SubSaver

Logo for SubSaver

Inspiration

Today, subscription services are everywhere. It seems that every company has their own now, and it is hard to keep track of how much you are paying for each, and if they are even worth that time. SubSaver was inspired to empower the consumer with data and to allow them to make better decisions about their purchases.

What it does

SubSaver helps users manage their subscription services by tracking how much time they spend on each platform, providing them with relevant information on the time they spend on that service, how much it's worth, and if the subscription is worth canceling.

How We built it

We created a Google Chrome extension to track time spent on certain sites and send that information to a server. The created backend javascript file would then fetch the information from the server in the form of a .json object. Functions were created to parse the .json object and organize the relevant data into a new .json object. Parts of the new .json object are then sent to the UI, created using html5 and CSS.

Challenges we ran into

Combining the javascript code that fetched and manipulated data in the backend, with the html5 from the front end created by different people proved to be challenging.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Parsing a .json object pulled from a server in order to obtain relevant information. Working Chrome extension. A clean and beautiful website.

What we learned

Three of us hadn't seen javascript until half an hour before hackathon started and learned to be not only learn a proficient in JS but also effective teammates and communicators. We learned how to manipulate .json objects in javascript, how to build and use listeners, the ins and outs of data synchronization, and a fair amount of user authentication.

What's next for SubSaver

Allowing Subsaver to be applied to other browsers, such as Edge and Safari, as well as more customization and data for the user to take advantage of. We've envisioned allowing the user to customize their willingness to pay and we are a couple hours away from implementing that into the system. We then want to add a notification system that alerts users when they show a pattern of under utilizing a service. Using a system such as notivize we would like to send recommendations to users based on their settings (willingness to pay) and their data patterns (how much and consistently they watch). Eventually including time spent watching ads as swell as a mobile implementation of this all.

Built With

Created by

I worked on the javascriped code that parsed the json object from a database. calculated all relevant values and decided their hexcode for the color of text. then pass that data into the html code to be integrated with the UI. This was my first time working with javascript so it was a fun learning experience for me.

Dylan Harootunian
I helped these guys get up to speed and jearn js in an hour. I created a real time db and implemented text notifications. Also helped sign in to get up and running

Joseph Csoti
Created the logo, worked on the front-end, and designed the website. First time making a webpage of this scale, with brief familiarity in HTML5 and CSS. I decided to go for a minimalist design to make the data more accessible for the users, while keeping the code modular to allow for simple expansion of services in the future.

NicholasMilligan
I created the chrome extension that gathered user data on time watched on each relevant website and then pushes it to our database. It also provides a UI for users to interact with and change their settings. It was my first hackathon and first time with javascript. I learned a lot. I originally pitched this hack to my friends and then through a creative group process we kept Improving on each others ideas.

Nathan-J-Cook
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