Inspiration
We thought about how some students struggle with renting some items that meet their needs. These items can be either expensive for purchase or just needed for one-time usage. So, we wanted to build a renting system that connects those in-need with renters. We were inspired by one of our software engineering classes at Purdue to create a web application called GlobalGear that solves this issue.
What it does
GlobalGear is the place where people (customers) can find renters who offer products that fit their needs. They can rent a product by simply browsing the products available for rent, viewing their location and price, and then reaching out to the renter by going to that specific location to rent the item.
How we built it
We built it using Google Cloud as our database, which uses MySQL. We connected that to our front-end using Flask and Python. Our front-end consists of some HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Challenges we ran into
We faced lots of issues with our HTML files and Flask. Lots of bugs were encountered and we had to create many functions for different webpages to solve these issues. Furthermore, we faced some connection issues to our Google Cloud at early stages.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We're so proud that we completed a full-stack project from back-end all the way to front-end. We used different kind of tools at a professional level. We also were able to utilize these tools to solve a real-world problem.
What we learned
We learned a lot about HTML, CSS, and Flask. We learned how to manage databases better and how to create a login/signup webpage that securely saves the credentials of users.
What's next for GlobalGear
In the future, we will consider adding a pricing calculator so it knows how many hours the customer used the product. We might also consider integrating the Google Maps API so it can be more convenient for the customer to arrive at the renter's location. We plan to improve our product more and hopefully speed up to market soon.
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