- Name: Aya Nady
- GitHub: AyaNady17
- Linkedin: Linkedin
- Organization: Australian Open Source Software Innovation and Education (AOSSIE)
- Project: Resonate - Open Source Social Voice Platform
My primary goal was to transform the current design into a more modern and intuitive layout using a flutter framework. This redesign aims to improve the app’s usability, making it more user-friendly and accessible to a wider audience.
- Flutter (Framework)
- Dart (Programming Language)
- Figma (Design Tool)
Before the official start of the GSoC coding period, my team and I dedicated time to thoroughly review and merge PRs submitted by other contributors. We worked collaboratively to identify potential issues, optimize code for performance, and address any bugs or inconsistencies. By doing so, we streamlined the codebase, aiming to improve the overall stability and readiness of the app for new development phases. This proactive effort also fostered a smoother workflow and encouraged a collaborative environment among contributors.
In preparation for the app's visual direction, I developed detailed design prototypes in Figma, exploring multiple layout and styling options. To further refine our designs, I conducted a comparative analysis of similar apps, observing successful UI patterns and identifying elements that would resonate with our target audience. Based on this analysis, I was able to select the most intuitive and effective designs, finalizing a cohesive design framework that would guide our development and set a consistent aesthetic tone for the app.
I developed and integrated the user interface for various key screens, ensuring each was seamlessly connected to the client-side backend to provide a smooth, responsive user experience. The design and functionality of each screen were carefully crafted to support an intuitive flow and enhance usability. Here’s an overview of the screens I worked on:
- Home Screen: Created a welcoming and dynamic home interface that displays essential app features and user information.
- Upcoming Rooms Screen: Developed a layout showcasing scheduled rooms, with an organized, user-friendly structure.
- Create Room Screen: Designed an intuitive interface for users to set up and customize new rooms.
- Schedule Room Screen: Implemented scheduling functionality, allowing users to set up rooms for specific dates and times with ease.
- Room Screen: Developed the main room interface for users to engage with content, with easy-to-access options and controls.
- Chat Room Screen: Integrated a chat room where users can participate in group conversations within a specific room.
- Pair Chat Screen: Built a private one-on-one chat interface, enabling direct communication between paired users.
- Pairing Screen: Designed a user-matching interface to facilitate pair connections, streamlining the pairing process.
- Explore Screen: Created an exploration interface to help users discover new content, stories, and categories based on their interests.
- Story Category Screen: Organized story categories in a clear, accessible layout for easy browsing.
- Story Screen: Developed a dedicated screen for viewing individual stories, highlighting content with a focus on readability.
- Create Story Screen: Implemented tools for users to create and share their own stories within the app.
- Create Chapter Screen: Designed an interface for adding new chapters, giving users flexibility in structuring their stories.
- Add Chapter Screen: Provided additional functionality for users to expand stories by adding more chapters.
- Chapter Play Screen: Built a media-focused screen for playing chapters, integrating playback controls and progress tracking.
- Story Search Screen: Developed a search interface to help users find specific stories quickly and efficiently.
Each screen was rigorously tested for both functionality and visual appeal to deliver a cohesive, user-centered app experience.
As part of my contributions, I reviewed and merged several pull requests to improve the functionality, stability, and user experience of the project. Each merge involved carefully checking the proposed changes for alignment with the project’s goals, testing for potential issues, and ensuring code quality standards were met. Below is a list of the pull requests I merged:
Each merged PR was integral to enhancing the app’s features, fixing bugs, or refactoring code to improve readability and maintainability, collectively advancing the app toward its development milestones.
During GSoC, I faced multiple challenges that required adaptability and effective planning:
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Time Management: Balancing GSoC work with college and other commitments required careful prioritization and scheduling.
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Setting Up the Local Server: Setting up the local server for backend features was challenging and took significant time, adding complexity to my workflow.
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Handling Unexpected Bugs: Debugging complex issues, especially with dependencies, involved persistent troubleshooting and collaboration with the team.
Each of these challenges strengthened my problem-solving skills and adaptability, enhancing overall project progress and teamwork.
My GSoC journey may be ending, but I’m excited to keep working on the app until it’s live on the Play Store—and beyond! I’ll be helping out with updates and maintenance to keep things running smoothly.
I want to give a heartfelt thank you to my mentors, Chandan Gowda and Bruno Woltzenlogel Paleo, for the chance to be part of this project and for their invaluable support throughout my GSoC journey. I know I wasn’t always on track with my timeline, and my communication could have been better, but Chandan guided me with incredible patience and humility, helping me improve where I needed it most. I’m truly grateful for this experience, and I’d be thrilled to work together again in the future.
As my GSoC journey comes to an end, I’m filled with a sense of accomplishment and gratitude for the incredible experience it’s been. Working on this project has not only strengthened my technical skills but also taught me invaluable lessons in collaboration, adaptability, and effective project management. The challenges I faced pushed me to grow and encouraged me to think creatively to overcome obstacles. I’m proud of the progress I made and the contributions I was able to bring to the project.
Thanks AOSSIE and the GSoC community for this outstanding opportunity.
Aya Nady