Maya learned that memes aren’t just noise. They’re for a generation that often struggles to say, “I’m not okay” — so instead, they press the vine boom and laugh together.
The next day, her younger brother, Leo — non-verbal and on the autism spectrum — saw her tapping the buttons. He pointed at the screen. Curious, Maya handed him the phone. He pressed and his eyes lit up. He pressed it again. And again.
Maya didn’t know it yet, but she had just built her first . The Unexpected Use Case
Within a month, Leo’s teacher asked about the app. The school’s speech therapist integrated sound buttons into communication boards. A local retirement home heard about it and created a nostalgia soundboard for residents with dementia — doorbells, old jingles, a train whistle — sparking memories and conversations.
For Leo, the soundboard wasn’t a joke — it was a . The repetitive, predictable sounds gave him a way to express emotions he struggled to name. "Bruh" became confusion. "Sad violin" became disappointment. "Vine boom" became surprise.