Data and Marketing Redesign - Waltham Chamber of Commerce

Our project transforms the Waltham Chamber of Commerce’s outreach. We built a website for event tracking, new marketing resources, and a Google Maps flyover of member businesses to improve engagement.

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Inspiration

Data-driven decision making is the way of the future, but not every organization has the bandwidth to closely follow the trends as they develop. The Waltham Chamber of Commerce and the support they provide to local businesses is vital to the health of this community, and it is time for the community to give back to them. The Chamber’s systems are a good start, but would benefit from further organization of their data and a way to view it. They are also very active on social media, but a consistent brand would also call more attention to their profiles.

What it does

In our project, we endeavored to improve upon the WCC’s already-existing systems. First, we created a Google Form to streamline the WCC’s data-collecting process and produce consistent, helpful data that will help the Chamber plan future events. We created a website with Python with an easier interface for the Chamber’s members to view and gather insights from their data, which enables them to create legible and engaging visualizations of their events. In addition to data visualizations, we put together a fly-over video of different businesses that are part of the WCC; this video will enable the chamber to further publicize the businesses they work with and their locations. Finally, we also redesigned the Chamber’s social media with a focus on the Meta Suite, which includes Facebook and Instagram. The redesigned logo is crisper and identifiable, and the new templates will create a sense of cohesion on their social media while still advertising the same information as the Chamber did before.

How we built it

Using Python and a few major libraries to host the website, we created a product that is understandable and simple to use. Streamlit enabled us to make the site easy for non-technical users, Plotly allowed us to create interactive visualizations, and Pandas facilitated the parsing and managing of data. The Google Maps flyover of the member businesses was put together with Google Earth Studio, and we connected different nodes to create the final video included in our presentation. The redesigned logo was created with Google Drawings to easily make a crisp and transparent image that could be included in future designs. The social media templates and designs were designed using Canva, and the new Instagram profile was visualized using Adobe Photoshop.

Challenges we ran into

As we began our project, we first had to sort through data and figure out an easy and comprehensible way to collect and display it. If the questions on the Google Form were not specific, the format of answers could be inconsistent; for example, if one person answered a question with “1” but another with “one,” visualizations would be impossible unless an individual sorted through and cleaned the data. Another challenge we encountered was figuring out a way to ensure that the data would be securely kept while still being able to use the visualization software. Finally, we wanted to use a technical solution designed for technically-inexperienced users, and so we had to ensure all of our designs could be used and effortlessly understood by members of the WCC.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Our final product provides the Chamber with comprehensive solutions to a number of different challenges they face as a non-profit organization. The website we created is incredibly user-friendly and will let them visualize and understand data that they were previously unable to use. Additionally, the site lets users benefit from Python scripts and graphing libraries without requiring complicated downloads or expensive site-hosting privileges or technology. The Chamber was also concerned about their lack of a social media presence. Not only did we provide them with a variety of visually appealing templates, but we also redesigned their logo to give them a recognizable brand. Most importantly, however, we are very proud to be part of something bigger, and hope to see what the Chamber is able to do next using our tools.

What we learned

Our group consisted of a variety of backgrounds and skills, and each member learned more about the fields the others came from. For example, members with computer science backgrounds exhibited different ways programming languages and graphing libraries can be utilized and combined to create new products. Further, a member well-versed in mathematics and data analytics aided everyone else in cleaning data and figuring out a simpler way to collect it. One member came from a completely non-STEM background, but instead English and Communications, whose contributions enabled other members to better structure and format both our written works and social media designs. Ultimately, we figured out a way that everyone — not just those well-versed in computer science — could contribute to a Hackathon and show one another what they have to offer.

What's next for Waltham Chamber of Commerce 2025 Hack

As the Chamber hosts more events, they will have an easy and accessible strategy to collect information from the attendees. The Google Form — and using a QR code to open it — is easy to publicize and explain if needed. With an easier way to obtain data, the Chamber will then be able to upload that data to the website we created. The website is intuitive and direct, and members will have the option to visualize the data how they see fit in an easy and non-technical way. Combined with the fly-over video and the redesign of their social media, the WCC can market themselves and their businesses to the broader Waltham community more effectively. Ultimately, we hope that our contributions will enable the WCC to gain more notability and even better support the local business community.

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