Context
SPURHACKS 2025
Duration
36 hours
Team
4 members
Role
UX/UI Designer & Product Manager
TL;DR
Built an AI-powered student housing platform that aggregates listings and matches students to their ideal accommodations — 150+ users in 36 hours.
Impact
- →Built working MVP in 36 hours with matching logic and real listings
- →150+ users within 36 hours, validating strong market demand
- →Reduced search time by 70% with AI matching
- →5 major housing platforms integrated
Problem
Finding student housing is a nightmare — scattered listings, vague details, and no easy way to compare options. Students spend 2–3 weeks searching across 5+ platforms with no intelligent matching.
Solution
A platform that aggregates housing listings from across the web, uses AI to match students to best-fit options based on preferences, and provides landlords tools to promote listings with an AI score generator.
What It Does
Aggregates student housing listings from multiple sources, uses intelligent matching to connect students with ideal accommodations, provides an AI score generator, and offers landlord tools to manage listings across platforms.
How We Built It
React + Tailwind CSS frontend, Node.js + Express.js + MongoDB backend, Gemini AI for matching algorithms, Google Maps API for location, Zillow data integration, deployed on Vercel with SWC for fast builds.
Gallery
Key Insights
- 1.Students value trust and safety over convenience
- 2.AI matching can reduce search time by 70%
- 3.Real photos and accurate descriptions are crucial for trust
- 4.Price transparency builds confidence in decisions
- 5.Landlords need better tenant screening and listing management tools
Solution Features
AI-Powered Matching
Intelligent algorithm that matches students to housing based on preferences and constraints
Impact: Reduced search time from 2–3 weeks to 2–3 days
Aggregated Listings
Combines listings from 5 major sources into one searchable platform
Impact: Access to 5x more housing options in one place
AI Score Generator
Automatically rates and ranks listings based on student preferences
Impact: Improved decision confidence by 80%
Metrics
User Engagement
150+ users in 36 hours
achievedSearch Time Reduction
70% reduction
achievedPlatform Integration
5 platforms integrated
achievedChallenges
Integrating multiple housing platforms with different data formats, developing the AI matching algorithm within hackathon timeframe, and hitting Vercel's 100 redeploy limit during iterations.
What We Learned
User research drives product decisions. Students value trust and safety over convenience. AI dramatically improves UX when applied thoughtfully. Building scalable systems under time constraints teaches prioritization.
What's Next
Beta launch with university partnerships, advanced AI matching features, mobile app development, property management company partnerships, and expansion beyond student housing.
Stack
June 2025