DillyDally

Inspiration

As a group of mostly incoming first years at UofT, we were wondering how we would spend time in between our classes while at campus. We wanted to create an app that would find fun, low commitment activities for us to do, without having to go through the frustrating process of searching for one.

What it does

The platform helps the locals and visitors find “sidequests” — spontaneous or planned adventures – around the University of Toronto St. George campus. It curates activities based on the user's budget, available time, energy level, and group size. The platform also functions as a journal for urban exploration, tracking finished adventures and documenting secret locations on interactive maps. Additionally, it provides personalized suggestions via an AI-driven chat interface.

How we built it

The frontend was built using Next.js and the leaflet API for the map. The backend was created using Supabase. We used Gemini to communicate with the user through the frontend, and it goes through the backend to give the user curated requests based on what they asked for, acting as an agent. We also created a mockup of the mobile app using Figma. As well we used Google authenticator.

Challenges we ran into

A difficulty was curating unique sidequests based on the users preferences. When displaying sidequests normally, we had to decide what to consider an expensive activity versus a cheaper one. We also had to decide what parameters of a side quest to display including cost and energy level. Integrating Gemini to curate sidequests for users was a tedious task that involved a big learning curve.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud that we implemented a lot of our MVP product. We have a functional website that shows sidequest on the UTSG map. We believe this app can be really helpful for UofT students!

What we learned

Each of our teammates work on different tasks, some coded while others designed and helped with pitching. We learning how to break tasks up evenly to ensure everything was completed in a timely manner. We also learned effective communication technique to finish a product, including having daily check-in calls, even if they were just a few minutes, which worked well with our busy schedules. We learned how to make mock up of an app and work with frameworks to help build a website.

What's next for DillyDally

We would like to start getting beta users involved so we can start future phases of the app. The next phase for the app would include allowing users to add their own sidequests, rate sidequests, and have a log of completes sidequests. We would also like for organizations at UofT, including clubs, to get involved on the platform.

We hope with the use of this app we see local artists and businesses thrive, and for people to find more social connections with others, reducing overall stress.