In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has faced numerous challenges. Among these, a marked decline in tourism and a significant increase in the education gap became particularly apparent. These issues were further exacerbated for the less fortunate, who often lacked access to the necessary tools for proper education.
I recalled my primary school days when field trips served as a crucial educational tool, introducing concepts like flora and fauna. This sparked the idea for EdVenture, an application that would provide equal opportunities for all students by enabling them to access virtual tours of popular destinations.
EdVenture is an e-learning app that uses VR technology to take students on virtual field trips to educational and historical locations. It aims to inspire curiosity, encourage learning, and promote climate action. Our project
The Hackathon
The development of EdVenture was initiated at the "Hack 4 Change" Regional Hackathon. This exciting virtual event was hosted by
Cariri's DIA Youth Innovation Lab Trinidad and Tobago, in collaboration with their partners: The Organization of American States (OAS), The Trust for the Americas, Citi Foundation, and the Institute of Law & Economics.
The challenge was to develop innovative tech-based solutions within a 48-hour timeframe focused on three priority domains:
- Technology
- Creative Economies
- Climate Action
As part of a two-person team with my partner-in-crime Sinead Hamel-Smith, who served as the UI/UX lead, we set out to create EdVenture.
The Development Process
The development process began on a Friday night, focusing on a simplified version of the system's backend. The initial stages proved challenging, but by Saturday morning, I had shifted focus to the mobile application, and by midday, a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) was ready.
The afternoon was spent at the Botanical Gardens, capturing 3D models of trees using an iPad Pro and 360-degree panoramic shots for the app with a Google Pixel 6. The rain added an unexpected challenge, but we managed to gather a significant amount of data.
Upon returning home, we sorted through the collected data, performing further research on the items using their proper scientific plant names. By 9:00 PM, the MVP had evolved into a fully functional app.
On Sunday morning, the MVP was refined further, enhancing the styles, spacing, padding, font, and format to improve the user experience. By 1:00 PM, the app was uploaded to Google Play and submitted for judging.
The App
EdVenture offers an immersive experience through several key screens:
- Main Screen: Showcases "trending edventures" and a full list of all available tours in card format.
- Edventure Detail Screen: Presents popular images, the name and description of the venue, and a button to start the virtual tour.
- Virtual Tour Screen: Offers an AR/VR view where users can navigate using touch commands or the phone's gyroscope and accelerometer.
- Interactive Item Detail Screen: Displays 3D models of items with important information, and offers an option to view a real-size render of the item in AR.
The feedback from the judges was overwhelmingly positive, with particular admiration for the speed at which such an app was created, the stunning visuals, and the accurate representation of the Botanical Gardens.
Lessons and Future Plans
Throughout the development process, I learned the importance of time management and setting realistic objectives. The experience also opened my eyes to the regional scope of such a hackathon, making it an honor to be a Trinidad winner.
Looking ahead, there are plans to scale EdVenture to other niches, such as furniture e-commerce, real estate, hospitality, and global tourism. The use of Flutter in the development process, a platform I have six years of experience with, allows for rapid scaling across multiple platforms.