Eventful

Project Icon, Name and Slogan
What the app looks like

Inspiration

In the realm of innovation and problem-solving, our team is driven by the shared recognition of a common challenge—making event planning a breeze. Our inspiration stems from the intricate nature of organizing gatherings and the universal desire for a user-friendly solution. The app we're envisioning goes beyond the ordinary, offering users the ability to meticulously plan their events while also optimizing for affordability. The idea is to empower individuals, ensuring that everyone can create memorable experiences without the financial strain often associated with event planning. This endeavour is fueled by a collective passion for technology, a love for creative problem-solving, and a commitment to simplifying the lives of those around us. Our journey is not just about building an app; it's about crafting a practical, accessible, and innovative solution that redefines how events are planned and executed. Together, we're excited to embark on this journey of creativity and impact.

What it does

Our innovative event planning app simplifies the process for users. All they need to do is input the type of event they're planning, specify their budget, and voila – the app generates a curated list of items for their event. What sets us apart is the groundbreaking "Optimize Costs" feature. With a single tap, users gain access to a detailed list of the most cost-effective sources for each item on their event checklist. Users will then also receive a comprehensive list of where to procure each item at the most budget-friendly prices. We don't just stop there – each item in the list is linked directly to its product page, ensuring users have a hassle-free shopping experience. It's the ultimate solution for anyone looking to plan a fantastic event without breaking the bank.

How we built it

For our project, the conception of a budget-balancing event app was a collaborative effort. As a team, we meticulously delineated the roles for both front-end and back-end development, fostering a streamlined workflow that allowed us to work simultaneously on GitHub. We also used GitHub Actions to automate the build process for the docker image and deploy our docker container onto AWS. For the front-end, we leveraged React Native and React Native Paper, incorporating various screens and making extensive use of diverse React Native Paper components. On the front-end, we we faced the task of calling two distinct backend API routes. In the backend development, we implemented it in Rust, leveraging concurrency for optimization purposes. This setup involves making calls to OpenAI's GPT-4 and utilizing a web scraping API. This comprehensive approach allowed us to create a robust and feature-rich application. As we delved into our respective tasks, we consistently extended support to one another, ensuring the smooth integration of all components. The culmination of our concerted efforts resulted in the creation of a functional app prototype, exemplifying our dedication to delivering a comprehensive and user-friendly solution.

Challenges we ran into

During our collaborative endeavour, we encountered several formidable challenges. Initially, crafting a concrete idea proved to be an intricate process, demanding extensive brainstorming and meticulous deliberation. Furthermore, grappling with the integration of APIs posed a significant hurdle, especially when the JSON messages from the back-end failed to display correctly, necessitating persistent troubleshooting and debugging efforts. Additionally, optimizing the algorithm for improving the efficiency of AI calling presented a complex technical obstacle, requiring meticulous fine-tuning and iterative testing to achieve the desired performance benchmarks. Despite these challenges, our team remained resolute in our commitment to delivering an innovative and robust solution, leveraging our collective expertise and perseverance to overcome each obstacle with determination and resilience.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

In building our project, our proudest achievements lie in creating a user-friendly interface that streamlines event planning, providing customers with an intuitive and hassle-free experience. Additionally, we successfully integrated advanced features for comprehensive budget management and efficient task organization, enhancing the overall event planning process. These milestones reflect our dedication to crafting a practical and innovative solution that redefines the landscape of event planning.

What we learned

Through the project's progression, we acquired valuable lessons. Collaboratively, we recognized the significance of meticulous ideation and planning, setting a robust foundation for our work. Our experience with API integration emphasized the critical need for seamless communication between front-end and back-end teams, ensuring efficient data flow. Our team embarked on a challenging yet rewarding journey with React Native and Expo for the first time. This experience served as a valuable learning opportunity, allowing us to gain significant insights and expand our skill set in the process. Lastly, our journey underscored the power of teamwork and mutual support in navigating complex challenges, fostering a culture of shared learning and problem-solving within our team.

What's next for Eventful

To further enhance the capabilities of Eventful, we envision several key avenues for future development. One prospective direction involves incorporating advanced data analytics to offer users comprehensive insights into their event planning strategies, enabling them to make informed decisions and optimize their budget allocations effectively. Another option is to leverage the Paybilt API's One-Click Checkout feature, enabling users to buy all items in a single transaction rather than navigating through individual links for each item. Users no longer need to navigate through multiple links or pages to buy each item separately. This time-saving feature is particularly beneficial for users with a long shopping list or those looking for a quick and efficient shopping experience. A smoother and more straightforward checkout process contributes to overall user satisfaction. Users are more likely to have a positive perception of the platform when their interactions, especially transactions, are hassle-free and efficient. Additionally, we can further enhance the precision of our API prompts, to be more specific for each event. These future enhancements align with our commitment to continually elevate the Eventful experience and provide our users with a comprehensive and intuitive event planning solution.

Built With

Submitted to

Hack the Valley 8

Created by

I worked mainly on graphics. I dealt with colour palettes, icon design, video production, and styling. I also handled one page in the frontend.

Sigmund Wang
ME!
I worked on the front end for listing functionality and styling, it was my first time using React Native.

Kate Huang
i am backend

Conrad Mo
It was my first time working with React Native and I was in charge of the front end logic and setup of navigation and passing of information across screens.

cheryl zhang