For our project, we set out to minimize campus waste by establishing a community-driven digital marketplace where students can sell items they no longer need and purchase what they require. Our goal is to reduce consumption and make it easier for students to find affordable, second-hand products.
Our app enables students to buy and sell various items, including clothes, appliances (like fridges and kettles), dorm supplies, and more. We developed the platform using Flutter (Dart) for the frontend and Flask (Python) for the backend API server, ensuring smooth integration between both. One of the main challenges we encountered was optimizing communication between the frontend and backend, especially regarding API requests for image display. Overcoming this hurdle allowed us to enhance performance and scalability.
After a successful launch at UMD, our next objective is to expand to other college campuses, tailoring the platform to meet the unique needs of each community. As we grow, we plan to implement SQL for improved data management, which will facilitate faster searches, better transaction tracking, and increased scalability.
We also intend to introduce location-based features that will assist users in finding nearby items and sellers, making transactions more convenient and fostering a lively local marketplace. User security is a top priority, so we will integrate reliable payment systems and robust authentication protocols to safeguard both data and transactions.
On the technical front, we’re eager to continue honing our skills with tools like FastAPI and Flutter, and we look forward to exploring new technologies to enhance our platform. Our vision is for UniShopper to be more than just a resource for UMD students; we aspire to create a sustainable platform for college communities nationwide.
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