Background

• Portfolio-building and social platform where users can upload their art and provide commissions, and where recruiters go to find and recruit talent.
• Aimed towards student artists, recruiters, and consumers looking for affordable and personalized artwork.
• Web application built with NodeJS, ExpressJS, handlebars (frontend) and MongoDB (backend):
  • Handlebars used for HTML formatting.
  • Multer (Node.JS middleware) used to support multiple image processing.
  • MongoDB schemas for images, info, and account info.

Timeline

Our project had three major milestones, detailed below:

Milestone 1

• Have a wireframe of the pages and basic features, as well as a list of frontend/backend programs necessary to build the project (MERN stack + user security?)

• Creating a MVP that supports image uploads and a login screen.
• Finalizing logo design and implementing onto application.

• Finalizing specific functions (i.e. adding descriptions, names, supporting different file types).
• Finalizing frontend design.

Challenges

• Smaller team = more work and knowledge required per team member
• Picking up new frontend and backend languages (Handlebars, Multer, MongoDB)
• Working with busy schedules (midterms and finals)

Takeaways

• Teamwork is dream work!
• Setting ambitious goals are okay but it is important to pivot and think realistically given different circumstances.
• Learning new languages from scratch can be very challenging but rewarding.
• It’s important to take breaks and check in with your team members outside of work.

Looking Forward

Looking forward, we could continue to expand our project by:

• Improving features and and the UI.
• Implementing more concepts learned in class and workshops.
• Testing the app with real students and deploying the application to the public.