Contributing to Society Through Technology
Using technology for positive change
Basically the Introduction part
It all started two years ago, when i joined a voluntary community in my nearby temple.
What organization you might ask? It’s basically an community which help in weekly temple service, from preparing the seat and also helping in serving foods.
Pretty chill right, everyday just passed like usual, days, weeks, months.
Time has passed and I realized something
We usually always records who is coming every week and keeping the record to be analysed.
The funny thing is, we are keeping it in excel and we always record it every week with paper! So we are Recording it in the paper beforehand then manually type it into excel. I know right, double work for it.
It’s a voluntary community, there’s no merit in designing a system in it, no incentive or anything.
It all seems very redundant and messy to me. This issue will keep happening time to time. It’s time to bring Technology for the use of Greater Good.
I decided to design a system to be used for absence recording system, but being an individual of course there is a limitation to both my Time and Financial. But definitely that didn’t stop me!
Design Decision
Being by myself has it owns advantage, i can deploy any fix in an instant, there is no need to wait for design decision, i can leave any details and any debt when i feel that other things are more urgent and the best thing by far is.. NO CONFLICT !
Sounds like a heaven for Software Engineer right? But of course it all comes with several setbacks too, mainly centered around where you need to do everything by yourself.
Now, let’s get into my design decision.
It all starts with Server
One which i would need is of course a back-end server for it. My main issue at that time was finding a server. I have no knowledge regarding renting a server and configuring it, also didn’t know a lot regarding cloud deployment and stuff like that.
Luckily for me! I found an article regarding Serverless Framework. It was very easy for me to kickstart a new server back then with Serverless (and i am still a fan of it till this day!).
As for the database i am using AWS-RDS service for it, since it is pretty easy to use and you know what the best thing is? It’s FREE for one year !!
And now into the frontend
For the frontend, i decided that i will not develop a web for that, since you won’t be bringing computer everywhere to record every person who came right?
I decided on Mobile Application for my Client Frontend, specifically on Android (Sorry Apple User). My main reason on using that lies in my background, having experienced in developing Android Mobile Application, it will take less effort in developing the application for it.
Another reason for developing only in android is that my community consist of about 85% Android User so basically it will be huge effort but with minimum impact.
And it is finally done
Took me about 1 month developing the whole system for it.
Essentially, this application is able to add weekly event and list it down. For each event, every person who come can be recorded.
Say goodbye to paper and excel! Now all the data will be recorded in the database.
Everyone lives is easier now!
Overlooking all the works and efforts poured into making this whole system, the only thing that i’m thinking of that it will bring benefit to a lot of people. When i have the opportunity to make something better, which I am pretty capable on realizing it, why not?
When it is your time to contribute, don’t forget to grasp that opportunity. A lot of people will greatly appreciate you for that.
Great things are made up of little things.
