Hobby Buddy

Inspiration

Our inspiration for the project comes from the common struggles students face in universities. Often, there isn’t a convenient local marketplace where students can easily connect, trade items, and share hobbies. Hobby Buddy aims to solve this by providing a platform where students can interact, buy, sell, and explore common interests, all in one place.

What it does

Hobby Buddy starts by engaging users with a fun and personalized hobby quiz to help them discover interests and hobbies they may not have considered. Based on their results, users can join community groups, buy and sell second-hand items and services, and network with like-minded individuals who share their passions.

How we built it

We built Hobby Buddy using a combination of modern web technologies, including React for the front-end, Node.js for the back-end, and MongoDB for storing user data and marketplace listings. The quiz functionality was powered by a custom algorithm designed to suggest hobbies based on user preferences, while the marketplace is integrated with secure payment gateways for safe transactions.

Challenges we ran into

One major challenge was creating an intuitive and seamless user experience while balancing the quiz results, group functionalities, and marketplace features. Ensuring smooth navigation and easy access to the different features while keeping the platform engaging took significant iteration.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud of how we managed to integrate a fully functional marketplace with hobby group features, creating a social space for students to connect. The personalized hobby quiz is another feature we are especially excited about, as it provides real value to the user experience.

What we learned

Throughout the project, we learned a lot about combining social and transactional elements into a single platform. We also gained valuable insights into user-centred design, making sure the app remained intuitive while offering a variety of features.

What's next for Hobby Buddy

We plan to improve the hobby quiz functionality, allowing users to receive more tailored recommendations based on ongoing preferences. We also plan to add more payment options, expand the community features, and optimize the platform for mobile users to enhance accessibility and usability.