesson about mammal cells. So I threw the idea into my mental “lost and found” box and went back to hearing how the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell.

Then came June 1, 2025. I opened a newsletter and saw the Bolt.new Hackathon. Perfect timing. I was just wondering how I’d spend the summer. I signed up, explored Bolt, and was honestly blown away by what was possible.

When I went back to my idea box to brainstorm, I found that frozen daydream again. I let it thaw… and suddenly, that magical assistant in my head started tapping his foot, reminding me this idea deserved to exist. Not just in my mind, but in the real world. So I designed a banner, paused for final exams, and when school ended on June 19, I had 11 days to bring it to life.

Challenge accepted.

What it does

Focus Garden is a gamified library of 35+ evidence-based learning techniques, paired with an AI-powered assistant that recommends the most effective ones for you.

Here’s how it works:

Take the AI-curated quiz – Our assistant learns about your goals, struggles, and learning style.

Get personalized techniques – You’re matched with techniques most likely to boost your performance.

Browse the Technique Library – Learn the what, why, and how behind each strategy.

Trial techniques – Choose a 1–3 day experiment, apply the technique in real life, then come back to rate it and take notes.

Schedule your experiments – Plan future trials using the built-in scheduling tab.

Track your progress – View stats like streaks, average effectiveness, total sessions, and more.

Earn achievements – Complete challenges and earn XP to level up.

Grow your Focus Garden – Customize a personal grid with rare plants and creatures as you level up.

Unlock the Pond (at level 5+) – Spend garden coins to decorate your pond with animals and aquatic plants, adding beauty to your digital world as you grow in real life.

Our goal? To help learners experiment with productivity like scientists, not just use timers and checklists.

How we built it

The entire app was built using Bolt.new from start to finish.

We used Bolt’s components to create a responsive and interactive interface.

The progress tracker, quiz engine, and gamified reward system were all built using Bolt’s backend logic and state management.

We also experimented with multiple layout themes and designed modular tabs for each major feature (Library, Schedule, Progress, Achievements, Garden).

Challenges we ran into

Gamification balancing – Creating a rewarding system that feels fun without overwhelming the user took a lot of iteration.

Design and UI limitations – Building a dynamic emoji garden and pond system inside a no-code/low-code environment stretched the boundaries of Bolt, but we made it work!

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Turning a daydream into a working prototype in less than two weeks.

Creating a productivity app that goes beyond timers and lists, by helping students learn how to learn in a fun, reflective, and scientific way.

Designing a gamified system that makes experimentation feel like exploration.

What we learned

We learned a lot of things, but mainly how amazing it is to be living in a time where, using a screen and a keyboard, you can make any dream or idea come true

What's next for Focus Garden

Our team will keep improving Focus Garden after the hackathon. Here’s what’s coming:

✅ Build a secure user database to store sessions, notes, streaks, and settings

✅ Enhance UX/UI, especially across theme modes and mobile views

✅ Improve the AI quiz for more personalized and accurate technique matching

✅ Expand the technique library with richer content, references, and tutorials

✅ Allow in-app application of techniques (e.g., built-in Pomodoro, spaced repetition)

✅ Launch marketing efforts to bring Focus Garden to real students around the world

This is just the beginning. From one learner to another, Focus Garden is here to help students master the art of learning and turn focus into a lifelong skill.