TalkZone: A Video-Calling/Casting Media Android Application

Programming is like solving a logic puzzle; for me, the real joy in coding is navigating through the twists and turns at each step of the problem-solving process. As a beginner, I developed my own versions of classical games like _Angry Birds_, _Flappy Bird_, _Snake_, and _Tetris_ for the mere fun of it, frequently tackling logical problems like how to go about writing optimal algorithms and how to reduce space and time complexities if possible (i.e., the amount of time and computer memory it takes to run a piece of code). Moreover, debugging my code engaged me to brainstorm creative solutions to find the reason behind errors amidst thousands of lines of code—like a mystery game! Wanting to make a bigger impact in my work, however, I eventually turned away from video game development and pursued application development in the hopes of easing day-to-day activity for us all, starting with my family.

My mother and my grandmother video call each other regularly, discussing their day-to-day experiences. After seeing them having difficulties communicating with each other on small, difficult to see phone screens, I decided to work with a group of friends to develop an Android application to enable them to cast their screens to larger television screens instead.

Throughout the development process, our constant communication helped us learn more about our strengths and weaknesses and focus our expertise on the tasks most suited for our skill sets. For example, after trying to build the user interface to meet one of our self-imposed deadlines, I realized my designs were not intuitive and someone else’s was more user-friendly. So, I prioritized the underlying logic while one of my friends oversaw the application’s user interface.

Besides the growth of my technical coding capabilities, this project ultimately taught me skills like how to get feedback from the people I work with, how to make most of my team’s individual experiences, and learning to be adaptable when things do not go according to plan. Discussion of feature implementation with my friends and family was also valuable—it made the development process engaging and helped design features we never thought of independently.

We design our creations, and our creations design us (specifically our minds). As we consider making a blueprint and schematic of the system, it forces us to think outside of the box, changing our neural pathways and enhancing connections between neurons.

If you were interested, see this link for more information about TalkZone.