Jobify

Think of Uber, but for jobs. Our app lets users both upload jobs and accept jobs to complete for pay.

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Inspiration

At the start of the Hackathon we knew wanted to solve a problem that affects a lot of people around us. We wanted to solve a problem with humanity and a problem with society. We had the idea to focus on the homeless community by providing them with a way to earn some cash while seeking out a more permanent job. Unfortunately, there tends to be a bias against hiring homeless people at most companies. Unfortunately, there tends to be a bias against hiring homeless people at most companies. Our app aims to solve this problem by having users create jobs, typically simpler things like mowing the lawn, washing a car, etc. Other users can then accept a job, and complete the task to then be paid by the job's creator. You may be thinking that an app may not be best suited for homeless people as they probably can't afford a smartphone. The Guardian actually reports smartphones are a "lifeline" for homeless people in this article, and this study reports says that 62% of the homeless youth have smartphones. That being said...

Usage

We quickly realized that the app was not at all limited to the homeless population. It could be used by anyone who either needs a quick and simple job done but can't find the time to do it, or by someone looking to make some quick cash. This brings tons of new opportunities to communities across the world. Especially for small communities in underdeveloped areas, the app could create a network of people who, combined, can bring their skills and resources together to improve their life. Overall, we believe that with the right implementation and growth, this app could help people combat and come back from homelessness, grow communities by getting local people working together, and in general, improve the world.

Whats Next

Currently, the app stores jobs, keeps track of who accepts a job and who is the owner, and can make payments - fairly simple. We also have tons of ideas for how the app could be expanded in the future. Here's some for example:

  • Maps - Require jobs to have a location (address or map marker) that shows the "employee" where to go to complete the job. In addition to this, the app would also only show you jobs available in your region.
  • Communication - Add the ability for the "employer" and "employee" to contact each other (possibly using Twilio!)
  • Ratings - Add the ability to rate your experience with another user. Also add the ability to report or flag someone.
  • Transactions - Not everyone (especially homeless people) have a way to pay online. Ideally, we would want our users to be able to come into financial centers (ATMs, banks, kiosks, etc.) where they can transfer their in-app balance into real money.

How It Works

In order to reach out to the largest user base, we created our app with React Native so that it is available on both iOS and Android. We used Firebase for our database and user authentication in order to ensure that private credentials and transactions remain secure. Finally for handling all things financial, we used Stripe, a popular payment API for making fast and secure payments.

Challenges & Accomplishments

We made a lot of progress of the course of the hackathon! Implementing Stripe and Firebase was something we had never done before and it proved to be a tough challenge - but that makes it a great accomplishment as well! Along with this, we've also learned more about React Native and how to optimize and stylize our app components across Android and iOS.

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