UrAnswers

UrAnswers was my first website intended for public use, created shortly after arriving at Duke University. It served as my introduction to American entrepreneurship, though I now view it as an instructive failure that provided valuable lessons.

The concept was straightforward: a location-based Q&A platform where Duke students could post questions and receive answers from others in their vicinity. To encourage participation, I implemented a gamified system where answering questions unlocked the ability to view other people's answers, theoretically driving engagement and contributions.

From a technical perspective, I built the platform using React for the frontend, with Firestore handling the database functions. I integrated OpenAI's API to validate answer quality and ensure content moderation, and deployed the complete solution using AWS and Netlify.

The development process included conducting user interviews to validate the concept and working with a mentor from my entrepreneurship class. While I was satisfied with the technical implementation, the project ultimately provided a crucial insight: social media platforms require exceptional innovation to succeed as viable business models, particularly in already saturated markets.

Despite not achieving widespread adoption, UrAnswers remains a significant milestone in my development journey - a foundational experience that shaped my approach to subsequent projects with more unique value propositions.