DawgPool

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PRIVACY DISCLAIMER

DUE TO CLOUD-CENTRIC PRIVACY LIABILITIES ASSOCIATED WITH GOOGLE FIREBASE DATA MANAGEMENT AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CONCERNS, WE HAVE OBTAINED PERMISSION FROM UGA HACKS 8 STAFF TO NOT INCLUDE OPEN SOURCE CODE OF OUR PROJECT THROUGH GITHUB. PRESENTATION WILL BE DONE IN-PERSON.

Inspiration

As in-state freshman students, we are well accustomed to the challenges of finding a ride back home - from conflicting schedules to varying driver preferences to safety concerns. However, we believe carpooling should be a frictionless endeavor, not a source of stress and anxiety.

What it does

Our app streamlines travel for students by connecting them with fellow students headed to a similar destination. With a simple and intuitive design, finding a carpool has never been easier. Drivers simply post their planned journey, departure time, and preferences, while riders can browse the available options and choose the best fit. Not only will this reduce students’ carbon footprint, but they will also save money, travel safely, and build community connections.

How we built it

Our app was built with a focus on user experience and security. In the design phase, we utilized Figma to craft a sleek and intuitive layout. Using Figma prototypes, we then utilized Flutter to bring the design to life, integrating functional elements like buttons and text fields. Data management is powered by Firebase, which securely stores all user information. To ensure secure login during user sign-up, auth0 was used to manage login and collect necessary user information, with node.js employed to validate all email sign-ups as UGA students and Twilio to enable phone number verification to maximum user safety.

Challenges we ran into

Git merging overwriting wrong files was a common issue that we encountered during the app development process. This challenge was caused by multiple contributors working on the same code base, which often led to conflicting changes. This resulted in some valuable code being overwritten, causing significant setbacks and losses in the development process.

Integrating auth0 into our app proved to be a challenge as we faced difficulties in calling the user ID. This prevented us from accessing essential user data that was crucial to the functionality of the app. This challenge was overcome through extensive trial and error.

Getting functional real-time updates from Firebase was another challenge that we faced. Firebase is a cloud-based platform that we used to store user data, but implementing real-time updates proved to be a significant challenge. We were able to successfully implement real-time updates with persistent experimentation and refinement.

These challenges, although momentarily frustrating, helped us to further understand and optimize our code, resulting in a better user experience.

What we learned

While developing the app, we gained hands-on experience in a number of areas. We learned how to code an app using Flutter and integrate various APIs, including Auth0 and Twilio, which helped us improve the overall functionality and security of the app. Our team also had the opportunity to experiment with Figma AutoLayout to make designing layouts simpler and more efficient. One of the most valuable lessons we learned was the importance of effective team collaboration and distribution of work, which allowed us to overcome obstacles and achieve our goal of creating a seamless and intuitive carpooling experience for students.