ONTAP-SPU

Students lack verified affordable help for rides tutoring errands or campus tasks Gig apps arent built for student identity or budgets.OnTap enables a trusted campus marketplace for fast low cost help

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Inspiration

SPU students live on tight timelines and tighter budgets. Errands (rides, moving help), learning support (tutoring, tech fixes), and dorm trading (fridges, books) are scattered across chats with uneven pricing and low trust. The question that sparked OnTap-SPU: what if one verified place on campus could help students earn fairly and get help fast—safely, on their terms?

What it does

OnTap-SPU is a campus-only marketplace that blends Urban Company–style services with a Flipkart-like marketplace:

Services: Rides, Moving Help, Tutoring, Tech Support, Housekeeping, Fitness

Marketplace: Student-to-student buy/sell with on-campus handoffs

Safety: SPU-ID checks, unique order codes, CCTV-covered meet spots

Payments: Pay-on-Pickup by default; EMI only for totals ≥ $75

College Zone (friends): respectful networking for study groups, clubs, projects (no dating)

How we built it

Design → Prototype fast: Mural 8 (storyboards) → Mural 10 (test plan & iteration log).

One-file React MVP: Tailwind-style utilities, Lucide icons, Peacock theme, localStorage for mock persistence.

Guardrails in code: smoke tests for EMI threshold, cart merge, and 18+ profile gating.

Safety surfaced: Safety button in header, spot selection required at checkout, clear rules copy.

Challenges we ran into

Trust vs. speed: Making identity checks obvious without slowing booking.

Scope control: Keeping to six service categories and essential flows.

Mobile density: Preserving legibility and keeping Safety + Cart visible above the fold.

Language matters: Reframing “dating” to College Zone (friends) broadened comfort and participation.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

A working, student-first MVP that feels native to campus life.

Clear safety model (ID + order codes + CCTV spots) that users can explain back in their own words.

Friction-light discovery (category chips + real search) with zero navigation loss on add-to-cart/booking.

Pragmatic Admin prototype for listing review, flags, and fee rules.

What we learned

Trust is a product feature, not a policy doc: put it above the fold.

Payments should start simple: COD first; add options only when the use-case demands it.

Small copy choices change adoption: respectful, precise language matters.

Metrics drive credibility. A simple Trust Index helps set expectations:TrustIndex=0.45⋅Punctuality+0.35⋅CompletionRate−0.20⋅DisputeRate

What's next for ONTAP-SPU

Gate “Connect” in College Zone behind .edu/SPU-ID verification (tooltip + flow).

Service details with cancellation/no-show policy and safe-spot suggestions.

Backend wiring (Supabase/Firebase) for auth, orders, payouts.

Pilot: 2-week test with 20 providers & 50 buyers; publish learnings and tighten Trust Index.

Campus price bands: show typical ranges to keep pricing fair and predictable.

Built With

  • figma-(ui)
  • localstorage-(mock-data)
  • lucide-icons
  • mural-(research/storyboards)
  • python
  • react-(one-file-mvp)
  • supabase/firebase-(planned).-note:-ontap-spu-is-a-student-built-prototype
  • tailwind-style-utilities
  • typescript
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