Wired for Innovation: Lessons from Bolt.New hackathon

I joined the one-shot prompt track of the Bolt.New hackathon, because I was low on credits and still finding my footing with "vibe coding." My project was called Seniors Web App, a mental health companion designed for older adults. It was supposed to use voice interaction and sentiment analysis to offer empathetic, natural conversations—simple yet meaningful, blending the ease seniors need with tech that respects their dignity.
To shape the idea, I did a quick dip-stick study. First, I visited a premium assisted-living facility for Seniors on outskirts of Bengaluru, bringing a paper prototype to show during their post-lunch social hour. The staff were kind, but only one resident responded. He pointed out, with a calm honesty, that the app would need to handle regional accents and slower speech, a note I carried forward.
Not discouraged, I tried again near my housing complex. I offered some homemade treats, and five seniors agreed to chat over a period of three to four days. One of them, Mrs. Singh, a retired teacher, said she talks to her houseplants "because they never interrupt." That stuck with me—it became a design rule: the app had to pause generously, and signal turns clearly, letting users feel heard.
Another senior mentioned that they often felt lonely and appreciated having a consistent companion to talk to. This feedback reinforced the importance of creating an app that could engage in meaningful conversations and provide emotional support.
Building it was a solo effort, but I wasn't alone.
Later that day, I got a mentor-like session with Rinka, a friend, a senior solutions architect. I expected a rushed review, but he gave me 10 minutes, sketching failure states on a whiteboard. His advice—"design the failure states first; if they feel respectful, the success states will feel inevitable"—hit deep. It's now a permanent part of how I think about building things.
My project didn't take off much since not much could be done with one prompt, but afterward, two acquaintances reached out for access testing for their parents. One sent a photo of his dad smiling, chatting with the bot about his grandkids. That picture? It's my proof this mattered.
I'm so thankful to everyone who helped along the way: the staff and residents at the assisted-living facility, the seniors near my place, Eric Simons the CEO of Bolt.New, Alex B., Kate and the whole Bolt.New crew for the exuberant YouTube videos and emails. You're all part of Seniors Web App, woven into its code and purpose.