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Coursicle Chat

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PHPjQueryCSS
In the summer of 2023, I interned at Coursicle, a small ed-tech startup based in New York City. The company was working on two major projects: migrating their Android app to a Progressive Web App (PWA) and launching Coursicle Chat, an academic-focused chat platform for college students. I contributed to both projects as part of a small, six-person team, gaining valuable experience in front-end development and startup culture.

Problem:

There's a lack of secure, dedicated academic chat platforms for students; startups like YikYak become quickly polluted with spam, and existing tools like GroupMe or Reddit aren’t ideal for managing class-specific groups and student interactions.

Solution:

We created Coursicle Chat: a platform that automatically groups students based on their class schedules, facilitating easier communication among classmates. We wanted to harness Coursicle's existing student user base to populate Chat, so we aimed to integrate Chat seamlessly into Coursicle's existing web and mobile platforms.

Technical Approach

The tech stack for this project was relatively simple: a PHP backend with jQuery for the front end, and vanilla CSS for styling. My primary goals were to improve the usability and responsiveness of both platforms while ensuring smooth functionality. The project also involved a significant amount of testing and quality assurance before rolling out updates to the user base.

My Contributions

  • > Image Upload Handling: Developed the image upload functionality, allowing users to send images as messages and ensuring they were stored and displayed correctly within the chat interface.

  • > Bug Fixing & Testing: Conducted extensive bug fixes and participated in user testing to ensure a smooth rollout of new features.

  • > Front-End Development: Gained significant experience working with raw CSS and jQuery, enhancing my skills in web development without relying on libraries or frameworks like Tailwind or Bootstrap.

Impact

Played a key role in the launch of Coursicle Chat, helping to create a platform that offered a better academic communication experience for students. The image upload feature improved user engagement by allowing students to share media easily within chats, enhancing the overall user experience. I also gained proficiency in raw CSS and jQuery, sharpening my front-end development skills and ability to work with minimalist tech stacks.