GalaGuide

This project explores how to unify several everyday campus workflows into one application. Instead of treating event discovery, reservations, communication, and scheduling as separate tools, GalaGuide brings them together in a single cross-platform desktop system for campus users.

The project was built as a full-stack software engineering effort, with a frontend based on Electron and Vue, a backend based on Ktor, and an additional AI component maintained separately in the repository.

What I did

• Helped design and build a cross-platform campus productivity application.
• Worked on an integrated system for event management and reservations.
• Contributed to a product that combined backend services, desktop frontend development, and AI-assisted features.
• Participated in a team software engineering workflow with production-style repository structure and contribution practices.

System overview

GalaGuide is designed as a campus companion rather than a single-purpose tool. Its core modules include:

• Event management, with recommendations, search, registration, notifications, and step-by-step participation guidance.
• Reservation management, designed for both personal and group use.
• Live chat, including group chat and real-time message updates.
• Forum features, including posting, replying, voting, search, and filtering.
• AI assistant features, including recommendations, chat interaction, and voice support.
• Interactive map functionality, including event locations, navigation, and location tracking.
• Calendar support for managing upcoming events and reservations. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

What makes the project strong for a portfolio is that it is clearly a system integration project. It is not just a frontend mockup and not just a backend API. It combines interface design, application logic, real-time communication, assistant-style features, and campus-specific workflows in one product.

Technical highlights

A notable part of the repository is its multi-component architecture. The codebase is split into a frontend, backend, and AI module, which reflects a more realistic software engineering structure than a single monolithic student project. The frontend is launched through Electron, the backend runs through Gradle/Ktor, and the AI module is installed and served separately in Python. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}

This makes the project a good example of:

• desktop application engineering,
• multi-service coordination,
• feature-rich product design,
• and team-based software development.

Main outcome

The final result was a working prototype of a campus event and reservation manager that aimed to support the full user journey: discovering activities, signing up, reserving shared resources, navigating to locations, discussing events with others, and keeping track of commitments through a calendar-style workflow.

Course context

GalaGuide was originally developed as a team project for CS304 Software Engineering at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech) in Spring 2024. The repository credits five team members, including you, and presents the project as an open-source MIT-licensed prototype.