Press Pause

Press Pause 🦖 helps you slow down and reclaim your time by choosing what to focus on. It’s not about ditching tech, but returning to a simpler, more mindful era of the early 2000s.

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Inspiration

Initially, we asked ourselves: how can we improve the world and make people's lives easier? We could create an app for job-seekers or a budgeting tool, but those concepts have already been explored extensively.
Then we thought, what if, instead of pushing more technology onto people, we encouraged them to be more mindful of their choices?
At first, our focus was on reducing the effects of "brainrot." Could we lock apps or make them less engaging? Sure, but we soon realized that simply limiting access wouldn't solve the underlying problem.
What if we took a different approach? What if we encouraged people to step away from technology and return to simpler times?
And that's when Press Pause was born.

What It Does

Press Pause is an app that curates monthly "packages" based on your preferences. You’ll share your tastes in music, movies, hobbies, shows, and books, and the app will create a personalized bundle for you.
These packages include music to listen to, movies to watch, books to read, and hobbies to try out, offering you a new activity or experience each month.
The app follows a subscription model where users receive their package in the mail and are challenged to complete the tasks within the month. Afterward, you can review the package, helping Press Pause refine future recommendations.
We’re confident in this subscription model because, even if users decide to cancel, they’ll still own the physical items they receive.

How We Built It

We developed the app using Angular for the frontend and Node.js for the backend, connected to MongoDB Atlas. User authentication is handled through Auth0.

Challenges We Ran Into

As with any new concept, learning the necessary tools was a challenge. Surprisingly, the biggest obstacle was the design. We aimed for a "2000s website" aesthetic, and it was tricky to make it clear that the retro look was intentional.
Auth0 was also a new concept for us, and integrating it took extra time.
Additionally, we were more familiar with Oracle than MongoDB, so getting up to speed with MongoDB Atlas added some complexity.

Accomplishments We’re Proud Of

We’re incredibly proud of how much we learned in a short time. Our goal was to challenge ourselves by diving into Angular, MongoDB, and Auth0—and we succeeded. Given the breadth of new technologies we needed to learn, we’re especially proud that we built an MVP within just 24 hours.

What We Learned

We gained valuable experience working with Angular, MongoDB Atlas, and Auth0.

What’s Next for Press Pause

Moving forward, we plan to implement a payment system for subscriptions so users can sign up, enter their address, and receive their monthly package.
Additionally, we want to add a profile page where users can track their progress and keep a history of their completed activities. Finally, we want the feedback system to work fully, so users can give feedback to the package and improve the AI.

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