Findor - University Campus Navigation App
Findor was a mobile application developed during a hackathon in July 2019 to help students navigate university campuses. Built with Flutter for rapid cross-platform development, the app focused on solving the common problem of students struggling to find buildings, classrooms, and facilities on large campuses. The project demonstrated the ability to rapidly prototype education technology solutions and apply Flutter skills to navigation challenges.
Problem Solved
Students on large university campuses often struggle to find buildings, classrooms, and facilities, especially during their first semesters, leading to missed classes and frustration.
- •Developed cross-platform mobile app using Flutter and Dart
- •Implemented campus mapping and navigation features
- •Integrated location services for positioning
- •Designed student-focused user experience
- •Rapid prototyping within hackathon timeframe
- ✓Built functional campus navigation app within hackathon timeframe
- ✓Successfully applied Flutter for rapid cross-platform development
- ✓Created student-focused UX for campus orientation
- ✓Integrated campus mapping and location services
- ✓Demonstrated hackathon-speed development skills
Technology Stack
Challenge
Hackathon time constraints required delivering a complete, functional app in a very short timeframe.
Solution
Used Flutter for rapid cross-platform development, focusing on core navigation functionality and clean UX rather than feature completeness.
Impact
Delivered functional campus navigation app within hackathon constraints.
Challenge
Campus navigation requires accurate mapping and positioning, particularly for indoor locations that GPS may not handle well.
Solution
Focused on outdoor navigation between buildings with campus map integration, creating a solid foundation that could be extended with indoor positioning.
Impact
Provided useful navigation tool for campus orientation.
Situation
University students often struggle to navigate large campuses, especially when they are new. Finding the right building or classroom can be frustrating and lead to missed classes or appointments.
Task
During a hackathon in July 2019, the challenge was to create a mobile solution that would help students navigate university campuses more easily.
Action
Khaled and the team built Findor using Flutter for rapid cross-platform development. The app integrated campus mapping with location services to provide navigation guidance between buildings. The focus was on student-friendly UX that made orientation intuitive.
Result
Findor was completed within the hackathon timeframe as a functional campus navigation app for both iOS and Android. The project demonstrated Flutter's capabilities for rapid development and addressed a real student pain point.
Technical
- • Flutter development for cross-platform mobile apps
- • Dart programming language
- • Location services and mapping integration
- • Rapid prototyping in hackathon environment
Soft Skills
- • Hackathon-speed development and prioritization
- • Building technology for education use cases
Key Insights
- 💡 Flutter enables extremely rapid cross-platform development for MVPs
- 💡 Student-focused apps require understanding of campus life pain points
- 💡 Hackathons are excellent for validating technical skills under pressure