Inspiration
Some initial inspiration we came up with is the Barnard second-hand exchange website; we considered creating a similar app for Columbia. We hoped to find some way to connect Columbia students so each student can get what they need in their everyday life. That's when we thought of Columbia services, there are many things a student could need in their everyday life that is simply not accessible.
What it does
Our website allows students to create an account and add their own service they wish to advertize. As well as this students can view other services and comment on other users' posts in order to contact them.
How we built it
We used HTML, CSS and javascript. Initially we made a prototype that we followed to build the appearance using HTML and CSS, next we used this to build the javascript behind it. However much of it ended up being controlled using javascript. We used git repository to share the data.
Challenges we ran into
We found it difficult to create a backend, especially since none of our team members have ever used a backend database for a website. Unfortunately, we spent a lot of time on this part and weren't able to finish it. Since most of us are beginners we had to learn to use git, python servers etc. Overall it was worth it.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We are very proud of how far we got given the amount of experience we all have, the app definitely got much further than we ever thought it could. Especially is such a small period of time, this was quite the challenge.
What we learned
We learned that we definitely underestimated how much time it would take to make this app, next time we could have improved planning. Some of us even learned how to use new applications and languages.
What's next for Columbia Services
We hope to build an actual database behind it with possibly more security for each account. With this it could actually be a functioning website for Columbia students to use. In addition to this we could add private messaging so that users can contact each other easier than simply in comments.
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.