GiftRight

Inspiration

We have all experienced problems with gift giving. Sometimes we don't know the recipient well enough, or maybe they've never expressed what they like or want. GiftRight is a tool developed to combat this with a fun user interface with detailed personal profiles.

What it does

GiftRight allows users to make their own profile that includes their favorite brands, activities, artists, etc. and also important details like birthdate, sizing, and dietary restrictions. Users can view friends' profiles to help them choose a gift worthy of giving. They can also order gifts directly through our app with custom packaging, and also send e-card thank yous to friends that have sent them a gift through GiftRight.

How we built it

We planned our app structure through Lucidchart, then prototyped a mobile application (our main composition) using Figma. Several of the mobile pages are also modeled in desktop format. The two main desktop pages (Home and My Profile), were then translated to HTML and CSS through Figma plugins, VSCode, and is hosted on GitHub. Before submission, we also asked several of our peers to complete a short usability test. This feedback allowed us to pay attention to areas we may have overlooked, and ultimately led us to improve our overall user experience with our final edits.

Challenges we ran into

We found difficulty in working with HTML and CSS because all of our team members had little to no experience with front-end development prior to this hackathon. Figma was also unfamiliar to 3/4 of us, but it was much more adaptable. Thankfully, we were quick to learn in both areas and still completed a thorough project that put our design and technical skills to test.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are most proud of our mobile application prototype. This took the most time, but the small details were very important to us. It was difficult to keep the design consistent when multiple people were creating components simultaneously, but by thorough communication and practicing the design thinking process(Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test), we were able to achieve a consistent and usable interface.

What we learned

This was each of our first times competing in a hackathon, and we've each experienced learning in a whole new way this weekend. We discovered that we can accomplish very demanding tasks when we're determined and being respectful to each other's work and ideas. This is a lesson that will be valuable throughout our academic and professional careers. So thank you, sheInnovates!

What's next for GiftRight

After generating many new ideas during development and sharing our project with friends, we would love to continue working on this project and advancing each of its components. We are trying to solve a real-world problem with a practical tool that is enjoyable to use. We think this idea is worthwhile, and we would love to introduce the tool in our own lives!