tricko

Inspiration

As a student at Texas A&M University, I noticed a gap in Halloween celebrations within our college community. Many students live in apartments or dorms, missing out on traditional trick-or-treating experiences. This inspired me to create Tricko - a platform that modernizes Halloween for college students by combining traditional trick-or-treating with digital rewards and local business partnerships.

What it does

Tricko is a mobile app that connects the Texas A&M community during Halloween through:

Interactive Map: Shows active houses giving out treats with real-time orange markers Dual User System: Treat Givers: Mark their location, list available treats, and set trick themes Trick-or-Treaters: Find active houses and earn points through interactions Points & Rewards: Earn points from successful trick-or-treat visits Redeem points for real rewards at local businesses Store features items like Aggie merchandise, food vouchers, and movie tickets Real-time Updates: See active houses and their treats instantly

How we built it

We leveraged modern mobile development technologies:

Frontend:

React Native with Expo for cross-platform development TypeScript for type safety Expo Router for file-based navigation Custom themed components for Halloween styling Backend:

Firebase Authentication for user management Firestore for real-time data storage Location services with React Native Maps Architecture:

Role-based access control Real-time location updates Points transaction system Secure data management

Challenges we ran into

Location Management:

Ensuring accurate house placement Handling location permissions gracefully Managing real-time marker updates User Experience:

Creating intuitive flows for two different user roles Balancing simplicity with functionality Maintaining consistent theme across platforms Technical Hurdles:

Implementing efficient Firestore listeners Managing state across different screens Handling concurrent point transactions Optimizing map performance

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Created a fully functional dual-role authentication system Implemented real-time location tracking with custom markers Designed an engaging points and rewards system Built an intuitive Halloween-themed interface Successfully integrated local business reward system Developed a scalable architecture for future expansion

What we learned

Deep understanding of React Native's location and mapping capabilities Best practices for Firebase security and real-time updates Effective state management in complex mobile applications User experience design for multi-role platforms Integration of business logic with social features Importance of error handling in location-based apps

What's next for tricko

Feature Expansion:

AR navigation to find houses Social features for friend groups Achievement system Real-time chat for users Photo sharing capabilities Business Growth:

Partner with more local businesses Implement seasonal events Create community challenges Add special holiday themes Technical Enhancements:

Add offline support Implement push notifications Add route optimization Enhance security features Implement analytics dashboard Community Building:

Organize community events Create leaderboards Add house ratings system Implement safety features