SolidarityCafe

Chat Page.
Login Page. Users will get to pick their role at each login.
Signup Page.
User Main Page. Randomly suggest 5 users each time. ("Lend a hand" users will be suggested to "ask for help" users with similar interest.)

Inspiration

Girls are emotional and sensitive. While from time to time, they are bothered by their rich emotions, they have great empathy with others' happiness and pain, which may lead to mental health issues. They feel like asking for help frequently, but can also be perfect listeners. Therefore, we are inspired to build SolidarityCafe, a real-time chat app for girls where they can either choose to seek or provide help. We believe that girls, with a shared identity, are more likely to trust each other, open out, and discuss their thoughts and problems freely. They understand each other the best.

What it does

SolidarityCafe provides a handy, light platform for girls to talk with each other. They can select their interests during signup. Users' selection will be saved in their profiles and be used for the matching algorithm. Next time, they can simply log in with their username and password, and on the login page, they are able to choose whether they want to "lend a hand" or "ask for help" this time. After logging in successfully, users will be directed to a user page where a user list that matches their interests and role preference this time is displayed. ("Lend a hand" users will be suggested to "ask for help" users and vice versa. A more advanced matching system such as a machine learning recommendation system can be introduced in the future.) They are able to start to chat with any user available on the list and enjoy a wonderful conversation.

How we built it

We first build a real-time chat app based on a video tutorial. Then add new features to fulfill our needs, such as interest checkboxes on the signup page, role preference buttons on the login page, and a matching algorithm that displays available users on the user list of each user. After writing code for these features, we also implement the page design that we believe is attractive to female users.

Challenges we ran into

This is the first time for every one of us to build a complete web app. Before this event, all of us are used to working on back-end development only. We learned HTML/CSS in only two days and encountered a series of technical problems when working on the project. We also had to learn how to connect a web app to a database so that we can store our user information. Besides, since one of our teammates is in China, and the rest of us are in New York, USA, there is a 12-hour time difference between us. The time we can work on the project together is limited.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Firstly, the web app is successfully completed. All the functions we currently attempt are implemented, and the design looks nice! We are all new to web development, and we are proud of what we have done in two days! Also, we think we manage the time difference between our team members perfectly. The split-up of tasks is reasonable and logical. Everyone is responsible and responsive, so the communication regarding progress and transfer of work is smooth and delightful. We also make full use of the short overlap of our work time to discuss the project and any change that we think is necessary.

What we learned

All of us now know how to build a web app from scratch! This is a great skill that will be helpful for our personal projects, academic projects, and job application. We also learn how to be good team members and contribute to a team effectively and efficiently by making the most out of our current skill kit. We no longer hate working from home and remote collaboration.

What's next for SolidarityCafe

We will be adding more features when we have more time to do research and do some interviews to fully understand the needs of our target users. For now, We do want to add a function where users can leave comments for the people they chat with as our next step. With this function, users can read the comments for her before they start to chat with another girl so that they know what personality they can be expecting. We believe this will encourage introverted girls to start a conversation because they feel safer knowing a little about the person beforehand.