HERD is a cutting-edge social media application built using the Flutter framework, designed to challenge the status quo of content curation and user interaction on digital platforms. Unlike traditional social media giants that prioritize content they believe users want to see, HERD is built on the principle of democratizing data, giving control back to the users.
- Future-Proofing: Flutter, alongside the Dart programming language, is a modern framework developed by Google. It is increasingly sought after by companies for its efficiency, making skills in Dart highly valuable.
- Seamless Integration: Utilizing the BLoC architecture for seamless Firebase integration, HERD benefits from rapid client-server communication, essential for a real-time social media experience.
HERD is driven by a commitment to ensure users see what they and their communities genuinely want, not just what algorithms predict. This philosophy is operationalized through:
- Ranked Choice Algorithm: Users have the power to downvote content they deem negative or undesirable, ensuring a more positive and relevant content feed.
- Dual Feeds for Enhanced Privacy and Interaction:
- A Private Feed for interactions with friends and family, ensuring personal moments are shared with those who matter most.
- A Public Feed with a hidden identity or persona, encouraging global interactions without compromising user privacy.
Developing HERD has been an enriching journey, teaching me valuable lessons in:
- Large-scale application development and the importance of efficient code management.
- Advanced collaboration techniques, thanks to working with a talented team.
- Ensuring user authentication security.
- Implementing real-time database updates with streams and futures.
- Architectural best practices, specifically the MVVM Design Pattern.
- Principles of graphic design for mobile applications.
As life's responsibilities grow, maintaining and updating the framework has become challenging. To address this, I've decided to:
- Make the current repository public, inviting contributions and feedback.
- Undertake a complete rebuild of the project from scratch, applying lessons learned to enhance the application. The next version will be kept private initially but contributions are welcome.
The development of HERD has allowed me to deepen my expertise in a variety of technologies and methodologies, including:
- Flutter & Dart: For building a cross-platform application with a seamless user experience.
- Firebase: Leveraging Firebase for authentication, database, and hosting services.
- BLoC Architecture: For managing the app's state and ensuring a responsive and scalable application.
- Ranked Choice Algorithm: Custom algorithm implementation for content curation based on user preferences.
- Security: Implementing robust user authentication and data protection measures.
- Real-Time Updates: Utilizing streams and futures for immediate content updates and interactions.
- MVVM Design Pattern: Ensuring a clean separation of concerns for more maintainable code.
The journey of HERD is ongoing, and I welcome anyone passionate about changing how social media platforms operate to contribute. Let's build a social media environment where content is democratically chosen, and user privacy is paramount.
Note: The current public repository is not the final version of HERD, which remains a work in progress. My wedding website is the only project I've completed to date.