Inspiration
With GVerse, I attempted to promote the cause of gender equity. Hailing from India, I have first hand seen how in day-to-day life there is a lack of inclusion. People fail to understand that gender is a spectrum and society still remains binary. GVerse is my way of helping the community in need of equal access to bathrooms. Across the globe, there are data repositories of where gender-neutral bathrooms are and I realized there is a need to channelize it in a way that it reaches people. With GVerse a completely free, indiscriminate and user-friendly repository has been created that can ensure people who need this quintessential information can get it safely. While also hoping to create a data source, using this app, I also hope to spark some sort of movement that shows people in the society around me the sheer need for inclusion in everyday life. I started an initiative called Kicking Gender Boundaries and a lot of my motivation to continue this project comes from that as well. Note: Github wasn't letting me push due to some 100MB limits on some files. Google Drive is all I could find.
What it does
I strived to create a basic and accessible system that really propagates the ideology with which I created GVerse
Add Bathrooms: Spread information about gender-neutral bathrooms across the world. Promote your organization by creating more data for those in need.
Save Bathrooms: If you want to store information about any bathrooms around you that might be helpful. It is just one click away. Save bathrooms can help people just store information about commonly visited places and allowing them to access options without searching the map again
View a global scale inventory: Our app is global scale so Genderverse will accompany you wherever you go. Our aim is to empower those who truly require this information. Using an open-source repo, I added 2,000+ bathrooms to the app. The map creates a global-scale data platform
The goal was to create a one-stop platform where people in need of gender-neutral bathrooms can go and get access. You can add, save, view bathrooms with a very comprehensive and easy-to-use system that champions the inclusive space movement.
How I built it
It was built using Swift and Firebase. With previous knowledge from online courses, I used basic swift to create the app. Firebase was the obvious choice for a database. I used Google Maps-API to facilitate easy navigation and the aspects of the map for the app. Working with the Google-Maps API was a completely new experience for me. For basic features the project also uses many Cocoapod libraries: AlamoFire, JDProgress HUD.
Challenges I ran into
Workign with Google-Maps API was an extremely new thing so figuring it out was definitely a challenge especially given the small time frames. I am also not a very good UI/UX developer but I am significantly proud of the kind of layout I achieved here and the thought process that went behind it. This was definitely a hurdle for me to face. Lastly, working with mainly with websites. An app was something significantly new so pulling it off in a day was a challenge, especially given that I am not a master.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
I was able to create a basic yet powerful system that can empower thousands across the world. The ground impact of GV-Everywhere can be immense and I am happy to play a role in terms of bringing social impact. Like I said, I was able to prioritize things, create schedules, sacrifice a few features as well but overall trying my hand at something new while positively influencing the society around me is what I cherish the most
What I learned
I learned a lot about iOS development. Another key skill I think I imbibed in myself was how to best read documentations. Previously I just used to watch Youtube videos. I also learned and explore the possibilities of tunneling in both innovation and impact into a project.
What's next for GVerse
I would love to spread this out to different corporations. Start a social media handle and get the message out there. Many universities like Brown itself strongly support inclusion through gender-neutral bathroom so another extremely exciting aspect would be to partner with them
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