Inspiration
The idea behind CulturalCadence was inspired by the belief that music has the power to bring people together, regardless of their cultural background. We see that music has the unique ability to transcend language, ethnicity, and borders, and want to create a platform that would allow individuals to experience the unifying power of music. We were inspired by the desire to foster cross-cultural connections and bring the world closer together, one song at a time. CulturalCadence was created with the aim of providing a space where people can explore and share their love of music, connect with others who share similar interests, and discover the richness and diversity of different cultures.
What it does
CulturalCadence is a platform that allows users to discover new music based on their location and personal music preferences. The process starts with users ranking their favorite music, which then profiles them and compares their taste with a vast database of music from various regions. As a result, the platform presents the user with a recommended song that they are likely to enjoy, but that is from a different region than the one they currently reside in. In this way, CulturalCadence promotes cross-cultural discovery and connection through music.
How we built it
The CulturalCadence web application was built using Ruby on Rails as the primary framework, with a SQLite database for data storage. User sign-in and authentication was implemented using the Devise gem. Music data was imported using Kaggle, which was integrated into the application. These tools and technologies were combined to create a seamless and user-friendly platform for discovering and connecting through music.
Challenges we ran into
The team faced several challenges during the development of CulturalCadence, due to the fact that it was our first hackathon and we had a diverse range of experiences. One of the main challenges was figuring out how to effectively utilize each team member's skills to build the best application possible. Additionally, there were difficulties in setting up the working environment, as the team was formed on the day of the event and the first day was spent ensuring everyone was on the same setup. This required time and effort to overcome and was a significant challenge in the development of CulturalCadence.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
The team is proud of completing a functional web application that serves as a foundation for the CulturalCadence platform. Despite facing several challenges, we were able to overcome these obstacles and produce a solid starting point that can be further developed and improved upon in the future. The successful creation of the web application is a significant accomplishment and something that the team is proud of.
What we learned
We learned about the importance of effective communication and collaboration in a team environment, the value of leveraging each team member's unique skills and experiences, and the challenges involved in setting up a shared working environment in a hackathon setting. We gained valuable experience in using Ruby on Rails, Devise, and Kaggle, and in integrating these tools and technologies to create a functional web application. We also learned about the fast-paced and high-pressure environment of a hackathon, where projects must be completed within a limited timeframe. This experience taught us about prioritizing tasks, being flexible and adapting to changes, and staying focused on the end goal. These lessons in project management, time management, and technology integration will be useful in future projects and initiatives.
What's next for CulturalCadence
The next phase for CulturalCadence is to take the solid foundation that has been built and expand upon it to make it a truly unique and innovative platform. The team plans to enhance the user interface to create a modern and user-friendly experience. This will include a complete revamp of the visual design to make it more appealing and accessible to users.
In addition to improving the user interface, the team is also dedicated to fleshing out the features we have planned and ensuring they are scalable. CulturalCadence will transition from a simple song recommendation platform to a full-fledged social media platform where users can connect with each other and share their diverse musical tastes. This will provide an opportunity for people to connect with others from different cultures and broaden their musical horizons.
Finally, the team is exploring the possibility of using deep learning algorithms to enhance the song recommendation system. This will allow the platform to better model user preferences and provide even more accurate song recommendations. With these enhancements, CulturalCadence will become a truly valuable platform for music lovers everywhere.