DinoLearn

landing
dashboard
leaderboard
roadmap
streaks

Inspiration

Studies show that people with ADHD are three times more likely to drop out of traditional online courses, largely due to long, overwhelming lessons and low engagement. Meanwhile, over 60% of learners prefer microlearning formats for better focus and retention.

We took inspiration from Duolingo’s success with neurodiverse learners, especially those with ADHD. Duolingo uses gamification, fast feedback loops, and flexible pacing to help boost dopamine, a neurotransmitter often deficient in ADHD brains. This keeps users motivated and makes learning feel fun, not forced.

We wanted to bring that same magic to any topic, not just language learning.

That’s how DinoLearn was born, an AI-powered, mobile-first learning platform that turns anything you want to learn into a fun, 14-day roadmap of quick lessons and quizzes. The app is themed around dinosaurs so we could match with Bitcamp’s theme

What it does

DinoLearn generates a personalized learning journey based on any topic the user enters. Each day contains:

A custom AI-generated lesson
A short summary for reinforcement
A multiple-choice quiz to test understanding

It’s designed to help ADHD learners thrive, using core Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and UI/UX principles like:

Short, manageable content to avoid cognitive overload
Visual rewards and streaks to stimulate motivation and dopamine
Instant feedback after every quiz
Minimal decision fatigue with a clear 14-day roadmap
Bright design and fun dino animations to hold attention and spark joy
Dino companions throughout the app that cheer you on, guide your journey, and make every lesson awesome

Think of it like Duolingo but for anything, not just languages.

How we built it

Frontend: React Native with Expo Go for seamless mobile access
Backend: Python FastAPI to handle lesson generation and user data
AI Models: Gemini API creates the roadmap, ChatGPT generates lessons and quizzes
Database: MongoDB stores progress and user-generated content
Hosting: Fully deployed on learnivore.tech with a custom .tech domain
Extras: Lazy-loading architecture—lessons and quizzes are only generated when clicked, speeding up performance

Challenges we ran into

Gemini’s generation time was ~90 seconds at first, which made the app unusable. We solved this by moving to on-demand daily generation, so content is only loaded when needed.
Vercel domain verification gave us trouble with our .tech domain.
MongoDB’s ObjectId serialization broke FastAPI responses, which we fixed using proper Pydantic modeling.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Fully built and deployed a mobile-ready AI learning platform in under 36 hours
Live at learnivore.tech with a working Expo Go mobile app
Seamless integration of multiple AI models, a dynamic backend, and database
Designed with intentional HCI patterns to support ADHD learners
Gamified UX inspired by Duolingo, but themed around dinosaurs to match Bitcamp’s vibe

What we learned

How to balance AI generation time with performance using smart backend strategies
How to build ADHD-accessible user flows using HCI techniques
How to architect full-stack mobile platforms with dynamic content loading
How to bring real UX polish under extreme time pressure