Nest Match

Framing the Problem

What is the problem you are trying to solve? Who does it affect?

In our team, we're addressing the challenges of house shopping—its complexity and often tedious nature. So our goal is to make sure this experience is as seamless, engaging, and accessible as it can be from anywhere, at any time. With our app and website, users are able to browse homes effortlessly from the comfort of their own space. By simplifying the process and enhancing convenience, we aim to transform house hunting into an enjoyable and stress-free experience.

This problem can affect a wide range of individuals, including:

1. First-Time Homebuyers – They may find the process overwhelming, time-consuming, and difficult to navigate.

2. Busy Professionals– Those with tight schedules may struggle to visit multiple properties in person.

3. Families – Parents looking for a new home may find traditional house hunting stressful and inconvenient especially if younger kids are involved.

4. Remote or Relocating Buyers – People moving to a different city or country might have limited opportunities to view homes physically.

5. Elderly or Disabled Individuals – Those with mobility issues may find it challenging to visit multiple properties.

6. Renters – Those searching for rental properties also experience the same frustrations with traditional browsing methods.

Idea Explanation

What is your idea? How does it fix the problem?

Our idea is to revolutionise house browsing with a "Tinder-style" experience - swipe right to find your perfect home match! Our app/website allows users to explore properties anytime, anywhere, making the process effortless and interactive -overall a much more fun experience .

To personalise the experience, users will answer a few quick personality-based questions, helping our AI recommend the most suitable homes. Realistic virtual house tours will also be available, saving time by eliminating the need for in-person visits. When you find a home you love, simply swipe right to save it!

Each listing will include detailed property information, such as pricing, location, and whether it’s for rent or sale, ensuring users have all the essential details at their fingertips.

Implementation

How do all the pieces fit together? Does your frontend make requests to your backend? Where does your database fit in?

Our idea is to implement the backend with Node.js, create a server that communicates with a cluster created on MongoDB Atlas platform. We have created the collections for our implementation, which are the users, houses and then we store the correspondent matches. In the database we store the images, prices, location and qualities that describe the houses. When the user completes the personality test, they are invited to create an account so we can create users and save their matches, after this assessment the database will send the listings of houses that match with the personality first, which is going to ask you questions like: do you prefer staying close to nature or city life, living in a calm neighborhood or in an active one, and so one. In the collections in the JSON file, for every housing we will input as many key words as possible to make the research efficient and find the matches. The front end developed with React will send a request via GET API to get the houses that match with the personality test, this is how two sides communicate between each other.

Challenges

What did you struggle with? How did you overcome it?

One of our biggest challenges was managing an abundance of ideas while working within a limited time frame to complete our final project. With so many possibilities, it was difficult to narrow down our focus and execute everything we envisioned.

To overcome this, we prioritised efficiency and strategic decision-making. We carefully assessed which features were most feasible within our timeline and would have the greatest impact. By setting tasks based on each team member’s strengths and expertise, we maximised our productivity. Most importantly, we concentrated on the core elements necessary to bring our project to completion, which will allow us to deliver a well-structured and polished final presentation.

Accomplishments

What did you learn? What did you accomplish?

Through this project, we gained valuable experience in time management and efficient collaboration as a multidisciplinary team. Balancing different responsibilities while working under a deadline taught us how to prioritise tasks effectively and stay organised.

In addition to teamwork, we also expanded our skill sets, learning new techniques in areas outside our primary expertise. Some of us improved our coding abilities, while others gained insights into UI/UX design and project structuring. By embracing these challenges, we successfully worked on all aspects of our project, including the frontend, backend, and overall design, ensuring a well-rounded final product.

Next Steps

What are the next steps for your project? How can you improve it?

Our next steps will involve several key improvements and enhancements to elevate our project. This includes; Expanding our property listings – partnering with real estate agencies and landlords may help us increase the number and variety of available properties for customers, Improving our user experience (UX/UI) – this can be done by optimising the app’s design for smoother navigation, better visuals, and a more engaging user experience, Maybe implementing a chat feature – by introducing a messaging system for direct communication between buyers/renters and property owners made quick and easy! User feedback is also extremely important to us, so including usability testing to gather feedback and refine the app based on real user experiences can help improve our app even further in the future.