Inspiration
Our initial inspiration for Infinlit arises from our own personal experiences, we are all currently grade 12 students who will be attending university in the fall. Along with that, comes numerous expenses including tuition, residence, etc. We also looked into relevant statistics to understand the severity of the lack of financial literacy skills within undergraduate students.
What it does
The mobile application prototype incorporates several important features of financial literacy, such as a scholarships database, local student discounts for UWaterloo students, a budget tracker, a calendar, a mentor showcase and a simple settings tab to enter user information. Additionally, the webpage created allows individuals to add other resources (scholarships, student discounts), updates and become mentors.
How we built it
We created the user interface designs using Canva and the functionality of the application was prototyped using Marvel. As for the accompanying user input website, it was created through the use of HTML and CSS in the Glitch IDE.
Challenges we ran into
One of the challenges we ran into was trying to create user input forms using HTML, however we were having difficulties with the backend component. Hence, the solution we resorted to was creating the forms on Google Forms instead and then we embedded the code within Glitch. This allowed for a simpler and cleaner interface for the website. Another challenge we ran into was managing our time throughout this 24 hour hackathon, things became hectic towards the end of the hackathon and around the submission deadline. Moving forwards in the future, we can create a more effective schedule of when certain tasks should be completed and setting priorities for the tasks would also speed things up.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Our team is incredibly proud of our accomplishments. However, we believe that the bounties of our success is two-fold. Firstly, the utilization of our technical skills to develop functional prototypes of not only our mobile application but also our user interface for the Contribution Site. With limited coding experience, our team was able to use HTML, CSS, Glitch IDE and Marvel to create professional looking prototypes that any of us would be extremely excited to use as a user of the platform. Secondly, we are extremely proud that we were able to create infinlit which exemplifies the BEST solution to an epidemic impacting post-secondary students all over including us. Creating a feasible, authentic and realistic solution was very important to us and we are very proud that we were able to execute it effectively.
What we learned
We learned how to troubleshoot the challenges we came across throughout this project. For instance, using the Google Forms instead of HTML based user input forms was a better decision and suited the interface of the website better. We also improved our collaboration and teamwork skills, as we had to rely on each other and delegate tasks amongst ourselves, while also being a unified team. We gained more experience with what goes into prototyping a mobile application such as infinlit and using that in conjunction with the aspects of the UI design as well.
What's next for infinlit
Although our design for infinlit is quite inclusive, as demand increases, we plan to expand our endeavour through opening our platform to students from universities all over Canada hence, not exclusive to the University of Waterloo. This would allow for accessibility to greater opportunities and resources, such things often not available to students outside the required administration. Additionally, while our innovative two-pronged solution minimizes unnecessary clutter on the mobile application, increasing the convenience and accessibility, for future design upgrades, we plan to give users the opportunity to access the user interface via the mobile application.
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