Web Application
Good Tree Institute is a community nonprofit organization that fosters connection and personal discovery through the Quran. I was recently hired by the organization to provide technical support. One of my assignments was to update their course participation database.
The course participation database was originally in an Excel spreadsheet that contained several PivotTables across multiple worksheets. The primary administrator using the database liked how easy it was to input data, however, it wasn't always easy figuring out which participants have completed which courses.
Research
In researching existing, affordable options, I discovered Google AppSheet - a no-code development platform for creating web applications. I used an AppSheet template to create a web app that is connected to the database, which I migrated over to Google Sheets. The default user interface was aesthetically appealing. However, I had limited control over editing the user interface components and page-to-page functionality.
I went back to researching options and came across Google's JavaScript platform called Apps Script. So I proposed that I create a web application from scratch.
Development
Prior to this project, I did not have experience developing applications in HTML, CSS, or JavaScript. I watched tutorials on YouTube, learned how to navigate the Google Apps Script development environment, and utilized templates & code snippets from W3Schools to start designing the web application.
I based the designs off of certain features from the web app I created in Google AppSheet, which was constricted to a one-column layout. Because I now had control over the entire design of the web app, I used a 2-column layout for certain pages.
Good Tree Institute offers a series of 9 retreats called Seeds of Wisdom. The primary administrator uses the database to track who has completed and who is missing certain retreats plus other queries.
This 'Seeds of Wisdom Tracker' page was a major upgrade from what was present in the original Excel spreadsheet database. Previously, the administrator had to manually set filters to get the information she was looking for. And it was not possible to add this type of view to the web app in Google AppSheet, which was a big reason for proposing to personally design the web app database.
Now the administrator can easily filter out the data she needs using the toggle and radio button. This feature has exceeded her expectations.
Next Steps
Since having upgraded the database, there is a desire to add portals - one for participants to view their course history and one for instructors to manage participant attendance & grades. I have created mockups that align with the current design, and will begin implementing the designs soon.