Bite!

Inspiration

Our inspiration for Bite! came from the desire to create a platform that would help connect people through the joy of sharing food. We wanted to create an app that would allow people to easily find and participate in potluck events in their local community, while also providing an opportunity for local restaurants and businesses to connect with potential customers and build relationships with their community.

What it does

Bite is a potluck sign-up app that allows users to easily find and join potluck events in their local community. Users can browse events, RSVP, and chat with other participants before the event. In addition, local restaurants and businesses can use Bite to sponsor or cater potluck events, allowing them to connect with potential customers and build relationships with their community (a free marketing tool that can be very costly).

How we built it

We use Figma to build our high-fidelity prototype prepared by our UX team. When it came to the implementation of code, we did not finish in the time frame but we started building Bite using React for the frontend and Node.js for the back end. We planned to use the Google Maps API to allow users to easily find potluck events in their local area. We also planned to integrate a chat feature using Socket.IO, which allows participants to communicate with each other before the event.

Challenges we ran into

Our biggest challenge was the time frame and not having enough skillset to complete this project all the way. One of the biggest challenges we faced was integrating the Google Maps API into our app. We had to spend a lot of time learning the API and figuring out how to integrate it with our front end and back end. Another challenge was building the chat feature, which required us to learn and use Socket.IO, a new technology for some of our team members.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're really proud of the final product that we've created. We think Bite is a fun and useful app that has the potential to connect people in a meaningful way. Although we did not finish with implementation, we created a high-fidelity prototype along with a user flow diagram and Azure diagram for hosting React app in the future.

What we learned

Throughout the development process, we learned a lot about working with APIs, particularly the Google Maps API. We also learned how to use Socket.IO to build real-time chat features. In addition, we learned a lot about working collaboratively as a team and how to effectively manage and delegate tasks.

What's next for Bite!

Moving forward, we plan to continue to improve and refine Bite, and get the implementation done. We want to add more features, such as the ability to rate and review potluck events, and to improve the user experience overall. In addition, we plan to explore additional ways that we can help connect people through food, such as by partnering with local food banks and charities.

Start Date/ Time: Friday, May 5th @ 3:00pm. The track we chose is Entertainment.