Queue - A Safer Way to Line-Up

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  Our firebase firestore database

Inspiration

Exactly three years ago I came up with an app idea that I called Queue. People hate waiting in lines. Why not eliminate the hassle of physically being there? COVID-19 has made it unsafe for people to physically queue up, so I decided that my old idea would be the perfect fit for this hackathon.

What it does

Just open the app, and either scan a QR code at an establishment or press a button on the locations page to be entered into a line. You would get a notification when it was your turn.

How I built it

We built Queue using Swift. Initially we went through many options including: flutter, a python web app, and angular but decided on swift because of the easy integration with the camera (even though we didn't end up fully finishing that part).

Challenges I ran into

We ran into many challenges throughout the process of building Queue. The biggest challenge had to have been setting up firebase. I've never had to setup a database before, and integration with swift was very taxing.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

I'm proud of the fact that we were able to put together a half-working prototype in such a short amount of time. It was my first time using Apple's new SwiftUI and I believe I was able to tackle the bulk of it fairly well.

What I learned

I learned that during crunch time if something is not working entirely correctly, it's okay to move on to something else and come back later. I did this when I was working on firebase integration. I had been trying to set it up for 3 hours, and ended up switching to UI development for a little bit to cool off. This was the right decision because I was able to come back an hour later with a fresh mind ready to tackle the challenge.

What's next for Queue - A Safer Way to Line-Up

Built With

• firebase
• swift