homemade

Inspiration

In an era of increased globalization, maintaining a sense of cultural authenticity can be challenging, yet it's precisely this authenticity that travelers crave. homemade strives to bring travelers and local hosts together around the dinner table, creating opportunities for meaningful exchanges where stories are shared, cultures are celebrated, and bonds are formed over homemade meals. By connecting individuals with local hosts who open their homes and hearts, our platform offers a way to bridge cultural gaps and foster genuine connections through the universal language of food. Our platform is dedicated to creating enriching experiences that transcend borders and foster a sense of global community. Moreover, in an age where mass tourism can strain local economies and environments, homemade provides a sustainable alternative by channeling economic benefits directly to local communities and promoting responsible travel practices.

What it does

homemade enables hosts to offer available seats at their dining tables, inviting guests to join them and savor local cuisine in a cross-cultural exchange, fostering intimate connections and shared culinary experiences. Through the app, travelers can browse through a variety of dishes specific to the unique cuisine of their destination offered by local hosts in their own home. Users can choose to filter their searches to account for their needs (including date, location, number of people, dietary restrictions, and allergens). Once a user has found a dish that they would like to have, they can press on the dish to see more details, including a short description of the meal, logistical information, the number of plates available, and the host’s bio and reviews.

To compensate the host for the time, energy, and resources they invested in the meal, the host has the ability to set a price for each plate. If the user decides they would like to join the host for the meal, they can proceed to the payment page to review details and confirm their purchase. A user can also choose to browse available meals on a map page. When they click on a pin, they are taken to the same meal details page, which would allow them to schedule. On a separate tab, a user can see all of their upcoming meals, which they can cancel up to 24 hours before the scheduled time. Once they are within a 24-hour window, the users can see the exact location of the meal. On the profile page, the user can view and edit their user profile, which consists of a profile page and user bio. They can also view their past reviews.

How we built it

We began the project by sketching low-fidelity wireframes to brainstorm and refine the features we wanted to incorporate. Then, we developed a Figma prototype to solidify the designs and UI components. From here, we began implementing these features in React Native and established an organized workflow for code integration using GitHub. Our backend infrastructure was built using Supabase. Upon the completion of the frontend development in React Native, we focused on integrating our backend with the frontend, ensuring seamless data transmission through backend queries. Throughout this iterative process, we continuously revisited our designs and collaboratively addressed any issues or bugs that arose.

Challenges we ran into

We encountered several challenges during this hackathon. In particular, the brainstorming and ideating process proved to be difficult due to the diverse range of ideas we had. We knew we wanted to work on a project that connected people through food, but had to dive deeper into what that really means to each of us, based on a user experience we would personally enjoy and find fulfilling. Once we decided on a general trajectory for homemade, we faced the challenge of striking a balance between feasibility and impact. In terms of specific technical challenges, CSS styling proved to be a constant struggle, especially due to overlapping styles. However, we were able to resolve these issues by refactoring and reorganizing our code. Merge conflicts added another layer of complexity, requiring effective communication and collaboration to resolve. Since our team pivoted several times during the ideation phase, we found ourselves in an extra time crunch to complete our project within the scope of this hackathon. Despite these challenges, our team persevered, leveraging our collective expertise and determination to overcome obstacles and deliver a solution we are all proud of.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud that we were able to conceptualize and bring to life an innovative platform that fosters meaningful connections through shared experiences. We are particularly proud of our UI which not only meets the functional requirements of our app but also presents users with an aesthetically appealing and usable experience through several rounds of iteration. Additionally, given our group’s limited experience with Supabase and backend infrastructure in general, we are proud of the seamless integration of frontend and backend functionalities, ensuring a smooth and intuitive user experience from start to finish.

What we learned

Supabase
MapView in React Native
New React Native Libraries

What's next for homemade

One of the most important first steps would be to add layers of safety and security for our users. Since our hosts are inviting people to their homes and guests are visiting other people’s homes, it’s important to ensure that everyone is who they say they are on the app. We would implement features such as identity verification and reporting/flagging users for inappropriate behavior to ensure that no one is misusing our app. Additionally, to build on the connectivity aspect, we intend to implement a chat feature for guests to chat with hosts before the meal for any logistical questions and to allow them to continue conversing afterward with their newfound friends! To build the homemade community even further, we would like to implement a forum feature for hosts and guests to share photos, videos, and stories of their experiences. From more of a technical strategy perspective, we plan to refine performance and scalability, optimizing backend processes and infrastructure to accommodate for future growth.