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Inspiration
Do you know what the countryside of Albania looks like? Or what kind of a town is Samara? Neither did we. Often when we want to take a small, reinvigorating break from our everyday life, our thoughts drift into the sunny beaches Goa, or the urban pulse of Berlin. But besides the familiar safe-bet destinations, could there be other vastly interesting places that we may have not even heard of?
Of course there can. Most of us spend our lives knowing only a small fraction of what the world has to offer, and even though we know of the most popular holiday resorts and the magnificent capital cities, what about the places that we have never heard of? How could we want to travel to a place if we even don't know that it exists?
What it does
Finnder presents a destination the user without revealing its location, thus enabling the user to explore it without bias. Finnder prefers locations that are more obscure for the user, and as it gains information about the user's preferences, it tailors the suggestions based on the user's profile. By comparing what the user has liked with the preferences of other like-minded travelers, as well as using data from such services as Facebook and Spotify if the user has linked them, Finnder presents locations that the user may not even know of. Finnder also lets the travelers help expanding the database: in exchange for customer benefits, travelers can share their holiday images and stories, creating an ever-changing narrative for the destinations in Finnder's roster.
How we built it
During the intense 48 hours of Junction, we constructed a proof of concept that effectively demonstrates the core principles of Finnder. Finnder uses Node.js, Angular and TypeScript in its implementation, resulting in a simple web application that showcases Finnder's functionality in its basic form.
Challenges we ran into
At the moment, the data needed to move Finnder into production isn't there yet. In order to get the show on the road, Finnder needs data about the locations it can offer, and the data can range all the way from images and weather information into current events in the destination and the local culture, anything that the travel hungry takes into consideration when looking for an exciting experience.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
After much pondering, brainstorming, and a couple of full-on pivots from other solutions, Finnder was created from scratch during the last night of Junction, in merely 5 hours. Although it wasn't created exactly by the book, in our humble opinion it stands as a landmark of adapting into last-minute changes and making the best of the time available.
What we learned
It seems that 4 cups of coffee within an hour is bad for you.
What's next for Finnder
Finnder is a simple application that is based on a simple idea, but at the same time it carries with it an awe-inspiring effect. The next logical step for taking Finnder to the next level, is incorporating the use of VR by creating full spaces for the user to experience. While maintaining the shroud of obscurity about the actual whereabouts of the shown location, the user is left to explore with curiosity, all the while remembering that all of the unfolding sights are only a flight away.
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