Durmates

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Inspiration

The increase in student enrolments has made finding a house in Durham very tedious! As the demand for housing rises, students begin searching for their next year's housemates as early as October, often before they’ve had the chance to meet potential roommates. This hurried process can lead many to sign leases with individuals who may not be the best fit, adding unnecessary stress to their academic year.

What it does

The application backend code uses rule-based filtering which implements rule sets that determine how to personalize content for a user. This type of filtering is well-suited for the since the Durmate filters user output based on whether users have common and complimentary and preferences and dealbreakers. Durmate’s swipe feature makes it interactive and fun to use. The intrigue of whether you match with another user adds to the app’s uniqueness and allure. The action of swiping is not only easy but takes the stress out of searching and scrolling through other profiles, offering a more time-saving and convenient alternative. A shield of privacy is offered our users since only matched users can communicate using the app’s built-in chat feature. Furthermore, accounts are linked to and verified with their Durham University CIS email account. This verification process makes the app more reliable since students feel secure in knowing they are only interacting with fellow students from their institution.

How we built it

Durmate's user interface was designed and tested using Figma.

Challenges we ran into

It took a lot of collaboration to be confident in the logical reasoning behind the rule-based filter algorithm that connects compatible user profiles based on their complementary preferences and agreed dealbreakers.

All members worked with Figma for the first time in order to design the user interface to implement our idea. This required the use of online resources and a significant amount of trial and error.

Applying our combined engineering and maths backgrounds to attempt to solve a problem using a computer science and app development approach was a large step outside our comfort zones.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We have created design versions of the end user experience using Figma. This required a clear understanding of the matching algorithm and applying design theory to enhance the overall user experience.

What we learned

Time management, division of duties and thorough planning before diving into action are KEY to producing a convincing solution to a given problem. w

What's next for Durmates

Implementing the back-end coding to make a fully functioning prototype. Expanding to be adaptable with other university institutions across the United Kingdom. Using machine learning to further make the initial matching process more useful to the user by learning from their swipe preferences.