TechConnect (Case)

TechConnect is a multi-sided platform increases diversity at TGH by fostering an inclusive community and connecting participants, clubs and company representatives prior to the event.

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Inspiration

This project was based on many of our own group member's experiences in attending our first hackathon. With many of our members identifying as ethnic minorities as well as women, we knew first hand about the intimidation factors that dissuade many individuals of these groups from participating. We thought about what types of supports would have made our experience more welcoming and incorporated these aspects into TechConnect.

What it does

TechConnect is a multi-sided social media platform that helps build connections between hackers, company representatives and clubs prior to the hackathon. It acts as a community space for hackers to better prepare for the hackathon, but also provides a valuable marketing channel to reach out to academic clubs.

How we built it

  1. We first did prototyping of design and basic flows on Figma, to build a demonstration of what our problem would look like.
  2. We designed the PowerPoint presentation for the Case Study to demonstrate our solution.
  3. We worked on an MVP for the Backend, using Express.js as a server and Redis Cloud as our database.

Challenges we ran into

  • Streamlit. We were originally planning on using it and ran into significant issues with version control and installation, which was not great...
  • Redis Cloud - set up was challenging at times, especially with integrating Node.js with the database. The default redis package also had compiler errors, and the ioredis packaged had to be used instead.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  1. Building a comprehensive solution that met all the strategic goals
  2. Building a prototype that has UX principles

What we learned

  • Using Redis, Figma and Express - everyone on the team had little to no experience using these technologies before so it was a learning experience for everyone
  • This was also the first hackathon for all of us! Learning about how hackathons work was really enjoyable for all.
  • To have fun :)

What's next for TechConnect Solution

  • We aim to further improve on our backend processes - increasing robustness, adding error prevention, and improving efficiency etc.
  • We also aim to build a front end that links to our backend, using the prototype.
  • We plan to expand the ways we connect hackers with different people and organizations, through user feedback and recommendations!

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