hOStR

Inspiration and What it Does

We, the creators of this app, were inspired by our own experiences with the tedious and time-consuming process of planning parties. We recognized the need for a more streamlined and efficient solution that would take the hassle out of organizing parties. We also saw an opportunity to incorporate a unique feature that would enhance the party experience by allowing guests to contribute to the music selection. With the integration of Spotify's API, we were able to create a personalized playlist feature that would be tailored to the musical preferences of all guests, making the party more enjoyable for everyone. The goal of the app is to make party planning as effortless as possible, so that people can focus on having fun and enjoying their time with friends and family.

How we built it

To create the app we used Flutter for the front-end, Flask for the backend, and stored our data on Google Cloud. The frontend handles the user interface such as creating parties from the host's side, user login, sending invites, and tracking acceptance. The backend handles the user authorization and requests to the Spotify Web API. Finally, all data was stored on Google Cloud.

Challenges we ran into

We faced challenges while integrating Google Cloud with our Flutter app. Complexity of the cloud services, adapting to Flutter's coding language, and lack of proper documentation were main issues. Despite the challenges, it was a valuable learning opportunity that helped us expand our skillset and learn new technologies.

What we learned

From this experience, we learned several things:

The complexity of Google Cloud Services and how to properly implement them into an application.
The process of adapting to a new coding language, such as Flutter, and how to familiarize ourselves with the syntax and structure of the language.
The importance of finding proper documentation and resources when troubleshooting and resolving issues.
The value of learning new technologies and expanding our skillset.
The importance of persistence when facing challenges during the development process.
The importance of testing and debugging to ensure the smooth integration of Google Cloud services with the application.

What's next for hOStR

Purchase icons of higher quality
Integrate with an email service such as Amazon's SES instead of relying on usernames
Better logo design
Use a more structured storage mechanism like SQL