PROJECT WORK: Three Choices – plates

plates 

Team 2c: Emmy Thamakaison, Chih-Ling Chang, Vivian Wang, Solmih Kim, Michelle Leung

1. Problem

• • Lack of affordable and diverse food options on campus
  • Eating alone
  • Lack of opportunities to meet new people in a non time-consuming way
  • Alternatives like Doordash; address the idea of people feeling deterred by expensive delivery fees
  • Students don’t have time nor means (e.g. car) to travel farther for food

2. Solution.

• A group food-ordering platform to bring people together over food in a convenient, affordable, and enjoyable experience. 
• User journey:

1. 1. Signup for Plates account with school email
   2. Choose whether to eat alone or with a plate
   3. Browse through foods options for a given day
   4. Select quantity, order pick-up time
   5. Select pickup location: 2 locations on campus 
   6. Enter payment info

• Pick up the foods at a specific time
  • Option 1. Meet with new friends
  • Option 2. Grab the food and leave

3. Market (as a reminder) & size (who and how big)

• TAM
  • Nationwide students 
  • 18.9 million college students
• SAM
  • Bay Area students: Northern California schools: Berkeley, SU, UCSF, USF, UCSC, Foothill College, De Anza College, Santa Clara University
• SOM
  • Stanford students: over 16,000 degree-seeking students enrolled in bachelor’s, master’s, professional, and doctoral programs
    • ~7,645 undergraduate students
    • ~9,300 graduate students

4. Tech stack and why

• Frontend: React Native (CS47)
• Backend:  Firebase 
• Authentication: School Credentials (to sign up with your school email) OR email verification system
• Mobile payment gateway
• Recommendation system (can be based on interests)

5. Early ethical challenges to consider. 

• Non-Stanford students using our platform  (addressed if we successfully use the credential to check identities)
• Predators of college students
• How to mitigate disposable packaging waste
• User’s personal information (ex: delivery address, CC info, email address/phone number)