Goatbook

This was a project for a 36 hour hackathon @ wpi. code is very messy, but hey, it works.

It is a queue-grouping app writted in flutter with a backend of javascript using firebases's api for user authentication and database storage and authentication.

Inspiration

All of us were on the WPI campus last semester, and realized that while many people share common interests, there is no way to meet them in the age of coronavirus. We wanted to create an app to help people meet and group up with other people who shared similar interests, whether that be in a socially-distanced activity or online.

What it does

Goatbook allows users to dynamically subscribe to groups of their interests and join queues based on what activities they want to participate in. Goatbook will send notifications to subscribed users when a queue becomes full, and will put all users in a queue into an anonymous chatroom to decide whether they would like to share details and meet up, whether that be in a small group or online.

How we built it

Goatbook is built using the Flutter framework for all frontend development, and uses Firebase for all backend functionality. This means that all user and messaging data for Goatbook is stored remotely and securely on Google's servers. The languages used were Dart (Frontend), as well as Javascript (Backend).

Our app works by having users select groups that they are interested in and subscribing to them. When they want to interact with the groups (ie play some games or start a study session), they can join the queue and notify everyone who is subscribed to the group. After this, they can message each other to share contact information or game codes!

Challenges we ran into

Only one team member had ever used Flutter before, and no one had used Firebase for a project like this. It was a very interesting and challenging experience learning a new set of tools while also creating a fully functional app in the same time period.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are very proud of the fact that we were able to learn a completely new framework for frontend and backend, and still manage to make a fully functional backend in the time frame allowed by the hackathon. For 80% of the team, this was the first hackathon we had ever participated in and, no matter what, we are very proud of what we were able to accomplish and learn in the last 36 hours.

What we learned

We all learned a lot about Flutter and Firebase, which no one had ever used to make a full app before. We also learned how to write code that worked fast and how to use github effectively in a team environment.

What's next for Goatbook

APPSTORE, BABY! (Also voicechat, and probably a major refactor)

##Links

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wsw87jLOd08&feature=emb_logo