Overview
NapkinNotes is a full-stack AI-powered platform that transforms raw class notes into organized, searchable study resources. Built to serve the 500+ students at Princeton Day School, it combines optical character recognition, AI-driven summarization, and a peer-to-peer social layer to create a collaborative learning ecosystem.
Students upload notes in any format — handwritten scans, PDFs, Word documents, or plain text — and the platform extracts, processes, and summarizes the content automatically. A social reputation system incentivizes high-quality contributions, while course-level organization and test scheduling keep study materials structured and accessible.
Core Features
OCR Extraction
Powered by Google Cloud Vision API and PyMuPDF to extract text from handwritten notes, scanned documents, and complex PDF layouts with high accuracy.
AI Summarization
Claude API generates concise, structured summaries of uploaded notes, distilling key concepts and definitions for efficient studying.
Multi-Format Upload
Supports images, PDFs, DOCX, and TXT files with up to 32 files per note. Drag-and-drop interface for seamless batch uploads.
Social Features
Follow classmates, like and comment on shared notes, rate content quality, and bookmark study materials for later review.
User Reputation System
Five-tier progression from Beginner to Master based on contribution quality and community engagement. Encourages high-quality note sharing.
Course Organization
Organize notes by course with integrated test scheduling. Auto note-locking prevents edits after submission deadlines.
Authentication
Dual authentication with Google OAuth for quick sign-in and traditional email/password registration with secure session management.
Admin Panel
Comprehensive admin dashboard for user management, content moderation, and detailed audit logging of all platform activities.
Tech Stack
Backend
AI & Processing
Cloud & Storage
Security & Auth
Architecture
18 database models organized across 4 domain categories power the entire platform.
User & Auth
4 models
Complete user lifecycle management with OAuth integration and brute-force protection
Content & Notes
5 models
Hierarchical content organization with file attachments and AI-generated summaries
Social & Engagement
5 models
Full social graph with bidirectional relationships and engagement tracking
Admin & Moderation
4 models
Administrative oversight with comprehensive audit trail and reputation scoring
Development Timeline
Ideation & Design
Identified the need for a centralized note-sharing platform at PDS. Designed database schema and wireframed the core user experience.
Development Sprint
Built the full-stack application from scratch. Integrated OCR, AI summarization, authentication, social features, and admin tooling.
Launch & Growth
Deployed to production serving 500+ PDS students. Continuous iteration based on user feedback, performance optimization, and feature expansion.
Future Roadmap
Collaborative Editing
Real-time collaborative note editing with conflict resolution and revision history.
Mobile Apps
Native iOS and Android applications for on-the-go note access and camera-based uploads.
AI Quiz Generation
Automatically generate practice quizzes and flashcards from uploaded notes using AI.
Multi-School Expansion
Expand the platform beyond PDS to serve students at other schools with tenant isolation.