givee

overview

we developed givee with the goal of centralizing gift planning, eliminating the need for scattered notes and last-minute forgetfulness. the app allows users to create profiles for every important person, registering commemorative dates (such as birthdays and anniversaries) and associating gift ideas with them. each item on the gift list can include detailed notes, price estimates, and direct purchase links, acting as a personal assistant for generosity.

on the local backend, we used SwiftData to create robust relationships between user profiles, their important dates, and suggested gifts. a key technical feature was the integration with EventKit, which allows users to export dates registered in the app directly to the native iOS calendar, ensuring no birthday is ever forgotten. the SwiftUI interface was designed to be clean and efficient, featuring search functionality and sorting filters to manage extensive lists easily.

design choices

palette

paper #F4F2F2

graphite #757575

ocean #80AFBD

mint #7FBD8C

blush #E9B8E8

coral #F8CFC9

marker #F5FF62

citrus #FFDFBB

typography

SF Pro Display / headings and primary text

The quick fox jumps over the lazy dog

SF Pro Rounded / labels and casual tone

The quick fox jumps over the lazy dog

some fonts used in this project are proprietary and may not display correctly if they are not installed on your system.

rationale

the design of givee is rooted in a digital notebook metaphor, utilizing an off-white paper color (#F4F2F2) to establish a warm, accessible tone that immediately reduces cognitive load. by avoiding clinical whites, the app suggests that content is a work in progress—a draft or personal notebook—which fits the messy, iterative nature of gifting where ideas are often semi-formed before a final purchase.

the most distinctive element is the use of highlight colors (ocean, blush, citrus, etc.) implemented via ZStacks. in the code (e.g., GiftTitleView and NameSectionView), these appear as offset colored rectangles behind text, mimicking the physical action of using a felt-tip marker. this serves a functional purpose by creating a clear visual hierarchy that draws the eye to titles and names while reinforcing an artisanal, tactile feel that transforms standard iOS UI elements into something personalized.

this human-centric approach continues with the use of rounded fonts, capsule shapes for dates, and soft-stroked tag visuals. since gifting is inherently personal, avoiding a cold, transactional spreadsheet-style list was critical. by styling components like DateCapsule and TagView with coral tones and soft strokes, the app treats profile data—names, dates, and preferences—as valued scrapbook entries rather than mere data points. this emotional design ensures the user feels like they are curating a relationship, not just managing a to-do list.

tech stack

SwiftUI

UI framework

SwiftData

local persistence

EventKit

calendar integration

UIKit

UI framework

code snippets

Recurring Calendar Events

swift

class CalendarManager: ObservableObject {
    private let eventStore = EKEventStore()
    @Published var authorizationStatus: EKAuthorizationStatus = .notDetermined
    
    func requestAccess() {
        eventStore.requestFullAccessToEvents { granted, error in
            DispatchQueue.main.async {
                self.authorizationStatus = granted ? .authorized : .denied
            }
        }
    }
    
    func createEvent(title: String, date: Date) {
        let event = EKEvent(eventStore: eventStore)
        event.title = title
        event.startDate = date
        event.endDate = date
        event.isAllDay = true
        event.calendar = eventStore.defaultCalendarForNewEvents
        
        let recurrenceRule = EKRecurrenceRule(
            recurrenceWith: .yearly,
            interval: 1,
            end: nil
        )
        event.recurrenceRules = [recurrenceRule]
        
        do {
            try eventStore.save(event, span: .thisEvent)
            print("Event Created")
        } catch {
            print("Error creating event: \(error.localizedDescription)")
        }
    }
}

SwiftData Profile Model

swift

@Model
class ProfileModel: Identifiable {
    var name: String
    var events: [EventDateModel]?
    var bio: String?
    @Relationship(deleteRule: .cascade, inverse: \GiftModel.owner)
    var gifts: [GiftModel] = []
    init(
        name: String,
        events: [EventDateModel]? = nil,
        bio: String? = nil,
        gifts: [GiftModel] = []
    ) {
        self.name = name
        self.events = events
        self.bio = bio
        self.gifts = gifts
    }
}

Gift Title Input View

swift

struct GiftTitleView: View {
    @Binding var giftTitle: String
    @Binding var name: String
    var body: some View {
        VStack {
            ZStack(alignment: .topTrailing) {
                VStack(spacing: 16) {
                    ZStack {
                        if giftTitle.isEmpty {
                            Text("Title")
                                .font(.system(size: 36, weight: .bold))
                                .foregroundColor(.gray)
                        }
                        TextField("", text: $giftTitle)
                            .font(.system(size: 36, weight: .bold))
                            .multilineTextAlignment(.center)
                    }
                    .background(
                         Rectangle()
                             .fill(Color("Citrus"))
                             .frame(height: 20)
                             .offset(y: 10)
                    )
                    TagView(name: name)
                        .padding(.bottom, 5)
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

credits

people

design

giovanna castrojuliana rodrigues

development

rafael venetikideslissa degutipedro wiezel