Branch

Branch is an interactive application designed to enhance human connections and foster habits that promote positive mental well-being, providing a social tool for helping people branch out.

Comment

Introduction

Branch is a special app that's goal is to get people off the app by enabling users to make plans with real people, in real life, with common interests. Unlike digital interactions, research shows face-to-face connections provide trust, empathy, and support, reducing stress and loneliness. By encouraging these real-life interactions, the app can help build stronger communities, enhance social cohesion, and support overall mental health, making it a powerful tool for positive social change by helping people branch out.

Artificial Intelligence

Branch employs Generative AI to enhance user experience and improve connections by intelligently ranking and suggesting profiles and events based on shared interests using machine learning models to make connections.

  • Better Connections: By matching users based on shared interests, the platform encourages more meaningful connections.
  • Improved Discoverability: Users can find events with a personalized interest-pairing algorithm, fostering stronger communities within the app.

Features

  • Event Planning: Share upcoming events with those around you and branch out.
  • Who's In Town: Know which mutuals are in your area, see how long they’ll be around, and arrange meetups.
  • Direct Messaging: Chat with friends one-on-one or create group chats for planning and catching up.
  • Who's In Town: Know who’s in your area, see how long they’ll be around, and arrange meetups.
  • Mental Health and Inclusion: Promote genuine connections, foster a supportive community, and tackle mental health issues through an inclusive platform.

How the App Works

Users will sign in with there Instagram account, select their location, interests, and profile photo. Then they ca n start branching out to those around them, with similar interests, and join others or invite people to plans.

Backend

The backend is built using Python 3, providing a robust and flexible environment for handling all server-side functionalities, such as authentication, messaging, and AI processing.

Database

The cloud database uses SQL for structured data management and is accessed through AWS, ensuring reliable storage and scalability. It holds data related to users, messages, and any other necessary app entities.

Login

Login functionality is implemented using Flask to create RESTful client and server applications, with the Instagrapi library used to manage and authenticate user accounts, allowing seamless integration with Instagram services.

Messaging

Messaging between users is managed through dedicated client-server architecture and handler scripts, enabling real-time communication and interactions within the app.

Frontend

The frontend is developed using React and TypeScript, providing a dynamic and type-safe environment for building user interfaces and components. This allows for quick iteration and ensures a responsive user experience across all pages and features.

Experience

We were able to successfully employ use of a cloud database, develop generative AI functionality within the app, establish API linkage with Instagram for follower/following scraping, fully develop front end design, and build out the server and APIs for the back end's interaction with the front end. We ran into trouble at first of distinguishing our app from regular social media apps. After much though, we found incorporating interest-pairing algorithms based from LLM with the goal of having users meet in person with limited functionality of scrolling endlessly on the app.

Share this project:

Updates