Bowdoin ePub

Inspiration

We are all Bowdoin students who love ordering from our school's on-campus Pub and Grill. However, the lines during lunch and afternoon rush time get extremely long, and calls get backed up regularly. We knew we couldn't be the only ones who wished there was a better way, so we went out and created it!

What it does

Our project was designed to create a simple, user-friendly web application to order food from the Bowdoin pub without having to wait in line or call in the order over phone. It provides a simple way for pub staff to process remote orders, and it reduces the clutter of lunch and evening rush hours.

How we built it

We used the Brackets IDE along with JavaScript, CSS, HTML5, Bootstrap, and jQuery, with GitHub for all our project organizing. We created a single, streamlined page that hides parts of itself depending on what part of the ordering process the user is on. We all spent a fair amount of time working on backend and frontend design.

Challenges we ran into

Except for Kevin (2nd time), this was everyone's first hackathon! We had fairly little experience with JavaScript prior to building our web app, and we didn't even know what bootstrap was. Throughout the hackathon, we often alternated between learning basics of the various tools we used and applying those skills to our web app. For example, we spent a longer time exploring our platform options, shifting from an Android app to iOS app to (finally) a web application. A big challenge for us was changing the old, low-resolution pub logo into a sharper, better image; we ended up trying various tools and using vectorizing software to enhance it.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We made a three-page user interface along with one designed for pub workers to confirm orders. Drop-down menus were a large part of the design, and we classified the menu items and adapted the existing pub menu into a simple, intuitive format. We shifted our role from programmers to designers during the late stages of the hackathon, and created really attractive interfaces and a smooth, clean logo.

What we learned

We all gained a fairly solid knowledge of HTML and JavaScript through hands-on application, and learned how to make online ordering experiences more streamlined and user-friendly. We also got adept with GitHub, other online helping tools and workflow design.

What's next for Bowdoin ePub

We look forward to expanding the various features of our ePub ordering app. Our first goal is integration with the existing Bowdoin Dining App which is highly popular with current students for checking the menu for our dining halls. We also plan to integrate payment options with our pub ordering app, to further expedite the ordering process, and eventually create