Inspiration
Journaling: the act of keeping a record of your personal thoughts, feelings, insights, and more. A place to store anything you please. Guilty pleasures, acts of gratitude, self-expression, identity crisis – are all accepted in journaling. Our personal experience with using journaling as a coping mechanism when thoughts and emotions are jumbled led our vision to provide an outlet or a safe space for documenting all of the above.
What it does
Ink.in is a vault for your memories, reflections, and frustrations. Whether you are looking for a place to rant about what your significant other did or you are looking to improve how you cope with a bad grade on an exam, Ink.in is a creative outlet without streak-based achievements. You can talk about your day in two-word sentences or build off of prompts to stimulate creativity. Ink.in is a secure spot where all of your journaling needs are met.
When opening the app, the user is asked to make an account. Once created, a user can create journals that can be password protected. In each journal, a plus button allows the user to record an entry. In each entry, there is an option to record your mood and rate how you are feeling. From there, users can freely write whatever they please, but if they are struggling to start, a prompt generator can be selected to help spark an idea. Entries and journals are editable after they are saved. In each journal, there are filters that allow easy navigation to search for a past entry.
How we built it
Our backend used Java in Andrioid Studio to create the app and Firebase for user authentication. We stored databases locally in order to preserve journals across the app’s opening and closing. On the frontend, we used XML to display elements. For the UI aspect of the project, we utilized Figma to create the app design and navigation. We also created visuals such as logos and mockups for our presentation.
Challenges we ran into
In order to create a stress-free app, we wanted to make sure the UI was seamless for the user. We were forced to backtrack and redesign certain aspects of the app flow last minute. On the backend, the application of fragments was difficult. As well as implementing the authentication functions. From the start, we had a lot of ideas for our app, but in a limited amount of time, we were unable to add all of them.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Our frontend team was able to create a polished and established brand for our app. The color scheme and logo development went through a series of modifications in order to create the perfect ecosystem for our users. For their first time working with databases, our backend team was able to create a fully functioning app with databases and an authentication function.
What we learned
Working together as a group, we learned how to navigate different skill sets in order to create Ink.in. Both teams learned to build off of each other's design ideas and programming limitations. As a whole team, each of us explored different programs, such as Figma and Android Studio, to create a finished project.
What's next for Ink.in
With the open-ended concept of “journaling,” expansion for Ink.in is vibrant. First, adding more moods will allow the user to express their emotions on their terms. We also plan on implementing an AI chat bot feature enabling the user to have an unlimited range of prompts and topics for self development and creativity. And finally, a concept for white board format will allow users to freely add images and customize their entries.
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