View

I built a data-driven dashboard to help my family stay organized.

The idea behind View was all about exposure--bringing otherwise hidden data out in the open. I love using Google Calendar to remember important events, but just like putting things into a drawer, they can easily fall into the category of "out of sight, out of mind." I wanted the flexibility and seamlessness of a calendar app with the simplicity of an old fashioned hanging wall calendar.

So I combined these concepts into a web app that could showcase not just upcoming events, but other pertinent information that would be helpful as I walked in or out the door. I then hung a monitor to display it right above our coat rack. It's worth noting I did this about a year before the Google Home Hub and Echo Spot were out on the market. To find out more about why I built View, check out my article on Medium. Or, check out my code on Github.

Photo of View in my apartment.

Design

I designed the interface to be digestible, modular, and fresh. Large typefaces and carefully organized data were the key to digestibility. I was able to achieve modularity through the use of React components arranged with CSS grid. And finally, I kept the UI from getting stale by cycling through relevant news articles.

Mockup of View's design.

Code

The key to View is actually its lack of interactivity. Being 100% powered by APIs, my wife and I can continue using our existing Google calendars and View magically stays up-to-date. It also displays current and upcoming weather, the status of our subway train, and of course the time.

List of APIs I used.

Voice

When the need for some interactivity arose, I looked to an integration between View's back-end and the Google Assistant API. This challenge allowed me to experiment with conversational UX and streamlining experiences through automation.

Graphic showing how I integrated with Google Home.