Cribzz

Inspiration

The inspiration for Cribzz sprang from a common dilemma faced by one of our team members during a temporary work relocation across states. The challenge was more than just finding a new place; it was about sharing that space with someone who not only matched in budget but also in lifestyle and habits.

Navigating through countless listings and interacting with potential roommates highlighted several problems—from clashing schedules and lifestyle discrepancies to differing views on cleanliness and guests. This experience shed light on a broader, universal issue: finding the right person to share a space with is crucial for comfort and well-being, yet often fraught with difficulty.

This realization was not unique to our situation. Across the globe, individuals moving for work, study, or personal reasons encounter similar challenges. The stress of relocation is amplified by the uncertainty of cohabitation compatibility. It became clear that there was a significant need for a more tailored, respectful, and enjoyable way to find roommates.

Cribzz was born out of the need to address these widespread challenges. By focusing on matching people based on shared living preferences and habits, Cribzz transforms the daunting task of finding a roommate into a personalized and secure experience, reducing the anxiety associated with such significant life changes. Our vision is to empower users to make informed choices about their living arrangements, helping everyone find not just a place to live, but a place to call home.

What it does

Cribzz transforms the way people find roommates by providing a detailed and intuitive platform tailored to match individuals based on compatibility in their lifestyles and living habits. Users start by creating a comprehensive profile that captures essential information such as age, daily routines, dietary preferences, pet compatibility, smoking habits, guest frequency, and more. This detailed approach ensures that every suggested match aligns closely with users' specific needs and preferences.

The heart of Cribzz is a user-friendly interface where users can explore potential roommate profiles. Beyond simple swipe mechanisms, Cribzz dives deep into the nuances of compatibility. Our sophisticated algorithm not only facilitates profile browsing but also highlights key compatibility factors and potential conflicts, such as differences in daily schedules or cleanliness standards, providing users with a thorough understanding of how well each potential roommate might align with their lifestyle.

Adding to its innovative approach, Cribzz introduces a compatibility percentage score for each potential match. This feature quantifies the level of compatibility based on a comprehensive analysis of lifestyle factors, helping users make informed decisions beyond initial impressions.

Security and privacy are paramount at Cribzz. We ensure the utmost care in handling user information, backed by robust privacy controls that empower users to manage the visibility of their profiles and personal details. This secure framework supports a trustworthy environment for users to connect confidently.

Cribzz is dedicated to making the process of finding a roommate not just easier, but a truly harmonious experience. Our aim is for every user to find not just a roommate, but the right roommate who enhances their living experience, ensuring a partnership that goes beyond mere cohabitation.

How we built it

Cribzz is developed based on the MERN Stack which is tailored to efficiently manage the full lifecycle of the application, from database operations to server-side logic and client-side interface. Our stack includes MongoDB, Express.js, Node.js, and we complemented this with CSS for styling to ensure a user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing design.

Frontend Development: Instead of React, our frontend is crafted using traditional HTML enhanced with CSS. This approach allows us to focus on delivering a straightforward and effective user interface that is easy to navigate and visually appealing. CSS plays a crucial role in this, enabling responsive design and a consistent look and feel across different devices and screen sizes.

Backend Development: At the heart of Cribzz's backend is Node.js, working in concert with Express.js. This combination handles our application's server-side logic and API services, providing the robustness needed for real-time interactions and data management. Node.js is particularly well-suited for handling asynchronous operations and high volumes of traffic, which is essential for a fluid user experience.

Database: We chose MongoDB for our database needs due to its flexibility and strong performance with large datasets. MongoDB is a NoSQL database, perfect for accommodating the varied and complex data structures we manage, such as user profiles and preferences. It allows for efficient data retrieval and manipulation, which is crucial for delivering relevant roommate suggestions quickly.

Challenges we ran into

A significant challenge in developing Cribzz was our initial decision to use React for the frontend within the MERN stack framework. Motivated by React's renowned capabilities for building dynamic user interfaces, two team members dedicated a considerable amount of time to learning the framework. However, the application quickly hit a major roadblock when we attempted to integrate React with our backend.

The specific difficulties involved problems with connecting the React frontend to the Node.js and Express backend. We faced persistent issues in state management, where maintaining consistency of data across the application proved complex. Additionally, the data flow between the server and the client side was not functioning as expected, which critically hampered both the performance and development pace of our project.

As the project timeline advanced, these integration challenges led to a reassessment of our technological approach. Ultimately, we made the difficult decision to pivot from React to a more traditional and familiar setup using HTML and CSS. This required us to essentially recode our entire frontend, a daunting task given the time already invested and the project deadlines looming ahead.

This pivot was a direct response to the integration issues, aiming to streamline development and avoid further complications that could jeopardize the project's success. By shifting to HTML and CSS, we sought to regain control over the project's technical direction and ensure a smoother continuation of development.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

One of the standout accomplishments for the Cribzz project was our team's ability to rapidly adapt and execute a significant pivot under pressure. After deciding to move away from React due to integration issues, our team displayed remarkable resilience and commitment by recoding the entire frontend using HTML and CSS. This was not a small feat, particularly given the advanced stage of development and the time constraints we were facing.

A particularly proud moment was when our team pulled together for an intensive coding session at the Armory, dedicating over 15 hours in a single day to ensure that our project remained on track. This hackathon session was not just about coding; it was a testament to our team's spirit and determination. Throughout this challenging period, our collective focus was unwavering, driven by a shared commitment to see the project succeed despite the setbacks.

Successfully transitioning to a simpler, more manageable technology stack overnight and catching up to our project timeline are achievements that speak volumes about our team's capabilities. The ability to not only troubleshoot technical issues but also to execute a strategic pivot swiftly showcased our team’s technical proficiency and adaptive project management.

This experience solidified our belief in our collective strength and our capability to tackle and overcome unexpected challenges. The pride we take in this accomplishment is immense, not only for the technical achievements but also for the teamwork and perseverance that turned a potential crisis into a triumph for Cribzz.

What we learned

Throughout the development of Cribzz, our team gained invaluable lessons in both technical skills and project management. One of the most significant educational experiences was our foray into learning React. Although we ultimately did not use React in our final project, the process of exploring and attempting to integrate it provided us with a deeper understanding of modern JavaScript frameworks and their ecosystems. This knowledge has prepared us better for future projects where such technologies might be more applicable.

We also learned the importance of aligning technology choices with the team’s existing skills and project requirements. Our attempt to use React highlighted the challenges of adopting new technologies under tight deadlines and without prior experience, teaching us to better assess the feasibility of new tools in relation to our project timelines and goals.

The pivot from React to HTML and CSS was a practical lesson in adaptability and decision-making under pressure. It reinforced the importance of flexibility in project development, especially when faced with critical technical issues. We learned that being willing to make tough decisions, such as technology shifts, is crucial to keeping a project on track.

Moreover, our hackathon coding session was not only a testament to our commitment but also a real-time lesson in teamwork and perseverance. We learned that effective communication and mutual support are as vital as technical acumen in achieving project milestones.

Overall, the development of Cribzz enriched our team with new technical knowledge, enhanced our problem-solving skills, and strengthened our capability to work collaboratively under pressure. Each lesson learned from this project has left us better equipped for future challenges in the fast-evolving field of software development.

What's next for Cribzz

Looking ahead, Cribzz is set to evolve and expand in ways that enhance user experience and extend our reach. Our immediate focus is on refining our platform to include more interactive and user-friendly features. Key among these will be the introduction of an in-app messaging system, allowing users to communicate directly within Cribzz. This will facilitate better interactions between potential roommates before they decide to live together, enhancing trust and compatibility.

We are also planning to expand our algorithm to include additional user preferences and lifestyle factors. This will refine our matching process further, making it more granular and tailored to individual needs. By incorporating machine learning techniques, we aim to continuously improve the algorithm based on user feedback and interaction patterns, ensuring that our matches become more accurate over time.

In terms of growth, we intend to extend our service to more cities and possibly internationally. Partnering with universities and real estate agencies will allow us to reach a broader audience, helping more people find compatible roommates as they transition to new phases of their lives.

Furthermore, we plan to enhance the scalability of our platform to handle an increasing number of users without compromising on performance. This will involve upgrading our infrastructure and possibly adopting more robust technologies that can support larger datasets and more complex queries.

Lastly, we are committed to maintaining the highest standards of privacy and security for our users. As part of this commitment, we will continue to update our security measures in line with the latest industry standards and regulations.