The Pond

The Pond is an eCommerce website designed for Stevens students to promote their small businesses and support other students’ ventures on campus. It helps Stevens students connect and shop locally.

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The Pond - 2025 QuackHacks Hackathon Project

Stevens Institute of Technology 🦆

Team Name: The Pond

Team Members: Felicity Tabia, Marilyn Anderson, Naima Sana, Marlene Moranchel

The Pond is an eCommerce website designed for Stevens students to promote their small businesses and support other students’ ventures on campus. It acts as a marketplace for students to showcase their services or products, and it helps the Stevens community connect and shop locally. Whether you’re a tutor, a creator, or a food vendor, The Pond is here to bring together small businesses from various categories to help them thrive on campus.

📚 Features

  • Business Categories: Browse businesses from different categories such as:

    • Beauty
    • Tutoring
    • Media
    • Food

  • Business Request Form: Students can submit a request to have their business featured on the website.

  • Business Overviews: Users can browse businesses by category and view brief overviews, including services/products offered, price, and more.

  • Reviews & Ratings: Students can write reviews and rate businesses, helping others find the best services on campus.

  • Sign In: Stevens students can sign in to access more features like leaving reviews or requesting to add their business.

  • Interactive Interface: A clean, user-friendly design with responsive features for desktop devices.

🛠️ Problem We Solve

Many Stevens students with small businesses currently rely on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or word of mouth to promote their services and products. While these platforms provide some exposure, they are often limited in reaching the specific community on campus. Additionally, managing a small business using just social media can be challenging without a central place to get discovered by students actively seeking services.

The Pond solves this problem by providing a dedicated platform where Stevens students can promote their businesses, get more exposure within the campus community, and easily connect with other students looking for services. By centralizing all small businesses in one place, The Pond makes it easier for students to discover, support, and engage with local businesses, fostering a more connected and supportive campus environment.

🌐 Technologies Used

  • HTML: Structure and content of the website.
  • CSS: Styling of the website.
  • JavaScript: Interactivity, such as form handling and dynamic content updates.

🔮 Future Enhancements

While The Pond is live and functional, there are several potential features we plan to add or improve:

  1. User Profiles:
    Implement user profiles where students can log in, save their favorite businesses, and manage their own business listings.

  2. E-commerce AI Chatbot:
    Add an AI-powered chatbot to assist users in finding businesses, answering questions, and guiding them through the website.

  3. Form Data Storage:
    Store the answers from the business submission form in a database to keep track of requests, manage business approvals, and allow for easier updates and management.

  4. Admin Dashboard:
    Create an admin interface where administrators can approve or reject businesses and moderate reviews.

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