Inspiration
- As one of the first hackathons we attended, when visiting various company booths, ECOLAB's mission caught our attention. Their services, that focus on the environment and preserve energy, emphasized the importance of environmental-related technology for the future and the impact that it may make for our world. As amateur hackers, we desired to create a simple application with a similar underlying mission as ECOLAB with the resources and knowledge at our disposal.
What it does
- Our iOS application incentivizes reducing water intake while showering by rewarding its users. We monitor the time it takes for our users to shower using the built-in timer. The shorter the showers are, the more points a user acquires, resulting in them earning rewards, such as badges and discounts. This will encourage people to monitor their water intake when they shower and consequently help them reduce it.
How WE built it
- We used Xcode and Swift to create a prototype of our application, with Firebase to store our data.
Challenges WE ran into
- We didn't completely understand how to use Xcode and Swift to the greatest ability, therefore we learned through watching tutorials and researching online. We also struggled with understanding how to store our data from our application using Firebase and spent a significant amount of time researching, testing, running, and a lot of trial and error. While we were able to connect Firebase with our application, it would not store the data effectively until the very end. However, we have passed the learning curve during this hackathon and have gained a fair amount of experience in how iOS applications are developed.
Accomplishments that WE'RE proud of
- We were able to create the overall layout of our application using our progressing knowledge of Swift and Xcode throughout the weekend. We successfully created several functioning tabs, a stopwatch with its respective buttons, and a home page as well. Additionally, in the end, we were able to successfully create user accounts from firebase.
What WE learned
- As mentioned previously we learned the use of Firebase and iOS applications and how they help store its data. Through this, we learned about installing pods and functions to connect the Firebase to buttons and other labels on our application
- In Xcode, we learned not only how to create an application with multiple tabs, but also how to transition from one screen or tab to another as well as functioning buttons and fundamental Xcode code.
What's next for ECOShower
- We plan to continue developing our application and improving its model for future usage in a way that will encourage its users to be more mindful of their usage of water and our impact on the environment. Our first plan is to ensure that the Firebase is correctly functioning and allows people to successfully create accounts, log in, and store their data on their water usage. We then will finish developing other functionalities of our app, such as the points page, and the rewards page. In the future, we wish to develop our technology into Apple Watches and using its ability to sense water usage (using water-lock), therefore our data will be much more accurate and resourceful for our long term goals.
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