LivSync

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Inspiration

As childhood best friends, we grew up in low-income immigrant households where we had to share our personal living space with many family members. It was never an issue until we started college, and we realized that having incompatible roommates can adversely affect our mental and physical health.

What it does

Our solution is LivSync. We match roommates by integrating user-input preferences and personal data from Spotify/YouTube/Netflix and Apple Health & Google Fit to analyze your active and quiet hours--ensuring peace when you need it and chaos when it fits you.

How we built it

First, we conducted 18 interviews and 8 surveys with students around campus and our industry peers. After validating the idea, we designed a prototype/wireframe with Figma. We then developed a website showcasing a UX/UI tutorial using HTML & CSS (and Figma) and released beta-testing. We also created a three-year business plan to scale from a DTC app to a B2B company along with a pitch deck.

Challenges we ran into

Figma's user interface was buggy and unstable. We had to revise our prototype/wireframe many times. We also had trouble deploying our website on GitHub.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We successfully developed a working MVP on Figma.

What we learned

We learned that even with comprehensive planning, we cannot predict errors along development. We had to revise our order of operations many times (including moments we were hungry late at night and took breaks), but most importantly was the software errors & bugs.

What's next for LivSync

We hope to compete in startup competitions around the country and apply for Y Combinator--as we believe that our solution will improve many students' lives in college--ensuring that they feel at home and a sense of community in their dorms.

Ethics Write-Up

A problematic roommate can be described in many ways; messy, loud, unreliable. In extreme cases, tension between roommates can even lead to violence. Yet, amidst these challenges, it's crucial to recognize that everyone deserves a place they can call home, even ones we are not compatible with. That's why we are launching LivSync to ensure peace when you need it and chaos when it fits you. We would also make it our mission to act as a buttress for both the urban university as well as the disproportionately underserved college town by bringing practical services to all students across America.

Sources

“Current Term Enrollment Estimates.” National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 24 Jan. 2024, nscresearchcenter.org/current-term-enrollment-estimates/.
Statista Research Department, and Nov 6. “Student Housing by Type U.S. 2018.” Statista, 6 Nov. 2020, www.statista.com/statistics/934150/student-housing-accommodation-type-usa/.
Curry, David. “Airbnb Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024).” Business of Apps, Business of Apps, 15 Mar. 2024, www.businessofapps.com/data/airbnb-statistics/.
Chopin, Frederick. Nocturne in E flat major, op. 9, no. 2 .
Icons8 Team. “Icons8 — Icons, Illustrations, Photos.” Figma, Inc., 5 Apr. 2024.