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Community Bank
Our Google Slides
Inspiration
Ivory: The idea for Community Bank was born from my personal struggle to balance time in college—between work, socializing, and staying connected with my family back home in Vietnam. I wanted a way to manage my time better, connect with others, and maintain meaningful relationships.
What it does
Community Bank is a dynamic app designed to help adults cultivate meaningful connections with friends, family, and local groups. By leveraging location-based data, it intelligently recommends activities that align with users' shared interests and availability, making it effortless to find like-minded individuals.
In addition to fostering social interactions, the app features an innovative time-banking system, allowing users to exchange services and support one another in managing everyday tasks. This unique approach not only strengthens community bonds but also creates a culture of collaboration and mutual assistance, making it easier to balance work-life responsibilities while maintaining connections.
Moreover, Community Bank actively promotes local communities by showcasing real-time and upcoming events, encouraging users to participate in activities that support local businesses and enhance neighborhood ties. By joining Community Bank, users can effortlessly connect with individuals who share their passions, while effectively managing their professional commitments.
How we built it
We used React to build a clean, responsive front-end, Tailwind CSS for styling, Node.js/Express for our backend API, and integrated the Google Maps API for location-based activity suggestions. Axios is used for data fetching, and a matrix factorization algorithm built with Python and connected to our Node.js to power the recommendation system.
Challenges we ran into
One of the main challenges was implementing accurate API and location-based recommendations while ensuring that time banking was seamlessly integrated into the app. Securing user data and preventing bot misuse are also key areas we are actively working on.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We successfully built a platform that allows adults to connect and offer time-banking services, fostering real-world relationships. Another key achievement is the activity recommendation system, which uses sophisticated algorithms to suggest relevant and enjoyable things to do.
What we learned
We learned a lot about integrating external services like APIs for real-time data fetching, as well as creating personalized recommendation algorithms. Balancing usability and security was another major learning point.
What's next for Community Bank
As we look to the future, we are excited to collaborate with local organizations and institutions to further enhance our platform and foster community engagement. By partnering with schools, community centers, businesses, and nonprofits, we aim to promote their events and initiatives while attracting new users to our app.
Through these collaborations, organizations will have a dedicated space to showcase their events, programs, and services to a wider audience. In return, users will benefit from access to diverse activities tailored to their interests, all within the Community Bank app. This partnership will create a thriving ecosystem that supports local growth and strengthens community bonds.
Currently, Community Bank features a fully-functional front-end and a fully-functional back-end system; however, further work is required to integrate these two components and provide a seamless experience.
Our goal is to empower users to engage with their surroundings actively, making the most of their time and resources.
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