TrueNeed | Devpost

Inspiration

As people who have always grown up with items in our homes that we just didn't use, it was about time we started using them more efficiently. While we conversed about resource waste, we realized there was no simple, real-time system that intelligently connects people offering help with those requesting it. We wanted to build a platform that makes giving and receiving resources more efficient, fair, and accessible

What it does

TrueNeed is a mobile platform that connects people offering items with people requesting them. Users can create offers or requests, and the system generates matches between compatible users. Users can accept or reject matches, and successful matches contribute to their impact and fairness scores.

How we built it

We built TrueNeed as a mobile app using React Native and Expo for cross-platform development. Firebase was used as our backend, which included Firestore for the database and Firebase Authentication for user management.

Challenges we ran into

One of our biggest challenges was managing real-time data flow between users while ensuring consistency and responsiveness. We also faced challenges with database permissions and properly structuring Firestore collections. Integrating multiple features, including authentication, match generation, and the dashboard, within a short hackathon timeframe required careful coordination.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud to have successfully built a functional mobile application within the hackathon timeframe. The platform supports authentication, offer and request creation, real-time match updates, and an interactive dashboard. We also implemented a fairness-and-impact concept to promote responsible and meaningful interactions.

What we learned

We learned how to design and implement a full-stack mobile application using React Native and Firebase. We gained experience working with real-time databases, authentication systems, and managing asynchronous workflows.

What's next for TrueNeed

In the future, we plan to improve the matching algorithm to make matches more intelligent and personalized. We also plan to strengthen fairness scoring to prevent misuse and ensure equitable resource distribution. Additional features could include location-based matching, notifications, and deployment to app stores.