LostOnBoard

Inspiration

The frustration of losing something on public transportation and hoping that someone finds it is what inspired our team to create LostOnBoard. As strangers with diverse backgrounds, we united to streamline the process of reporting and recovering belongings.

Learning: Our project taught us invaluable skills. We used version control using Visual Studio and GitHub, ensuring seamless collaboration. We learned how to integrate HTML front-end with a Python back-end, to create a dynamic and user-friendly app.

Building Process: We began with an ideation stage, identifying a current problem that needs solving. The brainstorming stage allowed us to narrow down our focus and goals for the hackathon. We then spent some time organizing and planning as we believed that was key to our success. We categorized ideas, prioritized features, and defined clear roles for each team member. With a solid plan in place, we turned to rapid prototyping in Figma which allowed us to quickly iterate on the design and functionality. We then worked on the front end and back end separately, merging the two to create the final product.

The front end portion of the project was created with vanilla HTML & CSS. The most time consuming portion of the front end development was the styling of the different elements, particularly the form fields. Frequent use of the Chrome Dev Tools was the key to speeding up the process of styling the different elements. The CSS code followed the overall layout of the Figma prototype (with a few additions, such as images).

As for the backend, the python flask library was used to connect the different url addresses and provide functionality to the elements of the web page. The way to connect python with html was a little complex (especially due to the syntax and the addresses of the objects in the repository), but in the end the login and user registration section was completed.

To store the information, json dictionaries were used (in the future, bigger database systems should be used). One of them contains the different users of the app, and the other two contain the lost and found objects. The users json file is updated by the python backend when a new user registers, and is also used to validate the user's credentials. For the registration and status validation of lost/found objects, the backend structure would be the same (it would be implemented in the future).

As for the backend of quick finding and report visualization, this should be developed in the future as should the cybersecurity of the project.

Challenges: Our journey included several challenges that put our problem-solving abilities to the test. Initially, there was a steep learning curve with using unfamiliar stacks and programming languages. However, we saw this challenge as an opportunity to broaden our skill sets. Furthermore, collaborating with team members from diverse backgrounds and expertise demanded effective communication and adaptability. The persistent challenge of integrating the front end and back end prompted us to address issues diligently. Our journey wasn't solely about coding; it was a profound lesson in effective team collaboration, highlighting the importance of diverse perspectives, clear communication, and leveraging individual strengths. These acquired skills, alongside our technical learnings, are poised to shape our future projects and foster professional growth.