## Inspiration

Considering our team is so diverse (Pakistan, Sweden, Brazil, and Nigeria) it was natural for us to consider worldwide problems when creating our project. This problem especially has such a large societal impact, that we were very motivated to move towards a solution.

## What it does

Our service takes requests from users by SMS, which we then convert to an executable query. When the query result is received we send it back using SMS. Our application makes the process user-friendly and allows for more features when accessing the internet, such as ordering an Uber or ordering food.

## How we built it

The app can convert the user selection into text messages, sending them to our Twilio number.
We used the Twilio API to automatically manage these texts. Using C# and python scripts we convert the text into a google search, sending the result back as a text message.

## Challenges we ran into

The main challenge we faced was making the different protocols interact, it was also challenging to produce and debug everything under the time constraint.

## Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are very proud of our presentation and our creative solution. As well as having such an effective collaboration that enabled us to complete as much as we did.
We are very proud of how we successfully created a novel solution that is simple enough to be applicable on a large scale, having a large impact on the world.

## What we learned

We learned how to automize the management of text messages, and how to make the different protocols communicate correctly

## What's next for Access

What's next for Access is to expand our service, fulfilling the large potential that our solution has. We want to make more parts of the internet accessible through our service, make the process more efficient and most importantly extend our reach to those who need it the most.
## Inspiration

eCommerce is a field that has seen astronomical growth in recent years, and shows no signs of slowing down. With a forecasted growth rate of 10.4% this year, up to $6.3 trillion in global revenues, we decided to tackle Noibu’s challenge to develop an extension to aide ecommerce developers with the impossible task of staying ahead amongst the fierce competitions in this space, all whilst providing a tremendous unique value to shoppers and eCommerce brands alike.

## What it does

Our extension. ShopSmart, aim to provide developers and brands with an accurate idea of how their website is being used, naturally. Unlike A/B testing, which forces a participant to use a given platform and provide feedback, ShopSmart analyzes user activity on any given website and produces a heatmap showing their exact usage patterns, all without collecting user identifying data. In tandem with the heatmap, ShopSmart provides insights as to the sequences of actions taken on their website, correlated with their heatmap usage, allowing an ever deeper understanding of what average usage truly looks like. To incentivize consumers, brands may elect to provide exclusive discount codes only available through ShopSmart, giving the shoppers a kickback for their invaluable input to the brand partners.

## How we built it

ShopSmart was built using the classic web languages HTML, CSS, and Javascript, keeping it simple, lightweight, and speedy.

## Challenges we ran into

We ran into several challenges throughout our development process, largely due to the complexity of the extension in theory being limited in execution to HTML, CSS, and Javascript (as those are the only allowed languages for use in developing extensions). One issue we had was finding a way to overlay the heatmap over the website so as to visually show the paths the user took. Whilst we were able to solve that challenge, we were sadly unable to finish fully integrating our database within the given timeframe into the extension due to the frequency of data collection/communication, and the complexity of the data itself.

## Accomplishments that we're proud of

Our team is very proud in being able to put out a working extension capable of tracking usage and overlaying the resulting heatmap data over the used website, especially as neither of us had any experience with developing extensions. Despite not being able to showcase our extensive database connections in the end as they are not finalized, we are proud of achieving reliable and consistent data flow to our cloud-based database within our testing environment. We are also proud of coming together and solving a problem none of us had considered before, and of course, of the sheer amount we learned over this short time span.

## What we learned

Our hackathon experience was truly transformative, as we not only gained invaluable technical knowledge in Javascript, but also cultivated essential soft skills that will serve us well in any future endeavors. By working together as a team, we were able to pool our unique strengths and collaborate effectively to solve complex problems and bring our ideas to life.

## What's next for ShopSmart

The next steps for ShopSmart are to focus on expanding its capabilities and increasing its reach. One area of focus could be on integrating the extension with more e-commerce platforms to make it more widely accessible to developers and brands. Another area for improvement could be on enhancing the heatmap visualization and adding more advanced analytics features to provide even deeper insights into user behavior. With the help of Machine Learning, developers and brands can utilize the data provided by ShopSmart to better recognize patterns within their customer's usage of their site to make better adjustments and improvements. Additionally, exploring partnerships with e-commerce brands to promote the extension and offer more exclusive discount codes to incentivize consumers could help increase its adoption. Overall, the goal is to continuously improve the extension and make it an indispensable tool for e-commerce businesses looking to stay ahead of the competition.
# TranslateMe: Breaking Language Barriers, One Text at a Time

## Inspiration

Living in a diverse and interconnected world, our team of three has always been fascinated by the power of technology to bring people together, regardless of language barriers. As students who come from an immigrant background we understand the struggles of not being able to communicate with others who do not speak the same language. We noticed that language often stood in the way of these intercultural connections, hindering meaningful interactions to create a space where language isembraced. This inspired us to create TranslateMe, an app that makes it effortless for people to communicate across languages seamlessly.

## What We Learned

Building TranslateMe was a remarkable journey that taught us valuable lessons as a team. Here are some key takeaways:

**Effective Collaboration**: Working as a team, we learned the importance of effective collaboration. Each of us had unique skills and expertise, and we leveraged these strengths to build a well-rounded application.

**API Integration**: We gained a deep understanding of how to integrate third-party APIs into our project. In this case, we utilized Twilio's communications API for handling text messages and Google Translate API for language translation.

**Node.js Mastery**: We honed our Node.js skills throughout this project. Working with asynchronous operations and callbacks to handle communication between APIs and user interactions was challenging but rewarding.

**User-Centric Design**: We learned the importance of user-centric design. Making TranslateMe user-friendly and intuitive was crucial to ensure that anyone, regardless of their technical expertise, could benefit from it.

**Handling Errors and Edge Cases**: Dealing with potential errors and unexpected edge cases was a significant learning experience. We implemented error handling strategies to provide a smooth user experience even when things didn't go as planned.

## How We Built TranslateMe

# Technologies Used

**Twilio API**: We used Twilio's communication API to send and receive text messages. This allowed users to send messages in their preferred language.

**Google Translate API**: To perform the actual translation, we integrated the Google Translate API, which supports a wide range of languages.

**Node.js**: The backend of TranslateMe was built using Node.js, providing a robust and scalable foundation for the application.

## The Development Process

**Planning and Design**: We started by outlining the app's architecture, user flows, and wireframes. This helped us clarify the project's scope and user experience.

**Setting Up Twilio**: We set up a Twilio account and configured it to handle incoming and outgoing text messages. Twilio's documentation was incredibly helpful in this process.

**Implementing Translation Logic**: Using the Google Translate API, we developed the core functionality of translating incoming messages into the user's chosen language.

**Building the Frontend**: With the backend in place, we created a user-friendly frontend that allowed users to choose languages and see translated messages.

**Testing and Debugging**: Rigorous testing was essential to ensure that TranslateMe worked seamlessly. We focused on both functional and user experience testing.

**Deployment**: We deployed the application to a twilio server to make it as accessible as possible.

## Challenges Faced

While creating TranslateMe, we encountered several challenges:

**Limited by Trial Version**: The Twilio API didn't allow unauthorized phone-numbers to text back to a twilio in the trial version so we had to jump through a few hoops to get that working.

**Language Detection**: Some users might not specify their preferred language, so we needed to implement language detection to provide a seamless experience.

**NPM** version conflicts: When using the different APIs we ran into some npm versioning issues that took longer than we would have liked to complete.

## Conclusion

TranslateMe has been a fulfilling project that allowed our team to combine our passion for technology with a desire to break down language barriers. Two out of three of us are international students so we are painfully aware of the barriers presented by the lack of knowing a language. We're excited to see how TranslateMe helps people connect and communicate across languages, fostering greater understanding and unity in our diverse world.