Inspiration
Some of us have younger siblings who are really hard to motivate. They’d rather spend hours gaming or watching TV than doing chores. Additionally, growing up, our parents would try to “reward” us for helping out, but there was never a consistent or fun way to keep track of the tasks we completed. The excitement quickly faded as there was no consistent and fun way to keep track of the chores that we did.
We realized that kids today are surrounded by digital reward such as achievements or badges in games, but those systems rarely exist in real life. That’s where the idea for Elfy came from: bringing the same sense of progress and motivation from gaming into the real world.
Inspired by the childhood nostalgia of Elf on the Shelf, we also imagined a playful AR elf who could appear in your home and cheer you on while doing tasks, which is even more motivating for children.
What it does
Elfy allows parents to create a family account where they can add children. Through the parent account, they can assign and approve their children's tasks and view how many gems they have left to reach a reward such as a 10 dollar gift card. The child can view their progress bar with the number of gems they have and view their tasks. When dojng a task, they can choose to enter ar mode to do their chores with a cute elf.
How we built it
We built Elfy using React Native with Expo to create a cross-platform mobile app. Our backend is powered by Neon, which manages family data, tasks, and rewards securely and efficiently. We integrated the Visa API to handle parent-approved reward redemptions, allowing gift card payouts once children reach their gem goals. For wireframing and UI design, we used Figma to prototype our screens and ensure a clean, kid-friendly layout before development. We also implemented AR mode using Expo’s camera tools, bringing a cheerful elf into the user’s environment to make chores more engaging.
Challenges we ran into
One of our biggest challenges was integrating augmented reality in a way that worked smoothly across platforms while keeping performance stable. We also faced difficulties setting up secure communication between parent and child accounts, ensuring that task updates and gem counts remained synchronized. Another challenge was connecting the Visa API for reward handling and making sure it aligned with family-based permissions. Finally, we spent time balancing visual design and usability to create an interface that would excite children but still be simple enough for parents to manage.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
What we learned
We’re proud that we built a fully functional prototype with real parent-child task tracking, a working reward system powered by the Visa API, and a playful AR elf that appears during chores. Seeing the elf in a real environment and watching the gem progress bar fill up was an exciting moment that brought our concept to life. We’re also proud of how well we collaborated as a team — managing design, backend, and AR development in parallel to create a cohesive, polished product.
What's next for elfy
Next, we plan to enhance the AR experience, allowing the elf to move, celebrate, and interact dynamically when a task is completed. We also want to expand the reward system to include customizable goals and more flexible redemption options. In the future, we hope to add voice interaction so the elf can give reminders or encouragement and add seasonal themes to keep the experience fresh year-round. Ultimately, we aim to grow Elfy into a platform that helps families build consistent routines while keeping chores fun and motivating.
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