IlluminateSG

Project submission for Hack for Good 2023

Inspiration

Our project started from a point of empathy - as a person with disability, the world can suddenly become a dark and alien place. For someone in a wheelchair, for example, previously familiar paths are rendered inaccessible. One may also feel self-conscious and alone when performing ordinarily mundane tasks in daily life, such as boarding a bus.

Something that might help with this would be mentoring and friendship from a more experienced PWD. A mentor who is already familiar with the neighbourhood can show their mentee around the neighbourhood, sharing paths, experiences, and tips on how they have navigated life day-to-day. We also believe it greatly valuable for PWDs to form friendships or communities between each other, such that they have someone who shares similar experiences that they can connect and relate to.

What it does

Our project aims to provide a platform through which new or struggling PWDs can find more experienced PWDs as a friend and guide. PWDs can submit their requests to be an wayfarer(mentee), or an illuminator(mentor). Their requests will then be displayed on a map powered by the Google Maps Platform, and can be filtered by disability, distance, and special requests to fit their needs. If a user finds a request which is suitable, they can send an inquiry to the poster, upon which the poster will be notified by email.

Our prototype currently demonstrates the login/sign up function, as well as the basic functionality of the map through which users can find matches.

How we built it

We made use of Figma to prototype our UI, which we will later integrate into our site. The frontend of our site is handled by ReactJS, with Firebase handling user authentication and data. The interactive map is powered by Google Maps Platform.

Challenges we ran into

We were not familiar with the @react-google-maps/api and Firebase and we had to learn how to use both these tech stacks. The documentation for react-google-maps was not as comprehensive as we had wanted so we had to do a lot of googling.
Time constraint. We only had one week to learn how to use these two tech stacks
Scope creep. Because the online Google Maps has a lot of features, we had initially wanted to do much more with the many Google Maps APIs that exist. However we decided to constrain ourselves given how relatively new we are to the react-google-maps api

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Learnt how to use Firebase and @react-google-maps/api. Furthermore, we managed to build and deploy a prototype that we're quite happy about in a short period of time.

We're also happy about the idea that we came up with, and genuinely feel it could create a good impact, though being quite simple on paper.

What's next for IlluminateSG

Outreach: To improve our userbase, we are looking to collaborate with hospitals and disability organisations for publicity. For example, doctors could hand out pamphlets letting patients know of our platform.

Additional functions: Some functions we hope to implement are markers for group events, as well as a forum for PWDs to chat and share their experiences. This is because we believe that it is also highly valuable for PWDs to find their community to help them feel included and supported.

Illuminator ratings: A ratings system for illuminators would help improve the credibility of illuminators, as well as and affirm illuminators for a job well done. Awards or even monetary prizes could be given to the best illuminators.