Uni Bites

Landing Page
Navigation Page
Chatbot
Logo

Inspiration

Many college campuses, like FIU, have expensive dining options with vast differences in variety and quality. But for new students and visitors, it can be daunting figuring out where to eat. Unless you ask someone for recommendations, there isn't a sort of alternative to get tips on where to dine on campus. Many university dining apps that attempt to solve this issue like DineOnCampus often feel outdated and lack functionality. After long hours of studying, or even just visiting a new campus, it can be challenging to figure out the right place to eat. Uni Bites aims to unify on-campus dining with the goal of creating a sense of community and clarity to anyone wanting a place to eat while at college.

What it does

Users can log in with their school credentials to provide personalized ratings and reviews by simply clicking a like button. Additionally, the app lets you view your friends' ratings, when they visited certain restaurants, and favorite dishes or spots on your campus. It displays the full menu along with the price of each item, and with just a click, you can get quick directions to the restaurant via Google Maps. There is also a chatbot that gives suggestions to the user based on their preferences. UniBites also highlights all available discounts and special deals at campus restaurants, making new dining options more visible. Visually, the app draws inspiration from social media aesthetics, featuring mouth-watering images and engaging layouts.

How we built it

With a team of 4, each one of us had designated roles; lead programmer, UI/UX design, creative lead, and marketing lead. With these roles we were able to collaborate on ideas and turn them into a functional app using Typescript React, HTML, and CSS.

Challenges we ran into

All four of us are first-time hackers, but that didn't stop us from tackling challenges head-on.

The first hurdle we faced was choosing the framework to start with. We quickly decided to develop a responsive website that works seamlessly on both mobile and desktop.
Our next challenge was connecting the front-end and back-end. Rather than slow down, we made the strategic decision to prioritize completing the front-end first, ensuring a solid foundation before diving into back-end development. -We also had to figure out a good UI/UX as well as features that would make the app useful for anyone
Finally, we faced the task of integrating Google API into the web app. We approached it methodically and are determined to implement it successfully. ## Accomplishments that we're proud of We built an app that has many features that make it highly useful for anyone on campus unsure of where to eat. Effectively creating a social network between these restaurants, we also opened up the possibility of monetization through deals with these restaurants. ## What we learned Developing a fullstack app is extremely challenging as there are many moving parts, but by delegating work properly, teamwork and collaboration was by far the biggest key to our success. ## What's next for UniBites Since we are still missing some key features, the next step is turning all of our ideas into reality.