Inspiration
Websites are typically static experiences. The websites do not change unless the web-developer edits the website. However, a simple implementation that tracks user clicks on different objects on the webpage could allow the webpage to use this data in order to give the most important, interesting or relevant information in a prominent location. With a well-developed algorithm, this type of system could become the cornerstone of the future of web-design and the way people consume information on the internet.
What it does
Our website's main feature is to reorder buttons based upon which buttons were pressed the most based upon input from all users using the website. Each click is recorded and then used to reorder the page when the page is refreshed. The current tally for number of clicks can be seen in the Statistics page.
How we built it
The website was built using a combination of HTML, JavaScript, PHP, SQL and CSS. HTML was used for the design and structure of the website. CSS was used to add character, color, and originality to the website designed through complex buttons and formatted text. SQL was used in order to create a database that would store information about the user clicks and information. PHP was used to connect the database information to the JavaScript functions that controlled the flow and function of the entire website. A set of webpages were included as information about each of the hackers, along with a poll for the user's favorite color. A page that contains the statistics on page clicks was also included.
Challenges we ran into
At first, we hoped to expand our project to take input from Photon Particle boards, but we were having trouble configuring this tool to work with the website. Therefore, this idea was completely scrapped. The other big challenge that the group members faced was limited knowledge of the different design languages, specifically interfacing between the multiple languages. The interface that was the most challenging was the connection from PHP to JavaScript.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We felt very accomplished getting a finished and working project after spending the first few hours of the hackathon working on a scavenger hunt and that we did not have a concrete idea coming into the project. We were able to organize quickly and decide on a project that would be completed within the time allotted.
What we learned
Much information was learned about web design, the languages that are the cornerstone of web-design, as well as a possible enhancement to all future websites. Also, working on a small contained project in a short burst was a different experience than what occurs in typical coursework. Overall, the group had a great experience at ProfHacks.
What's next for Adaptive Website Interface
The one major negative of our project is that the website is not very reactive, meaning it does not work well on different screen sizes. This would be a major focus to reach a larger audience. The other future step would include making different aspects of the website change based on user interest, including the order of the prompts or order a different CSS object other than buttons.
Our domain.com submission is profslackers.com (however, it is not connected to our website, waiting on DigitalOcean)
Log in or sign up for Devpost to join the conversation.