Find YourHobbyBuddies

Inspiration

As someone who’s spent weekends scrolling through generic social apps trying to find fellow tabletop RPG enthusiasts, I knew there had to be a better way. The frustration of endless small talk and no real plans led me to build HobbyMatch—focused on doing together, not just chatting. I wanted to create space for people with niche hobbies (like amateur astronomy or hand weaving) to find their people, locally and quickly.

What it does

HobbyMatch is a mobile app that connects users with nearby people who share specific hobbies. Users select their passions, filter by distance, view detailed profiles of matches, and create/join hobby-focused activities—from board game nights to beginner climbing sessions. It’s built around real, in-person interactions, no private messaging, just shared interests.

How we built it

I started with wireframing core pages (interest selection, matching lists, activity creation) in Figma, prioritizing clean, minimalist design. For development, I used React Native for cross-platform mobile support, Firebase for real-time data sync (community posts, activity sign-ups), and Google Maps API to calculate user distances. SQLite handled local data storage for hobby tags and user matches, with Swift/Kotlin tweaks for iOS/Android optimization.

Challenges we ran into

The biggest hurdle was perfecting the matching logic—ensuring identical hobby matches sorted by distance first, while keeping the UI responsive. I also struggled with balancing free/premium limitations (3 monthly activities for free users) without breaking the user flow. Validating activity creation forms (date/time, location, skill levels) required rigorous testing to avoid empty submissions.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Crafting a seamless matching experience that prioritizes relevance over quantity—users consistently find nearby hobby buddies in seconds. The clean, card-based UI keeps the focus on hobbies and activities, and the real-time participant count for activities works flawlessly, even with multiple users joining simultaneously.

What we learned

I deepened my understanding of geolocation API integration and real-time data sync with Firebase. More importantly, I learned to design for user intent: people don’t just want to “meet” others—they want to do things together. Simplifying the interface (no unnecessary features like private messaging) made the app more purposeful.

What's next for this project

First, expand the hobby tag library to include more niche interests (vinyl collecting, film photography). Next, add optional skill-based matching (e.g., advanced stargazers only) and refine the premium subscription experience (exclusive communities, ad-free use). Long-term, integrate local venue partnerships for activity locations to make planning even easier.

Built With

• figma
• google-maps
• node.js
• stripe-api-(mock)