From Forgetful to Focused: How Ali Built a Powerful Reminder App for Busy Minds
Sigma School
11th May 2025
Before joining Sigma School, Ali Asnawi was a Senior Compliance Technician—a role grounded in precision, responsibility, and endless documentation. But behind the sharp eye for compliance was someone who constantly battled with one personal challenge: forgetfulness.
Despite his high energy and packed schedule, Ali often found himself missing out on important tasks and moments—not because he didn’t care, but because his brain was juggling too much at once. That's when he decided to stop being frustrated and start building a solution.
Ali’s inspiration was simple, yet deeply personal: “I have too much going on in my head. I need an app that remembers things for me.”
He realized many people—especially energetic, ambitious individuals like himself—suffer from mental clutter. Whether it’s planning tasks, capturing notes, saving photos, or just remembering to breathe between activities, the cognitive load becomes unbearable.
That’s why he created a Reminder App for Busy Minds—a digital space where tasks, thoughts, and even memories can live safely outside the brain.
Ali’s capstone project is a full-fledged productivity app built with real-world functionality and a user-first design. Here's what it can do:
Ali’s app is powered by a modern tech stack:
The app architecture follows best practices, separating frontend logic, backend APIs, and Firebase for secure and scalable media storage.
Like any real-world project, Ali’s journey wasn’t a straight path. He struggled with:
But his secret weapon? AI as a private tutor.
Whenever he hit a roadblock, Ali turned to ChatGPT. No embarrassment, no delay. He asked everything from “How do I upload an image to Firebase?” to “Why isn’t this route working?”—and then tested, tweaked, and learned through trial and error.
He didn’t just build an app—he built a mindset: Break problems into small, manageable tasks and tackle them one by one.
This capstone project was just the beginning. Ali already has plans for:
And maybe one day—monetization or an open-source version to help others who struggle with productivity and mental load.
Ali’s journey is proof that coding isn’t just for the technical elite—it’s for anyone who sees a problem in their life and decides to solve it.
“This app helped me manage my life. I built it for myself—but I hope it helps others too,” Ali shared.
From compliance technician to full-stack developer, Ali’s story is one of growth, grit, and creativity. And with the power of AI, code, and curiosity—he turned forgetfulness into focus.