LocAid

LocAid is a local community platform where neighbors can connect to lend each other a hand. Whether you're offering a talent or seeking help, LocAid turns your community into a supportive network.

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Inspiration

What inspired Macklin and I to build this website was that we felt that communities were not as trusting with each other as they used to be. 10 years ago, people felt they could go to their neighbor and ask for help or get a recommendation on where they could get help with a task. Once we determined how big a problem this actually was, creating a community system where people can ask for help was our biggest goal.

What it does

Our site allows people to sign in and create posts based on their zipcode. They can either ask for help or request help for a task. Then that person can either dm or another person or review a dm

How we built it

We built the frontend using JavaScript with React. For the backend, we used a database service called Supabase, which stores data in a SQL database.

Challenges we ran into

One of the main challenges we ran into was getting the messaging system to work properly. We struggled to understand why our messaging system was not displaying messages on the other user’s end without them having to refresh the page.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I think one of the biggest accomplishments is how well we worked together. We divided the task eqaully talked to each other about how we wanted things done, and created a smooth proccess

What we learned

We learned that combining our own ideas with AI significantly improved the speed at which we were able to code. While AI is not perfect when it comes to implementing complex features, it saved us a lot of time managing the front-end and refining the overall look and design of the website.

What's next for LocAid

There are a lot of next steps for LocAid. First, we want to transition the website into a mobile app, since people are much more likely to check notifications through an app rather than opening a website to see new DMs. We also want to implement a reporting system to prevent users from abusing the platform in malicious ways. Lastly, we plan to add a location verification feature because currently, anyone can enter any ZIP code, which creates potential safety risks.

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