StockVest: App Project

January 19th, 2024
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Introduction

Our group developed an Android stock-trading application. We aimed to provide novice traders with an intuitive, risk-free platform to simulate stock trading, utilizing real-time stock data. The project combined both frontend and backend elements, and was designed using the MVVM architecture.

Project Scope and Objective

The core objective was to create a stock trading app with features like real-time stock data, simulated trading, and user portfolios. Additionally, we implemented optional features like price change notifications and a multi-market system to enhance the user experience.
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Key Contributions

  1. Backend Development: We developed a custom Stock API that scraped data from Yahoo Finance, processed it with Python using Selenium and Beautiful Soup, and stored it in a PostgreSQL database. This API powered the app’s stock data display.
  2. Frontend Development: The frontend utilized Jetpack Compose for the UI, with clear navigation flows and design elements focused on user experience and simplicity, including features like a clear buy/sell interface and a navigation bar with visual feedback.
  3. Simulated Trading and Firebase Integration: We integrated Firebase to manage user accounts, portfolios, and transactions. Our simulated trading feature allowed users to buy and sell stocks using real-time data fetched from our API, all while being saved securely in Firebase.
  4. Testing and Debugging: Extensive stress testing was performed to ensure the app’s stability under heavy use, and significant bugs were fixed, improving responsiveness and system resource usage.

Key Achievements

  • Real-Time Stock Data: The app displayed up-to-date stock prices with detailed stock views and performance graphs.
  • Simulated Trading: Users could perform real-time stock trades using Firebase, offering a realistic stock trading experience without financial risk.
  • Efficient and Stable Performance: The app was optimized to reduce crashes and system load, achieving significant performance improvements during stress tests.

Final Outcome and Reflection

The project was successful, meeting all core requirements and exceeding expectations with additional features like price change notifications and user-friendly design. Through this project, we gained hands-on experience with real-time data integration, app development, and team collaboration, preparing us for future software engineering challenges.