Free2Pee

Free2Pee is a free UVA community resource that promotes inclusivity and convenience. The application shows you where the nearest bathroom is, inviting user feedback to specify bathroom features.

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Registered GoDaddy free2pee.co domain.

Inspiration

Free2Pee was born from a desire to promote and enable inclusivity and convenience at UVA to empower all individuals, including women, nonbinary people, parents, and those in need of accessible restrooms. Inspired by the prevalence and success of Google Maps, which allows users to navigate academic buildings and beyond, we aimed to create a tool that focuses on the unique needs of various users. By providing information about safe, well-maintained restrooms, inclusive facilities, and promoting hygiene and security, we aim to help everyone confidently explore public spaces, ensuring they have access to clean and safe restroom facilities. We believe that informed choices and inclusivity are key to fostering empowerment for all, while making everyday life more convenient.

What it does

Users can find directions and input restroom locations on a map of UVA and the surrounding Charlottesville area. Upon selecting a location, the application asks for whether the bathroom is for Women, Men, or if it is Gender Neutral. Users can also input whether the restroom includes a baby changing station for parents, and asks if the bathroom is accessible to those with disabilities. Free2Pee also asks for a review of the restroom, so that the general quality or busy times of the restroom are also made clear to all.

How I built it

The website was created entirely using HTML and CSS and relies on using Map API from Leaflet and user input for the data points. We had to do some research on how we could use HTML with the map features and how we could best display the bathroom markers on the map to also show the attributes associated with the bathrooms. With the help of HTML documentation and Chat GPT, we were able to implement such features within the time constraints.

Challenges I ran into

While we started with a strong idea, we had to make major changes to the implementation of Free2Pee as the hackathon went on. We initially set out to create an IOS app, then realized that that would be particularly difficult to build without a Mac. We also cycled through both Flutter and Android Studio to build our application before settling on an HTML site through the VSCode IDE.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

This was the team's first real Hackathon, and we are proud to have the start of a working product. While we definitely intend to expand upon the capabilities of Free2Pee, we were happy to have had the resilience to continue our project throughout the frustrating nature of the problem-solving process. Connecting an interactive map to our application was also especially challenging, and while we had to pivot throughout our planning process, we are proud to have included it.

What I learned

Through our experience with building Free2Pee and working throughout the Hackathon, we gained firsthand experience regarding the resiliency and patience that is required when problem solving. We also strengthened various specific technical skills, especially in our writing of HTML and CSS. While we did not fully incorporate these other technical aspects into our application, we also learned a lot about how to use and adapt to new programs like Flutter, Android Studio, and how to use API Keys through Google Cloud.

What's next for Free2Pee

We hope to incorporate Free2Pee into a mobile app and load a starter map of bathrooms at UVA, so that there is a basis that users can work off of. We would also like to improve the interface and lean into the gaming theme and design of the app.

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