Inspiration
Throughout my time in University, I've lived in three different houses. When returning home for the summer, there were many furniture items that I didn't have space to bring. Thus, those items were brought to the dump, and I had to buy replacements when I went back to school. I caused the unnecessary waste of items that were in near-perfect condition. When I heard the hackHer theme of "Innovating student life," I immediately thought of my move-in/move-out experience and thought of how to use coding to solve this issue. I then came up with the idea of LiveListing.
What it does
LiveListing is a mobile app that directly connects students moving in with those moving out, making the process of buying and selling household items more efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective. The app offers real-time messaging, item search, and location- and time-based recommendations to help students find exactly what they need, when and where they need it. Users have access to a list of other users who are in close proximity to them, have been active on the app recently, and are buying/selling the items that the user is looking for (the "People" screen). The user can then easily message them or view their listings. The user can also browse items for sale (the "Buy" screen) and sell their own items (the "Sell" screen).
How I built it
The LiveListing frontend was built with React Native and TypeScript, while the backend was developed using MongoDB, Express.js, and Node.js. Firebase was used for email/password authentication. The user interface was designed using Figma.
Challenges I ran into
One of the biggest roadblocks I encountered was adding a custom font to React Native ;-; I spent quite a bit of time on Stack Overflow and Reddit, and after a few failed attempts I eventually got it working!
Accomplishments that we're proud of
I'm really proud of the authentication (Login and Create Account) screens! I spent some time figuring out Firebase, styling the pages, and handling authentication in React Native, and I'm very happy with the outcome. I also really like the logo I came up with.
What I learned
I learned how easy it is to innovate and create solutions to real-world problems using code. I definitely want to participate in more hackathons and put my skills to the test! I also learned various new frameworks, such as Express.js and MongoDB.
What's next for LiveListing
I would love to scale up the project and get real users on the app! I would market the app to Queen's students, and then perhaps branch out to other schools.
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