Inspiration
Ashley's inspiration came from her struggles with an effective diet for her condition, IBS. It was passed down hereditarily from her father and she never knew which foods caused a reaction, but by creating SmartDiet, she could help others avoid the same problem. She realized that this could be effective for anyone, whether it be for users just looking for a good workout or who have started a vegetarian diet and don't know what to eat.
Jennifer was inspired by personal trainer and dietician services. While both services can be very helpful in building a healthy lifestyle, the majority of people do not have the facilities to enjoy those services. We wanted to create an accessible and informative app that fills the gap left by a lack of professional health and fitness advice.
What it does
SmartDiet takes user input for medical conditions as well as how much weight they hope to lose or gain and it will provide recipes and workout routines relevant to their diet. It would also keep track of health goals and routines that the user maintains, with no input from the user, such as steps and calories burned. We also wanted to include a motivation aspect, of in-app rewards such as currency as well as possible celebration gifts such as discounts.
How we built it
Our main coding platform was web design, using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. We hoped to create more on app development and created a basic layout, but were not able to get into the complex design that we had hoped to achieve. We used Swift, Flutter, and Dart to create the current app that we have now.
Challenges we ran into
As mentioned previously, we weren't able to complete much of the code because half our team is still in high school, cutting our available time in half. We also weren't able to communicate as well because time zones interfered with each other as well as availability times. One of our teammates left near the midway point of the program, so we weren't able to utilize a fourth teammate and it was too late to find anyone else. It sometimes felt like we put too much pressure on one person, thus burning them out.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We were able to create a sick web application and designed an app application that we could definitely use professionally. We also worked together really well, especially since we just met each other. It was definitely a fated meeting because each of us had experience in different aspects of code, so we were able to get as much done as we could with three people.
What we learned
We learned how to adapt to each other's preferences as well as keep an open mind. We also learned how each of us worked and the best way to work together, which was rather independent, but consistent communication. We also learned more about APIs and how to make my applications safe through the webinars provided by Uberposition. Finally, we learned time management because our deadline came up fast and unexpected, meaning we weren't able to do as much as we hoped.
What's next for Smart Diet
We hope to launch the app because I believe the idea is worth pursuing. I hope to create an adequate app that could help people gain a healthier diet and workout practice. If launching the app is too far to reach, at least finishing the app would be a great honor.
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