Stunity

Inspiration

The struggle to find affordable housing or convenient parking, especially for students and young professionals, is a challenge we’ve personally faced. The idea for Stunity was born out of the need for a centralized platform that not only simplifies the process of finding living spaces but also allows users to monetize unused parking spots. We wanted to create a solution that not only connects people to spaces but also fosters community and flexibility.

What it does

Stunity is a dual-purpose platform designed to serve the housing and parking needs of students and young professionals. Users can search for affordable living spaces and list or rent out parking spaces to earn extra income. The platform offers a seamless booking process, secure sign-up, and easy management for both renters and listers. With features like verified listings, search filters, and user reviews, Stunity ensures a trustworthy and hassle-free experience for everyone.

How we built it

We built Stunity using a tech stack centered around scalability and performance. The frontend is powered by Next.js with Tailwind CSS for a clean, responsive design. The backend is handled by NestJS and GraphQL, ensuring fast data fetching and real-time interactions. We also use PostgreSQL as the primary database to handle space listings and user data efficiently, while Prisma ORM helps with data management. The integration of Google Firebase ensures seamless authentication and security for users.

Challenges we ran into

Building a platform that combines living spaces and parking rentals under one roof presented unique challenges. One of the major hurdles was optimizing the search functionality for both types of spaces while maintaining a smooth user experience. Managing complex data relationships between users, spaces, and transactions also required careful planning. Additionally, ensuring the platform could handle scaling without sacrificing speed or reliability was a constant technical challenge.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud of creating a user-friendly platform that addresses real needs in student communities. Successfully integrating parking and housing under one platform while maintaining simplicity was a significant accomplishment. Additionally, the secure authentication system and seamless space management tools have received positive feedback during our beta testing phase, validating our approach and hard work.

What we learned

Throughout this journey, we learned a lot about optimizing user experience and balancing functionality with simplicity. We realized the importance of thoroughly understanding our users' pain points, which helped us prioritize essential features. On the technical side, we deepened our knowledge of building scalable applications, managing real-time data, and the intricacies of database design.

What's next for Stunity

Next, we plan to roll out a mobile app for Stunity, ensuring accessibility on the go. We’ll also be expanding our platform to include more locations and implement features like real-time space availability and automated payments. Looking ahead, we hope to incorporate AI-driven recommendations to better match users with the perfect space based on their preferences. Finally, we aim to partner with universities and housing agencies to broaden our reach and impact.