Waffle Wanderer

Dashboard of Waffle Wanderer

Inspiration

In the past few years, legislation has passed that has negatively impacted the rights of marginalized genders and the LGBTQIA community. According to American Civil Liberties Union data, a new record has been set this year for the number of anti-LGBTQ bill introduced in state legislatures at 417.

What it does

Waffle Wanderer is a web application that visualizes information on state legislature to help the user decide where they may want to visit or live. The LGBTQIA community and its allies might feel the need for a centralized platform to stay updated on legislation affecting LGBTQIA rights. The inspiration could come from recognizing that many people are not aware of the laws being proposed or passed that directly impact their lives. The app aims to bridge this knowledge gap and empower individuals to take informed action.

How we built it

The web application was built using Next.js, React, Auth.js, TypeScript, plotly, TailwindCSS, and APIs from Duffel, LegiScan, and Wikidata. After creating our initial design of the application’s architecture, we split the work amongst ourselves. During the hackathon, our team collaborated over voice calls to help each other code.

Challenges we ran into

We had difficulty to integrate Plot into TypeScript to render the map. Without the ability to render the map, we could not move past to the next stage to implement the Duffel API for users to track flights to the desired locations. We also faced a challenge regarding Auth.js due to its client-side nature as well as Next.js server-side nature.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of the work that our team has done to accomplish the dashboard UI using Next.js and React components. We were successfully in implementing the sign in feature using Auth.js. We were also successful in implementing dynamic routing to make it possible for traversal through each state and legislation without hardcoding. This will be useful when implementing a database and easily adding new legislation.

What we learned

We have learned a lot about Next.js and integrations with different APIs, as well as working with server-side renderings.

What's next for Waffle Wanderer

Waffle Wanderer and its goal is something that each of us on the team feel passionate about. We are determined to iterate over the successful foundation we have laid to include not only state legislature, but also federal and global. Our hope is to make it an accessible and helpful experience for everyone in the LGBTQIA community.