Inspiration
We were inspired by how effective Amazon and Uber are for delivering so we wanted to create something that was like the 2 companies combined. Since it is the Christmas season right now, we wanted to implement a Christmas theme to this idea so we thought that creating a site for people to order Christmas gifts and get them delivered right away would be a great idea. Also because the world is in a pandemic right now, many businesses are suffering so we wanted to help out the small businesses/local businesses instead of constantly supporting the larger companies.
What it does
Our site lets customers order Christmas presents from the comfort of their home and have them delivered within a short period of time. We use Google Cloud API to create a list of stores within the radius inputted that fits under the category that the customer inputs. The API also tracks “Santa’s helpers” as they pick up the order and deliver it straight to the customer's doors while maintaining social distancing rules to keep everyone safe.
How we built it
We first created a simple website using HTML and CSS. We then proceeded to create the client using API. Next, we refined the website to look more appealing. Finally, we linked the API client to the website.
Challenges we ran into
As our first time attending a hackathon, we were somewhat underprepared. As we first had decided to use radar.io but after the first day, we had decided to switch over to Google Cloud API which required us to all quickly learn how to use it. It took many hours to learn and code using API but it was successfully done. Another challenge we faced was linking the client that used API to the website.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We are proud that we were able to learn Python, Flask, Google API, HTML, and CSS from scratch within the limited time given and how we were able to create a working project for our first hackathon.
What we learned
We learned Python, Flask, Google API, HTML, and CSS. We also learned that teamwork, communication, and organization are very important for hackathons as we were very unorganized and had poor communication leading to us being confused and very lost at the beginning of this project. But, in the future, we know that communication must be very good in order to be able to complete a project in a timely manner.
What's next for Santa's Helper
We are looking to change Santa’s Helper to operate on other special occasions/ holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Halloween, etc. We also would like to add a feature where we can help small businesses that are just starting up to sell their products if they are not on Google maps.
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.