Project Overview

Revolutionizing the reimbursement process for train travel in Germany.

  • Project Title: Refund Hero
  • Duration: 202
  • Role: Creator and Lead Developer
  • Technologies Used: React, Django, BootstrapCSS, AWS, MySQL

Problem Statement and Objectives

  • Problem Description: Traditionally, to claim a refund for train travel delays with Deutsche Bahn (DB), passengers had to manually fill out forms and mail them, a time-intensive and cumbersome process.
  • Project Objectives: To automate and digitize the reimbursement process, making it more efficient and user-friendly.
  • Target Audience/Market: Train travelers in Europe, particularly users looking for a convenient way to claim refunds.

Challenges and Solutions

  • Key Challenges: The primary challenge was scraping and recording every train journey in Europe to determine delays accurately.
  • Solutions Developed: Developed an automated lookup service that tracked train delays and managed bulk-posting of refund requests to DB.
  • Impact of Solutions: The automation would have drastically simplified the refund process for users.

Development Process

  • Lifecycle Overview: I pioneered this project from conception through development, overcoming technical and market viability challenges.
  • Phases of Development: Included system design, building the scraper, developing the back-end and front-end, and setting up hosting solutions.
  • Collaboration: Worked independently, leveraging my multi-disciplinary skills.

Achievements and Outcomes

  • Milestones: Successfully created a functional prototype and automated significant portions of the refund process.
  • Final Outcomes: Despite a promising solution, the project was discontinued due to market changes and preemptive announcements by DB.
  • Personal Learning: Learned a great deal about rapid innovation and the importance of market validation before sunsetting a project.

Visuals and Demonstrations

  • Screenshots/Diagrams: [Include visuals and screenshots demonstrating the solution. #todo]
  • Live Demos/Repositories: Unfortunately, due to the project's cancellation, there are no live demos or repositories to showcase.

Conclusion

  • Project Impact: Refund Hero had the potential to transform the way travelers claimed refunds, but its potential went unrealized due to DB's parallel initiative.
  • Career Reflection: This project was a testament to my passion for chasing innovative solutions and my agility in responding to real-world problems, despite the challenging outcome.

Reflecting on Refund Hero, it is a stark reminder of the unpredictability of market needs and timing in the tech industry. Though it wasn't launched, the project sharpened my skills and broadened my vision, reinforcing my drive to make an impact through technology.