TapList #

By Big Hero 6: Adam Shamaa, Anees Al-Saggaf, Kristof Sochan, Kushal Mujral, Owen Gallagher, Ryan Guo

App Demo Video:

The Problem & Solution #

Managing waitlists in busy venues like restaurants, gyms, or arcades is a persistent challenge. Most businesses either rely on inefficient and error-prone pen-and-paper systems or worse, don’t manage the crowd at all.

In comes TapList, which is a general-purpose waitlisting app designed to eliminate the friction of physical waiting lines. The app leverages NFC, replacing inefficient manual systems with a simple-to-use tap-to-join experience that mandates physical presence and ensures fairness for everyone in line.

For Attendees: Simply tap your phone on an NFC station to join the queue. Track your real-time position and estimated wait time without being tethered to a physical line. Receive push notifications when it’s your turn, giving you the freedom to do what you want while waiting.

For Operators: Transform any physical space into an organized station using cheap, easily available NFC tags. Configure custom rules, like timeouts or party size limits, and monitor real-time queue analytics to make better business decisions.

Tech & Architecture #

Our system is robust and scalable, designed to stay synchronized across every device.

• Serverless Firebase Backend: Auto-scaling Firestore and Cloud Functions handle queue logic. By embedding queue structures directly inside station documents, we achieve single-read atomic transactions.
• Facade: A FirestoreRepository Facade abstracts complex Firebase transactions, keeping our UI entirely separated from backend details.
• Real-Time Observer Pattern: Using Firestore’s live listeners, the database acts as the Subject. When an operator updates a queue, all attendee devices update instantly without manual refreshing.

“TapList eliminates the friction of physical waiting.”