Just Start – Project Story

Inspiration

The idea for Just Start was born out of a common struggle—procrastination and lack of productivity. Too often, we find ourselves overwhelmed by large tasks, unsure of where to begin. We wanted to create an app that eliminates this barrier by breaking down big tasks into small, manageable steps, making it easier to take action.

What We Learned

Throughout the development process, we learned a lot about:

• Wix Velo and how to use it for building custom logic.
• Integrating third-party AI APIs, particularly Google’s Gemini API, to provide smart task breakdown suggestions.
  
• Cloud databases like Firebase and Wix Data, and their respective strengths and limitations.
  
• The challenges of backend development, especially when dealing with APIs and authentication.
  

How We Built It

We initially planned to use Firebase for the backend, setting up Firestore as our database and leveraging Firebase Authentication for user management. However, we encountered issues while coding through the terminal, particularly with managing dependencies and handling authentication flows properly. These roadblocks slowed down our development, leading us to explore alternatives.

Eventually, we decided to use Wix Velo, which provided a more structured and easier-to-integrate environment for our needs. We connected a third-party API to leverage Google’s Gemini AI, allowing our app to generate task breakdowns dynamically based on user input.

Tech Stack:

• Frontend: Wix Velo (custom-coded logic)
• Backend: Wix Data for storing tasks, Firebase for authentication (initially tried but faced issues)
• AI Integration: Google Gemini API for task breakdowns

Challenges We Faced

1. Firebase Implementation Issues – Setting up Firebase Authentication and Firestore required extensive backend coding, which caused complications, especially when handling user sessions within Wix.
   
2. Terminal Coding Difficulties – We attempted to configure the backend manually via the terminal, but managing dependencies and debugging errors proved time-consuming.
   
3. Wix Limitations – While Wix Velo was easier to integrate, it also had constraints, particularly with API calls and handling complex backend logic.
   
4. API Rate Limits – The AI integration with Gemini required careful handling to ensure we stayed within usage limits while maintaining performance.
   

Moving Forward

We aim to refine our implementation, optimize API calls, and explore better ways to handle user authentication. The ultimate goal is to make Just Start a seamless productivity tool that helps users overcome procrastination and take action—one step at a time.

Just Start – Break It Down, Get It Done.

Built With

• api
• firebase
• gemini
• html
• javascript
• openai
• velo