michaelswierczynski / webapp-mbta

Assignment 3: MBTA project.

WebApp-MBTA

This is the base repository for Web App Developement project. Please read instructions.

Project Overview

For this project our team approached the MBTA station finder not only to be functional, but also useful for our audience. Not only did we ensure that the user experience would be smooth, but also enhanced the applications overall utility for our diverse audience. In order to achieve this, we integrated the essential requirements for the project, and created a dynamic space by providing real time arrivals of those trains and directions to the station. This allows our users and audience to be able to identify when they need to leave. Making our website practical was our main focus and priority, however we did not stop there. We also took the initiative to hyperlink the station name with directions using Google Maps. With all aspects considered, our code can serve as a solution for various problems that our users might encounter. It is versatile, sleek, and user-friendly.

Reflection

Process

Navigating through the creation of our website, MBTA Finder, was indeed a journey filled challenges and accomplishments. Despite encountering a few issues, we were able to overcome them through collaboration and the use of external sources. Throughout the entire process, we were dedicated to deliver a practical and functional source for our end user. One of the notable successes of our website was to create a seamless integration of helpful components. The inclusion of the arrival times for the trains at specific stops along with leveraging Google Maps allows our end user to have a significant amount of information at their disposal. This achievement aligned with our project goals and added an additional component making the MBTA finder a user-friendly tool for commuters.

However, as satisfying as the achievements were, we also faced some hurdles. This was most apparent in the development of our HTML code. Despite these challenges, the team quickly adapted by leveraging insights provided by various sources, class notes and ChatGPT. What was most notable in this process was how we were able to grasp ideas and implement them into our formatting and coloring. These additional components creates a dynamic and visually appealing aspect to our application that was previously unavailable.

Team's Work Division

Our team dynamic was both high in communication and versatile with work division. Both team members (Mike and Magnus) were able to complete the tasks that were initially assigned along with helping one another out on issues that arose in the process. The work was divided and completed by the same respective individual. Mike was assigned to take lead on coding for the mbta_helper.py and app.py, while Magnus was assigned the html files and to complete the README.md work. Although these initial assignments were made, both Mike and Magnus were able instill collaboration for the best result. No issues arose while working together due to this methodology and past friendship. Finally, if we were to do it differently next time, it might have been useful to have an additional lesson or further integration of the HTML capabilities. Although we were able to integrate some key functionalities of HTML, we feel that our skills were fundamental and simple.

Learning

Constructing our finished product had many learning points along the way. We were able to learn many techniques in both HTML and Python. In order to do this in an efficient and practical way, we leveraged the use of ChatGPT. As seen on line 13 of app.py, it became particularly useful when attempting to link the Station Name and the Google Maps information. This allowed us to understand an avenue for us to explore when implementing this feature into our program. The AI was also able to help us have a clear vision of some factors of HTML and how to properly leverage the fundamental capabilities. This allowed us to produce a simple yet appealing and user-friendly website for our audience. We learned some of the various aspects that were needed to integrate the additional factors that we created (Google Maps hyperlink and Arrival Times of trains) by leveraging AI. Although this proved to be useful, it would have also been helpful to have some additional time and experience with HTML in order to have smooth transition.