Inspiration
We were inspired to create our project by the current Covid-19 situation and the new challenges it has created for members of the community, particularly those who are vulnerable.
What it does
Upon signing up/logging in to the website, a user can either use the site as a 'requester' or a 'shopper'. Requesters have a personal shopping list, 'My List', which they add items onto, and shoppers are able to view all shopping lists posted by requesters in their local area, and choose to buy and deliver items from the lists to their shielding neighbours.
How we built it
On the frontend, the website was built with React and styled with MaterialUI. On the backend, the website is connected to Firebase, using the Auth and Realtime Database functionalities.
Challenges we ran into
- Working with AWS for the first time was challenging since it was an area nobody in the team had experience in. With help from the AWS Student ambassador our understanding of the components increased, however, we had to pivot to Firebase to save time.
- As many of the team had never used React before, we had to learn a lot about how it worked, and how to connect it to Firebase.
- We didn't get started on the code until around 7pm, which was when we decided to switch cloud platforms. There wasn't enough time to finish the application, but we enjoyed the challenge!
Accomplishments that we're proud of
I'm proud of how well we were able to make use of different skillsets within the team: we played to people’s strengths in our choice of programming language and project style - a few of our team members have experience in creating websites with React, having taught themselves the skill over summer. Coming from different degree backgrounds, our team members have varying levels of familiarity with programming, and yet we always found ways for everyone to contribute to the project - whether it be through designing, coding, researching, or creating the video.
What we learned
As well as most of the team gaining new skills in technologies such as React, we also learned ways to easily develop code whilst all communicating online. An extension we found useful was live share on VSCode, so we could all see in real time what everyone was developing. This was also useful as the more experienced developers in the team could easily guide the less experienced and fix any bugs with ease and efficiency. Those with more experience learned how to teach others, in a very clear and concise way. Due to the delay in getting any working code initially, we felt a a lot of pressure to get lots done so we learned how to manage our time and split the project down to get more done in a short amount of time.
What's next for Street Shopper
To develop our project in the future, we’d like to create a mobile app for user convenience, as well as adding new features such as the ability for requesters to assign levels of urgency to their items, and specify which stores and supermarkets they would prefer to get their shopping from.
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