Computing 2 Zillow Project
Team members:
[Bailin Kirk]
Our project was meant to create a new way to use Zillow. A more streamlined and user-minded way. We decided the best way to do this was to implement ways for the user to increase their search speed and understanding. We implemented an API that will search and scrape Zillows active webpage to give the user specific data that meets their criteria. We implemented a map that would allow the user to visualize the properties while searching. We also created a tool for contractors as well. The contractor can input their desired construction project and it will give an estimated listing price to help them understand if it will be feasible or not.
This ties into Industrial engineering multiple ways. Our goal was to optimize the user experience. This meant minimizing the amount of time searching and maximizing the amount of usability and understanding for the users. We were able to do this using our understanding of Java code and our newly found understanding of advanced code techniques such as APIs and JavaScript code. The user interface is intended to replace the need to access zillow. This can bypass the mess of ads and sponsored content, which is great for a professional environment such as a Realtor or a property developer.
We learned a lot throughout the whole project. We learned a lot about implementing APIs within java code. This seemed impossible at first but became a lot more clear with enough research into the topic. An API is the best route to go when dealing with such a large data set that is always changing. We also had to train a random forest model for our listing price predictor. This was important as there are so many small things that can change the value of a property. This being trained rather than just being a random calculation allows for the data set to be changed and expanded on in the future. This would be useful when a new Zillow scrape is done.
Our original goal for the project was to basically just create Zillow. As we went on, we felt like we could do a better job than Zillow so we began to be unique and different than them. We hit a major roadblock with our map though. Vaadin had depreciated the heatmap part in 2020. This meant we had to find another way to create it. We did a lot od research into this and eventually found a solution. We were worried that we would have to give up our goal but we are thankful we were able to find a solution to this. Our project blew our expectations out of the water. I have never enjoyed a class project more until this moment. I feel like this was a great example of a real world problem and a real world solution. This felt like it could be a work project assigned within the future of our careers.
My main part of the project was getting the API to work. We both went into this project without any understanding of an API so this was my big task. This started out with the help of AI giving me multiple examples so I could see trends and things that were required to get this all working properly. The API became my pride and joy throughout the whole project. Everything we tried to do, I tried to run through the API just to see how far we could push our limits. We even went as far as to add a GeoCoding API into the code as well. This took the address from Zillow and converted it into coordinates for our heat map. We really were happy with this and enjoyed pushing the boundaries of an API.
(API.png)
API implementation
This project really gave us the freedom to understand teamwork and problem solving together. We both learned a lot from the project. This helped us slow down and focus on one task at a time rather than the whole project. Without that, we wouldve been stressing. I learned a lot personally about advanced code logic and learned how to make everything happen faster within our project. There were some things we didnt learn in class that I used as they were ways to help make the whole process more streamlined and easier to code. This project really did push us but made it fun. I feel way more confident in my abilities to say yes to a difficult project in the workplace now that I was able to prove to myself that I can do it even if it seems beyond my capabilities.
User Guide
Final Project Overview
Citation Document