Inspiration
When my friends and I are planning on going out, we often text someone we know who is already at the event or party and ask them for a "vibe check", so that we know if it's worth the long treck in -20 degree weather. Sometimes though, we don't know anyone there (yet) and we end up spending up to 10$ on a cover charge and walking 30 minutes in the snow just to leave 10 minutes later. This is when Vibe Check comes in!
What it does
Vibe Check is a mobile app that allows users to view or post real-time reviews of events, clubs, bars, and other (mainly) night-time events. This way, users can check if the event they are thinking of attending has the energy they are looking for, based on the crowd, price, music, and other variables. Newest reviews are pushed to the top of the main feed so that users are getting the most real-time information possible.
How we built it
We decided to use the Google-provided Flutter API and Firebase database. Neither of us were familiar with these platforms and we thought this was the perfect opportunity to dive in at the deep end. Both platforms were relatively easy to pick-up, disregarding the initial set-up phase which was a bit of a learning curve. We developed the app in Android Studio, and since neither of us had Android devices, we used a provided Android emulator on the Android IDE.
Challenges we ran into
The main challenge we ran into was setting up our Flutter/Firebase app since neither of us had used either platform before. This set-up took more time than expected, but once we had a "functioning" app, it was easier to get the ball rolling using the Flutter/Firebase documentation and online forums.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We are very proud that we were able to learn so much about Flutter and Firebase in such a short time. We are also proud of how much we were able to get done in the given time. We also like the look of our app, which has a darker theme since it is for night-time events.
What we learned
We learned a lot about Flutter and Firebase. This was our first Hackathon, so we also learned what a Hackathon environment was like, and how to make a functional app in less than 24 hours!
What's next for Vibe Check
Our vision of the final version will be integrated with Google Maps so that users can see which events in their area have positive reviews for the night. There is a search feature, but we would like to implement filters so that users can filter reviews based on their priorities. For now, posts will be anonymous, but in the future users will be able to create accounts to keep track of their past reviews. From a business perspective, this app could be monetized through sponsored posts and deals from locations and an Uber/Lyft integration could be added as well.
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