Colony

Inspiration

Our idea was inspired by Acorns, an app that rounds up everyday purchases to help users invest automatically. We loved the simplicity of that concept and decided to adapt it for charitable giving—making it effortless for anyone to donate small amounts that add up over time.

What it does

Colony tracks a user’s transactions and automatically rounds each purchase up to the nearest dollar. The leftover change is then divided and donated to charities the user selects. This turns everyday spending into consistent support for meaningful causes.

How we built it

We developed the front end in Android Studio, focusing on a clean and intuitive mobile experience. The backend was built using Java Spring Boot, providing a secure and flexible foundation for user data and transaction handling.

Challenges we ran into

Designing an interface that felt simple, modern, and easy to use took considerable time and iteration. Striking the right balance between functionality and visual clarity was one of our biggest hurdles.

What we learned

Throughout development, we gained deeper experience in UI/UX design principles and learned how to approach design decisions more deliberately and effectively.

What's next for Colony

Our next major goal is to integrate with real banking services so users can securely link their accounts and donate automatically. This will bring Colony closer to becoming a fully functional, real-world application.