POTZ

Project Context

In South Korea, high delivery fees have become a significant burden for individuals living in small communities or apartment complexes. POTZ (파츠) was developed as a solution to this problem, enabling neighbors to coordinate food orders and split delivery costs fairly.

Core Concept

The project focuses on "Social Delivery Delivery" (공동 구매 배달). By using location-based services, POTZ identifies neighbors who are interested in ordering from the same restaurant or area. This not only saves money but also reduces the carbon footprint associated with multiple separate deliveries.

Key Functionalities

• Location-Based Matching: Users can see active "delivery pots" in their immediate surroundings.
• Real-time Chatting: Integrated communication for coordinating order details and pickup locations.
• Fair Fee Splitting: Automated calculation of delivery fees based on the number of participants.
• Secure Payment: Trusted systems for handling community transactions.

Tech Stack & Development

POTZ was built using React for the frontend to provide a seamless SPA experience, and Express.js with MySQL for a robust backend. We utilized Prisma as our ORM to ensure type-safe database interactions.

Implementing real-time updates for chat and "pot" status was a significant challenge. We used Socket.io to manage live connections, ensuring that when a new neighbor joins a "pot," everyone is notified instantly. This creates a sense of living community within the app.

Lessons Learned

Working on POTZ taught me the importance of hyper-local UX. Users interact with the app differently when it involves their physical neighbors. Trust and speed are the most critical factors, which led us to prioritize a "lightweight" and "fast" design philosophy throughout the development stage.