Purdue Plant Diary

Purdue Plant Diary logo
Home screen with QR code button

Inspiration

Our favorite thing about Purdue is the beautiful, plant-filled campus. While exploring, we noticed that many plants have QR codes linking to more information. That sparked an idea, what if instead of just reading about them, we could collect them like a digital diary and track our progress? That’s how Purdue Plant Diary was born.

What it does

Every plant has a story, and Purdue Plant Diary helps you capture it. The web app lets users scan plant QR codes across campus, record details like the plant’s name and type, and log it into a personal collection. You can track your progress, revisit plants you’ve found, and dive deeper by linking directly to the Purdue Arboretum website for more information.

How we built it

We began by brainstorming features and sketching the app’s design. From there, we split tasks: designing the UI, gathering QR code data by walking around campus, and developing the core functionality. We built and tested the app in VS Code, fixed bugs along the way, and finally deployed it on Netlify.

Challenges we ran into

One major challenge was browser camera permissions—on some browsers, scanning didn’t work even when access was granted. We discovered the issue came from using an iFrame, so we implemented an alternative QR code reader.

Another issue was inconsistent QR code formats. Some didn’t link properly to the Arboretum site, so we updated the program to automatically add “https://” if it was missing.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We successfully built a Progressive Web App (PWA) that works seamlessly across iPhone, Android, and desktop browsers. It’s simple, accessible, and turns plant-spotting into a fun, interactive experience for anyone on campus.

What we learned

We learned that developing for both iOS and Android can be tricky, but PWAs provide a powerful way to create cross-platform apps. We also gained experience debugging browser-specific issues and ensuring compatibility across devices.

What's next for Purdue Plant Diary

Looking ahead, we’d like to add a sign-in feature so users can sync their collections across devices. We also plan to introduce a sharing option that allows friends to compare progress and even compete to see who can collect the most plants.