BudgetUTD

Inspiration Description: Our inspiration for this project was to address the financial challenges faced by college students. We wanted to create a budgeting application that would not only help students manage their expenses but also incorporate AI and machine learning to provide personalized budgeting recommendations. The goal was to empower students to make informed financial decisions and improve their overall financial well-being.

Functionality: The College Budgeting App we developed offers the following main features:

Budget Plan Creation: The app generates a personalized budget plan for college students by gathering data from websites related to student expenses. Expense Tracking: Machine learning algorithms are used to track credit card expenses, providing users with a more precise and personalized expense management experience. Data Visualization: The app includes a data visualization feature that displays expense data in the form of graphs, enabling users to easily visualize their spending habits and financial trends.

Development Process: Our development process involved several key steps:

UI Design and Basic Functionality: We started by designing the user interface (UI) and coding the essential buttons and pages, such as login and sign-up. Integrating ChatGPT3: We integrated ChatGPT3 into our Bubble app through an API. However, due to cost constraints, we opted for a workaround using Google Sheets to simulate the AI's output. Google Sheets Integration: We created a workflow to input budget values directly into Google Sheets to mimic the AI's functionality. This allowed us to continue with the project while staying within our budget. Feature Refinement: As we progressed, we encountered time constraints that led us to streamline the app's features. We initially aimed to develop a chatbot for expense tracking and recommendations, but we decided to focus on improving the existing features to ensure their functionality and usability.

Challenges: During the development process, we encountered several challenges:

Cost Constraints: Integrating AI through an API proved to be expensive, leading us to use Google Sheets as an alternative solution. Time Constraints: We faced time limitations that compelled us to simplify the budgeting process and prioritize improving existing features over trying to implement AI APIs in Bubble.

Future Plans: Looking ahead, we have plans to further enhance our College Budgeting App:

AI Integration: We aim to explore more affordable options for integrating AI, allowing us to realize the original vision of a chatbot for expense tracking and recommendations. User Feedback: We will actively seek user feedback to improve the app's usability and meet the evolving needs of college students.

Built With

• bubble
• google-sheets