Dopamine Menu

Main Menu
Login Page
Scratch-off Feature
Scratch-off Feature
description

Inspiration

Dopamine Menu was inspired by the growing need to support local businesses and improve mental health and wellbeing in a world increasingly dominated by screen time. With social media and digital distractions taking over our daily lives, people often struggle to disconnect from the digital world and engage in real-life experiences. At the same time small, local businesses face challenges in attracting new customers and competing with larger chains.

Our goal is to bridge this gap by encouraging users to step away from their screens and discover exciting opportunities in their local area. By partnering with businesses to offer exclusive discounts and deals for app users, Dopamine Menu makes real-life experiences more accessible and affordable while benefitting the local economy. By prioritising mental well-being, the app helps people build healthier habits, socialise more and feel more connected to their friends and community.

What it does

Dopamine Menu helps users take a break from endless scrolling by suggesting fun and spontaneous local activities based on their time, budget and group size. The website and potential app notifies users when they've been on their phone for too long and redirects them to discover new and exciting things to do nearby. By partnering with local businesses, Dopamine Menu also offers exclusive discounts, making it easier and more affordable to explore new experiences while boosting local economies. Whether it's a solo adventure, romantic date or a day out with friends, Dopamine Menu turns doom scrolling into real-life, lasting memories.

How we built it

The website is built with Python as the backend language, as it was the language most the team members were familiar and Flask API was implemented to handle the backend logic. The frontend was designed in Canva and developed using JavaScript, enabling dynamic user interactions and customised with HTML and CSS. The database was designed in dbdiagram.io and SQLite was used to implement it.

Challenges we ran into

One of the main challenges we faced was learning web development in such a short time. As engineering students, we were more familiar with hardware and systems, so transitioning to front-end technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript was a steep learning curve. We struggled initially with layout design and ensuring that the website was responsive across various devices. Another challenge was implementing interactive elements, such as the scratch-off feature, which required us to learn JavaScript functions and event handling quickly. Despite these hurdles, we pushed through by collaborating closely, leveraging resources, and applying our problem-solving skills to adapt quickly and overcome each challenge

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of how much we learned and achieved over the weekend. Despite being new to web development, we successfully built a functional and interactive website that allows users to engage with spontaneous activities based on their time and budget. We implemented key features such as the scratch-off effect, making the website both user-friendly and fun. Our teamwork played a huge role in our success. We collaborated effectively, with each team member contributing their strengths and skills. We quickly adapted to new technologies, and by supporting each other throughout the process, we were able to overcome challenges and deliver a product we are all proud of. This project highlighted the importance of teamwork, as we worked together to solve problems, share ideas, and deliver a finished product we could all take pride in.

What we learned

Two of our team members are engineering students, so learning website development was a new experience for us over the weekend. As engineers, we are used to working with hardware and systems, so web development required us to pick up new skills quickly. We learned how to use front-end technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create the structure, style, and interactivity of a website. For instance, we implemented a scratch-off effect using the HTML5 element and JavaScript. The effect allowed users to scratch off an overlay to reveal hidden content beneath. We tracked user interactions with mouse and touch events, gradually uncovering the content. Once the user scratched a certain percentage, the button was enabled, allowing navigation to a new page.

We also focused on responsive design, ensuring that the website works well on different devices. We understood the importance of layout and user experience, ensuring the website was easy to navigate and visually appealing. This required careful attention to elements like buttons, forms, and interactive components, making sure they were both functional and user-friendly. Throughout the weekend, we improved our technical skills in web development while learning how different technologies come together to create a fully functional website. This experience showed us how web development connects to the engineering skills we already have, and we are now more confident in working with web technologies in future projects.

What's next for Dopamine Menu

We plan to evolve Dopamine Menu from our website into a fully functional app, making it more easily accessible for all users. Future updates of our app will include optional screen time limit settings which allow users to set personalised digital wellness goals. Additionally, we aim to expand partnerships with a variety of local businesses, offering exclusive discounts to users who engage with their services. By promoting local companies and enhancing user incentives, Dopamine Menu will continue to encourage real-world experiences while supporting local communities and businesses.