Why are you participating for Based LatAm?

I'm participating in the Based LatAm hackathon to create real-world impact through blockchain technology. I believe decentralized solutions can drive meaningful change, especially in our communities. By leveraging the power of Web3, I aim to solve everyday challenges in ways that are accessible and sustainable. This hackathon offers a perfect platform to turn innovative ideas into practical tools that help people connect, share resources, and unlock opportunities. I see this as a chance to collaborate with like-minded individuals and push forward solutions that bring the benefits of blockchain closer to everyday life.

What challenges are you focusing on?

The main challenges I'm addressing with ExtraDish are food waste and the difficulty of connecting people who have extra home-cooked meals with those in need of affordable, quick options. Cooking for two or three often leads to leftovers, which are either wasted or consumed in excess, neither of which is sustainable. Additionally, people with limited time or budget often struggle to find homemade meals, as there's no efficient platform for accessing them. Another challenge is trust in peer-to-peer transactions, where the quality of food and fairness of exchanges can be difficult to guarantee.

How does your submission address this challenge?

To solve these issues, ExtraDish leverages blockchain technology with conditional smart contracts. These contracts ensure secure and transparent transactions, releasing payments only when the meal has been collected and confirmed, reducing disputes and increasing trust. Cooks can list their extra meals in a gasless transaction, while buyers can reserve and pay for them using BASE tokens. This system not only helps reduce food waste but also fosters a community-driven approach where both parties benefit from the exchange.

Challenges I ran into

Building ExtraDish has been a journey full of challenges, from branding to integrating decentralized technology.

One of the initial challenges was naming and branding. Without a background in marketing, it was difficult to find a name that captured the essence of the platform. After exploring options, I chose "ExtraDish," a name that reflects the idea of sharing extra home-cooked meals. Choosing a color palette was another obstacle, as I’m not a designer. I needed to balance warmth for the home-cooked meal aspect with modernity for Web3 technology. I settled on soft pastel colors like green and peach to reflect the community-driven mission.

Designing the user interface also presented challenges. Although I’m not highly experienced in UX/UI, my product architecture background and knowledge of Figma helped me work through it. I needed to ensure the platform was intuitive for users unfamiliar with blockchain technology. Despite the steep learning curve, I managed to create a functional, user-friendly interface.

Smart contract development was another challenge. Even as a capable developer, building a secure, decentralized system for transactions in a short timeframe was tricky. Analyzing all potential use cases—locking funds, handling disputes—while ensuring security and transparency took time, but I was able to design effective smart contracts.

Integrating IPFS for decentralized image storage was also complex. Storing images on-chain would have been too expensive, so I opted for IPFS. While this integration took time to perfect, I was able to overcome the challenge and decentralize image storage.

Finally, integrating the smart contract with the frontend proved more difficult than expected. While the contract was ready early, issues arose when connecting it to the frontend, requiring several rounds of debugging to ensure smooth interaction. In the end, I successfully connected the two, ensuring the system worked as intended.