Doody Calls

Focusing on the prevalent problem of accessibility and sanitation within NYC, DoodyCalls is an interactive web app that allows the user to find the nearest restroom, complete with ratings and reivews.

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Inspiration

We were inspired by our own personal experiences when traveling in the city.

What it does

While there is are maps out there for restrooms across the city (GOT2GO is the most notable one), they tend to simply be static pages with little, if any, interactivity. The purpose of Doody Calls is to not just display the restrooms, but also add crowdsourcing. To encourage this, we have implemented aspects akin to a social media app, where each restroom location would have average ratings, reviews, and updates on the status of its current accessibility.

How we built it

There were three major aspects of the website that we split amongst ourselves: the database management, the front-end development, and the UI/UX design and marketing. Each of us, having very different skillsets, meshed well together. With Balsamiq, we wireframed the website, and with Firebase and NextJS/React, we created the website itself.

Challenges we ran into

Besides the time constraint, the most challenging part was integrating each of parts into one whole application. Understanding where each of the skillsets began and end wasn't always a smooth process, and there are definitely things we could have improved on.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We feel passionate about how this app expands accessibility in the city, letting people with concerns such as wheelchair accessibility, family restrooms, LGBTQ+ friendly restrooms and more find free options that suit their needs. Additionally, we're proud of how this protects the sustainability of our cities by limiting public waste.

What we learned

We learned a lot about combining many different tools and services such as Balsamiq, Canva, React, Firebase and even Instagram into a cohesive web and brand. A website on it's own isn't enough; the social media and videos surrounding add to it a ton, as well as wireframes being invaluable.

What's next for Doody Calls

The web app itself is far from finished: there are 5,000 registered bathroom locations in New York alone. Plus, there are hundreds more cities that have just as much of a prominent of accessibility problem as NYC does.

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