Subjct

Mobile Streaming App for University Lectures

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Subjct is a mobile streaming app designed to improve the way students engage with lecture content and supplement their education.

Inspiration

During my college years, accessing lecture recordings through the university's Learning Management System (LMS) was time-consuming and unintuitive. As the popularity of music and podcast streaming continued to rise, I realized lecture content deserved the same accessibility and similarly streamlined experience. This realization inspired me to create Subjct – a dedicated app that transforms how students interact with educational content. The app provides an intuitive mobile platform that mirrors the convenience of modern streaming services, supplementing traditional education while adapting to the dynamic lifestyle of students.

What it does

Subjct leverages Learning Management System (LMS) APIs to provide easy access to student course data and lecture recordings.

Authentication and Integration

-Secure sign-in through university LMS providers (Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace, etc.).
-Direct API integration with LMS for real-time student and course data.
-Automated content fetching ensuring immediate access to recent and newly uploaded lectures.

Lecture Streaming

-Instant availability of lecture recordings upon LMS upload.
-Native audio player with integrated playback controls and progress tracking.
-Organized presentation of lectures by course and date.

User Interface

-Home view displaying recent and upcoming lectures.
-Intuitive navigation between lectures, courses, calendar, and profile.
-Dynamic audio player with mini modal and expandable player sheet.
-Purposeful design optimized for audio content accessibility.

How I built it

Subjct was developed using modern web and mobile technologies, with a focus on creating a user-friendly and responsive mobile experience.
-Frontend: React and TypeScript, utilizing bolt.new (web) and Expo (mobile) development platforms.
-Deployment: Deployed through Expo for mobile development and TestFlight for iOS distribution.

Challenges I ran into

-Data Integration: Creating a comprehensive database of D1 universities and their corresponding LMS providers. Explored various service integrations but struggled to find an optimal solution.
-App Design Differentiation: Balancing familiar functionality with unique UI elements while ensuring the app maintained its own identity among existing streaming platforms.
-Development Environment: First-time experience with Expo and TestFlight deployment. Leveraged Expo's documentation and tutorials to navigate the command-line interface effectively.
-Platform Strategy: Strategic decision-making between web and mobile development, ultimately choosing mobile to better serve the core purpose of lecture audio accessibility.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

-Vibe Coding: I'm a vibe coder.
-Onboarding Flow: Successfully implemented a three-step onboarding process that balances user simplicity with functionality, incorporating seamless API integrations.
-User Experience: Designed an engaging interface that prioritizes accessibility and ease of use, ensuring students can effortlessly navigate through lecture content.
-Overall Functionality: Created a comprehensive app that effectively handles lecture audio processing, playback, and course content management while maintaining high performance.
-Development and Deployment: Completed development and deployment of the mobile application efficiently while maintaining implementation quality.

What I learned

-Frontend & Mobile Development: Gained valuable experience in web development (React & TypeScript), state management, and building responsive mobile interfaces.
-API Integration: Enhanced my understanding of API implementation, authentication flows, and efficient data handling between the mobile client and backend services.
-UX Design: Developed more insights into creating user-focused experiences, particularly in streaming applications.

What's next for Subjct

After iterating this idea for several years, I'm excited to expand Subjct's potential with these key initiatives:
-LMS Integration: Complete LMS integration to automate student data and lecture audio uploading, improving the academic workflow and content management.
-University Collaboration: Focus on building a strong student user base through campus events, student ambassador initiatives, and strategic university partnerships.
-UI/UX Improvements: Implement improvements to the user interface and experience, focusing on enhanced audio playback controls/navigation and personalizing more learning features.

Challenges

-Custom Domain Challenge: Although my project is primarily a mobile application, I successfully deployed a complementary website using Netlify to streamline the TestFlight distribution process. I registered and configured the custom domain 'subjct.app' through Entri, seamlessly connecting it to my Netlify deployment. The website features a simple interface where potential users can enter their email address to receive an automatic TestFlight invitation code, enhancing the onboarding experience.

-We Didn’t Know We Needed This: Subjct introduces an unexpected yet valuable solution for college students by redistributing lecture content in a new way. The app supplements classroom learning by converting traditional recordings into an engaging, audio experience, enabling students to review course material during daily activities.

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