The vision for this project was to engage new recruits with a unique form, to set a strong first impression for IUBPC.
The website loads like a retro video game, and filling out your personal information becomes a character customization menu. Not only do the users enter their basic info, but also choose stats and power-ups with a video game soundtrack playing, making it incredibly interactive and memorable. With custom pixel art, the UI fully embraces a pixel art theme, ensuring the form feels less like paperwork and more like the start of a new quest.
💻 Technical Implementation:
Frontend: Next.js
Styles: Tailwind CSS
Backend/Database: Google Sheets API
We intentionally routed our database directly into Google Sheets rather than building a custom admin panel or a backend framework; this is because our membership team was already comfortable with spreadsheets. This approach drastically improved the UX for our team, allowing them to manage the data in a familiar environment.
The most challenging part of the build, however, was dealing with network unreliability. Not everyone on campus has access to fast, stable Wi-Fi, thus posing a risk of invalid submissions. To combat this, the submission logic in Next.js had to be highly resilient. We focused on handling edge cases and providing clear, immediate UI feedback. This ensured that if a connection dropped, users wouldn't experience a silent failure and lose their input data.
To top it all off, the deployment was indeed a massive success. The data was in a single place, and the unique design left a lasting impression on everyone. It proved that practical utility and club culture can exist in the same project.
Lead Developer: Rashedul Islam Sabbir
Art: Faiyad Harun