MenMore: Bringing Community Closer with Technology

Overview#

MenMore is a mobile application developed for Cardinia's Men's Shed, an organization that supports men by fostering community engagement, skill-sharing, and social well-being. The app serves as a digital hub, providing tools for managing sessions, tracking attendance, and streamlining communications within the organization.

Before MenMore, event management and attendance tracking were done manually, which led to inefficiencies and mismanagement. The goal of this project was to build a modern, scalable, and user-friendly solution that makes community coordination seamless.

Project Goals#

The main objectives of the project were:
✅ Automate Administrative Tasks – Reduce manual effort in session management and attendance tracking.
✅ Enhance User Engagement – Provide members with real-time notifications and easy access to upcoming events.
✅ Ensure Accessibility – Create an intuitive design that is easy to use for all age groups.
✅ Optimize Performance – Improve data retrieval and UI responsiveness for a smooth experience.

Architecture#

MenMore follows a modular, API-driven architecture, making it scalable, flexible, and easy to maintain.

System Overview#

Frontend (React Native)
- Provides a seamless mobile experience across iOS and Android.
- Fetches and displays real-time data from Strapi CMS.
- Integrates with Firebase for authentication and push notifications.
Backend (Strapi CMS)
- Serves as a headless CMS, managing all dynamic content (sessions, events, attendance).
- Provides a secure API for the mobile app to fetch and update data.
- Supports role-based access to restrict sensitive operations.
Database (PostgreSQL)
- Stores structured data efficiently.
- Optimized for fast queries and high availability.

High-Level Architecture Diagram#

How Strapi Was Used for Database Management#

Strapi played a crucial role as a headless CMS and backend for MenMore, allowing dynamic content management without requiring backend development from scratch.

Dynamic Content & API Management#

Strapi provided REST & GraphQL APIs that the mobile app consumed for fetching event details, attendance records, and user profiles.
Built-in role-based access control (RBAC) ensured that only authorized admins could modify critical data.

Content Modeling for Sessions & Events#

Strapi allowed me to define custom content models for:

Sessions: Title, date, location, speaker, description, max capacity.
Attendance: User ID, session ID, check-in time, check-out time.
Users: Profile details, role (admin, member), notifications preferences.

Media & File Handling#

Strapi’s media library made it easy to manage session images, user avatars, and event posters.
Integrated with Firebase for scalable and cost-effective file storage.

Secure Authentication & User Management#

Used JWT-based authentication for secure access.
Configured custom permissions to control which users can create, edit, or delete sessions.

Features#

Session & Event Management#

Session management: Handling user login/logout, creating and managing activity sessions.
Attendance tracking: Tracking member attendance for enrolled activities.
Time contribution recording: Recording the time contributions of enrolled members in each activity.
Session reporting: Generating comprehensive session summaries and performance reports.

Automated Notifications & Reminders#

Push notifications for session reminders and updates.
Email alerts for important announcements.

WireFrames#

Learnings and Takeaways#

Building Scalable Architectures – Learned how to design a modular and API-first backend using Strapi.
Optimizing for Performance – Implemented caching strategies that improved app responsiveness and efficiency
Cross-Team Collaboration – Worked closely with stakeholders to ensure the app met real-world user needs.
Database Optimization – Improved query performance using PostgreSQL indexing and optimized API responses.

Final Thoughts#

Developing MenMore was a rewarding and impactful experience. It challenged me to think critically about system architecture, database design, and real-time performance.

By leveraging React Native for cross-platform development, Strapi for backend management, and Firebase for real-time notifications, I was able to build a scalable, high-performance solution that truly enhances community engagement.

💡 Excited for more challenges ahead! 🚀