CampusNest

Main landing page
Featured Listings
Page that displays information of each individual listing
Browser page containing all listings and filter options
List offer form for uploading a listing
Find a potential roommate or housemate to sublease with you for the coming year.
Profile Page with settings and saved homes.

Inspiration

The idea of our project came about when we learnt how common of a problem it is for college students to find affordable housing close to campus through our close friends and social media. Some members of our groups have personally experienced the stress of finding housing before school starts, especially considering housing shortages around universities.

What it does

CampusNest is a platform that provides college students with a convenient and hassle-free way to find and put up information on subleasing apartments/houses near their campuses and find potential roommates, all according to their preferences. This all-in-one-place website saves students from the trouble of constantly having to post and search on social media. Users can browse through available housing and filter which apartments match their preferences, and if they find a suitable place, they can contact the person who posted the listing. If they are offering an available lease or sublease, users can also submit their listing to be displayed on the website.

How we built it

We used React.js for our frontend, along with the Tailwind CSS library. We used Firebase/Firestore for our backend and database, which stores apartment listings and user preferences for housing. When we designed the user experience and site content, we took into consideration the criteria that students typically value when searching for housing.

Challenges we ran into

We encountered some significant challenges while building CampusNest. First, we struggled with connecting the front-end to Firebase. Second, managing image uploads through Firebase posed difficulties, particularly in understanding how to properly store and retrieve images using Firebase Storage. Lastly, refining the concept and theme of our website

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're proud of how we overcame any challenges that came our way in order to build a website that is not only fully functional and interactive but also convenient and appealing to our target users.

What we learned

Through this project, we gained valuable insights into Firebase and front-end development honed our skills in UI/UX design, learning how to enhance the interface and usability of our website to better meet the needs of our users. These experiences have significantly improved our technical skills and our ability to deliver user-centered solutions.

What's next for CampusNest

The next step to enhance CampusNest, which is a work in progress, is to implement a roommate matching system, where users can see potential roommates who they are compatible. This also includes a chat feature, allowing users to communicate directly with those leasing their places. Additionally, we plan to integrate functionality for users to sign leases directly on the site, streamlining the subleasing process. We also aim to expand our reach to a more global user base, connecting students from universities worldwide.