EventFinder is the one App you need when you are looking for the top event in a city you don't know. Using the Eventbrite API and the Google Maps API, EventFinder allows you to find the top event in any city of your liking. We assume you are open to any and every new experience! The top event is based on the popularity amongst Eventbrite users, so regardless of your mood, the event will not disappoint. We understand that you might be new to the city and might not be able to find your way. We got you covered! Our app is connected to the most trustworthy GPS in the market, Google Maps. As soon as you have found the event in the city of your choosing, Google maps will show you the exact coordinates of the event, so you will not get lost, and arrive to your event, every time! Finally, we want to make sure that you have your ticket for the event, so we have linked directly to the Eventbrite app for you to be able to purchase the tickets for your events, straight from the source!
In order to make the connection between the two apps natural and direct, we use Ajax. Ajax allows us to use your input data selection once. We use the information from Eventbrite to tell Google Maps where you want to go, without the need for the user to input the address in google maps manually. Eventbrite has multiple endpoints. The search event endpoint gave the developers the top events in any city that the user inputs. The find venue endpoint gives you the exact coordinates of the venue where the event will occur. Developers made two separate requests to the eventbrite API, with different URL each time, in order to get the event and the coordinates of the event. The second step is using the coordinates from Eventbrite in order to find the exact location of the event. The Google maps API allowed developers to seamlessly connect the event that was selected for you and its location. We created a variable called myMap that grabs the coordinates from Eventbrite and uses it every time it is called in Google Maps. When there is no user input, the map shows you the location of Abu Dhabi. As soon as the user inputs data, the map takes you directly to the address of your event.
The design choice is simple and clean which allows the user to use the app without much thinking. It is very intuitive and the text box where the user has to input information is very clear and large. We decided to use a coconut design with two simple colors because it is aesthetically pleasing and very minimalist. This design makes it easier to process.
The app faced challenges from its initial stages to the completed project you see now. At first, our developers wanted to link the Eventbrite App to the cheap-fare company, rome2rio. However, due to lack of professionality from their side, they never responded our request for an API key. Thankfully our developers are quick on their feet, and found an alternative, which in our view allows the user to have more freedom in their choice of transport to the event. Instead of linking to rome2rio, we connect Eventbrite, and google maps. We make sure, that whichever way you decide to travel, you will find the event’s location. The biggest challenge was the lack of technical knowhow at the beginning of the development process. Developers first needed to understand how many times it was needed to call data from eventbrite. We needed to understand which type of data we were looking for in each instance. At the beginning this was unclear. After hours of exploring the endpoints in Eventbrite we found the two most useful ones, and realized that we needed to call two separate requests to get the different data.
In future developments many different things can be expanded and improved. The link to buy tickets could be a separate div. Moreover, in the future users could choose from a list of events and choose their best option with a short description. Finally, the app could be improved if google maps would tell you the fastest route to your event from wherever you are located. All this enhancements are possible with more practice and time.