Ed-Tech · Real-Time Collaboration
NeuralBoard
2024
A real-time collaborative idea-mapping tool built to help students engage in classroom brainstorming sessions. Teachers post prompts, students branch responses, and the board grows into a living map of connected thinking.
Built with Firebase Firestore for live sync, anonymous auth for zero-friction joining, and a physics-based layout engine that keeps bubbles from overlapping.
ReactFirebaseFirestoreReal-timeCollision PhysicsAnonymous Auth
Tools Used
⚛️React
🔥Firebase
🧮Physics Engine
👥Anon Auth
Lessons Learned
🏫Ed-Tech Product Design

Designing for classroom use forced clarity — every interaction had to work for a distracted student on a phone in 30 seconds or less.

⚡Real-Time Architecture

Managing concurrent Firebase writes with optimistic UI, transaction-based upvoting, and live collision layout taught me the sharp edges of distributed state.

→ Try the live demo on the right
NeuralBoard — Local Demo
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Available for new projects

What'snext?

Here are projects I've worked on.
I'm looking for the next thing to build.

Visit NeuralBoard → About Me
SOTODO
Mobile App2020–21
SOTODO
↗
Training Tool2022–24
G & R
↗
Slava Ukraini
Design2021–23
Slava Ukraini
↗
Animation2024
Flourish
↗
Video / Brand2024
BBTV
↗
Hoos Up
Podcast2023–25
Hoos Up
↗
Ed-Tech · Real-Time2024
NeuralBoard
↗
5+
years
building
🏆 e-cup '22
live demo →
raised funds
UVA commission
Benjamin Benson
About Me

I'm Ben.

Thanks for checking out some of my work.

Right now I'm building NeuralBoard — an automated video creator. Check it out at neuralboard.org.

Background

Education & Achievements

2021 – 2025
University of Virginia
B.S. in Cognitive Science with a concentration in Computer Science. A unique lens on how people interact with technology — and how to build AI that works with the grain of human thinking.
Fall 2022
UVA Entrepreneurship Cup — Winner 🏆
Won UVA's annual startup competition with G & R, a gamified employee training platform deployed across five fast-casual restaurant chains.
2024
Flourish App — UVA Commission
Commissioned by UVA to produce an explainer animation for the Flourish student wellbeing app launch.
2020 – Present
Independent Software Developer
Building software across mobile, web, automation, and creative media. Currently building NeuralBoard — an automated video creator.
🏆
UVA Entrepreneurship Cup
University of Virginia · Fall 2022
First place for G & R — recognized for market traction, product innovation, and real-world deployment across five restaurant companies.
Degree
Cognitive Science
Concentration
Computer Science
University
UVA '25
Experience
5+ Years

Check out
NeuralBoard.

An automated video creator I'm building right now. Take a look — feedback always welcome.

Visit NeuralBoard →