Inspiration
We were inspired by own everyday shopping habits and grocery routines where we often are unsure of which are the best brands to buy from. With an app that could provide suggestions and inform us of how to make better decisions, we could make changes in our own routines to contribute to sustainability efforts.
What it does
sustain.go provides users with a 'game' experience while they complete their grocery shopping. With a list of items, our app will provide users with some facts about sustainability and encourage them to choose to purchase brands that are sustainable. Each time they purchase from a more sustainable brand, they will be rewarded points which can be accumulated to earn discounts from their favorite stores.
How we built it
The project was built using the Java programming language and the XML markup language in conjunction with the Android software development kit libraries and the Android Studio IDE while also implementing key object-oriented programming principles. We initially sketched out the idea for the application and created low fidelity mock ups in Figma. We added different features to the various screens of the app. Using the prototype tool in Figma, we created a user flow which allows a user to go from a login screen to the dashboard to view their points. They are also able to checkout the weekly challenges to earn more points, record their grocery trips and upload their receipts. We took these mockups as inspiration as we started building the app in Android Studio. We initially started with created the structure of the project and organizing the classes into different modules. We used JAVA in order to create our frames in Android Studio. Each different screen has a class that handles the backend tasks, a .xml page that has the front-end of the screen and a controller that acts as the middleman. We used Git to collaborate and keep track of our changes.
Challenges we ran into
We set out to build this idea in an android app, however our team has little experience with app development. We were able to set up an app in android studio, however could not fully implement functionality into our app.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We were able to get our idea across in Figma and create interfaces for our main pages of the app. Our team collaborated well in combining our skills and coming up with an idea we were all excited about.
What we learned
Our whole team learned a lot about creating an app. we learned from each other’s skillsets. From creating mock-ups in Figma to producing these designs on Android Studio, we learned how to go about the design thinking process and convert these ideas into a digital product.
What's next for sustain.go
we would love to be able to implement the app and provide factual data to users from APIs and databases. We could add more features such as more variety and reminders for weekly challenges, more opportunities to earn points, or a community leaderboard.
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