Five | Devpost

Inspiration

We were inspired to create this product in an effort to educate the public on mainstream news. As we are all teenagers raised under the influence of the internet, we understand the impact that the web can have on individuals. In an ever-growing digital society, convenience becomes the biggest factor in grabbing a user’s attention. five does exactly that. The articles consistently pop-up with every tab-opening. For those that need that extra push, five becomes the tool that jumpstarts one’s willingness to learn.

What it does

A single sentence can set off a lifetime of change. Every change starts with an idea, and every idea begins with a spark. All it takes is 5 minutes a day: after all, a spark that lights in a second can burn for a lifetime.

five was created after our team expressed how inconvenient archetypal news websites and apps are. We wanted to eliminate users’ need to manually scout search engines for an article which interests them. The Chrome extension connects individuals to trending news articles which interest them. Users receive 5-minute reads from the New York Times which vary on a day to day basis. Each article pertains to an SDG in the “Industry” category, and encompasses a variety of topics, such as sustainability, infrastructure, and ethical consumption.

How I built it

Our team used HTML, CSS, Javascript, Bootstrap, and jQuery to create five. We used Github Desktop to develop the code synchronously. All articles were incorporated into our platform through the New York Times’ API.

Challenges I ran into

Initially, our team faced some difficulties in regards to finding an accessible API. However, after searching various news sources, we stumbled upon the New York Times’ developers’ site. The platform offered thousands of reliable articles for the SDGs we were interested in. In addition, everyone was faced with something new within this project, whether a new language or a new tool. A lot of time was spent learning and trouble-shooting for different solutions.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

We are proud of developing a fully-functionally Chrome extension which facilitates how we receive our daily news. Our team successfully created a platform which is both convenient and aesthetically pleasing. The extension’s visual elements were all created with user experience in mind. In addition, five only features articles which have passed the New York Times’ extensive editing process. This ensures that all information is accurate and reliable.

What I learned

Throughout this process, our team learnt the importance of challenging ourselves to reach our full potential. Although some team members began the hackathon with limited experience in Javascript, HTML, and CSS, we all put our minds together to ensure that no one was left behind. This process stressed the importance of teamwork and reaching out to receive help when necessary.

What's next for five

Although SetHacks has drawn to an end, five has only just begun its journey! Our team hopes to focus on more specific article searches that allow for finding articles with multiple keywords. As well, we hope to create engagement through a feedback banner which would allow users to recommend articles which they find interesting. However, the minimalism and simplicity of the extension will remain intact: our key UI focuses to ensure long-term user engagement.