Abode

Inspiration

We are a group of university students living in a city with a tight housing market and we've felt the struggle of finding a place to live. Our mission is to deliver tailored and timely accommodation for people of all ages and backgrounds, all over the globe. By valuing affordability, safety, amenities, and a comfortable lifestyle, we hope to make your travel booking and house hunting hassle-free.

What it does

Abode is a mobile app that simplifies finding places to live, rent, or study. Users swipe right to 'like' or left to 'dislike' listings based on their preferences such as purpose, size, cost, and location, much like the swipe mechanism popularized by Tinder. It's designed to make the search for the perfect space quick, personalized, and user-friendly.

How we built it

Initially, our attempt to develop the application from scratch using Android Studio faced time constraints, prompting us to pivot our approach. We redirected our efforts towards Figma, a UX/UI design software, and subsequently utilized builder.io to convert the designed elements into JavaScript code within the React framework. This strategic shift allowed us to optimize our workflow and efficiently progress with the application development.

Challenges we ran into

~ We found it particularly challenging to integrate GUI features such as drop down menus and check-boxes into our App design as a result of the restrictions imposed by Figma.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

~ Our user interface is interactive, easy to use and visually appealing

What we learned

We have acquired a comprehensive understanding of contemporary tools, specifically Figma and Android Studio, leveraging their functionalities to enhance our capabilities. Our knowledge extends to the realm of UX/UI design, equipping us with the expertise needed to craft a compelling and user-friendly application. This proficiency ensures that we are well-equipped to meet the design and development requirements of the desired software.

What's next for Abode

We are exploring a UI transformation inspired by Tinder, allowing users to express their preference for a place by right-swiping if they like it and left-swiping if they do not. Simultaneously, the owner will experience a distinct interface, showcasing profiles of individuals who have expressed interest in residing at their place. This approach aims to enhance the user experience and facilitate seamless interactions between potential occupants and property owners. The next step would be making a seamless integration into iOS and improving on our database and queries. Another feature which we have set as next steps is the integration of google maps so that when a user selects their desired location, the hotels, locations and food pages update automatically with the respective items.