Rebuilding Student Companion App

Every student needs a reliable companion app — something to track attendance, manage courses, and keep academics organized. I had one, but it was showing its age. So I rebuilt it from scratch as Student Buddy, powered by Material 3 and dynamic theming.

The Problem with the Old App

The original student companion app, the “SVCE Student Diary”, worked. It tracked your schedule and attendance. But the UI was a relic. Hard-coded colors, flat layouts with no visual hierarchy, and a design language that felt stuck in the Android 4.x era. It was functional, but nobody wanted to look at it.

The navigation was clunky, the information density was overwhelming, and there was zero personality. It did the job, but it felt like a chore to use — the exact opposite of what a daily-use app should be.

Enter Material 3 & Dynamic Color

Android's Material 3 design system was the perfect foundation for the rebuild. The standout feature? Dynamic color. On Android 12 and above, the app automatically derives its entire color palette from the user's wallpaper. That means Student Buddy feels personal from the moment you open it — the accent colors, surfaces, and containers all harmonize with whatever wallpaper you're running.

Beyond theming, Material 3 gave me the design vocabulary to create clear visual hierarchy. Large top app bars, segmented buttons, filled tonal buttons, and proper surface elevation all make the interface intuitive without needing a tutorial.

The Verdict

Rebuilding the student companion app as Student Buddy wasn't just about making it pretty — though it certainly is now. It was about respecting the user's time and taste. Material 3's dynamic theming makes the app feel native to every device, and the redesigned information architecture means students spend less time navigating and more time staying on top of their academics.

If you're a student looking for a clean, modern companion app — or just want to see Material 3 dynamic theming in action — give it a try.