Code Together

Overview

Code Together is a web-based platform designed to help university students learn coding in a more interactive and collaborative way. It’s a version control system tailored for education, where students can compare their code, work on assignments with professors, and build a community around coding. The goal is to make programming tasks easier and more engaging, turning coding from a struggle into a more captivating shared experience.

This project included defining requirements, selecting technologies, and developing a functional database along with the entire UI.

UI/UX Designer, Frontend Developer

Role

1 UI/UX designer and frontend developer
1 backend developer

Team

8 months

Duration

Problem definition

The challenge was to create a platform that would appeal to university students and give teachers a way to gather all their assignments and class code in one place.

While other version control platforms exist, they’re often too complex and packed with features that aren't necessary for this context. The goal was to build something simpler with just the right features, making sure everything worked smoothly and met the needs of both students and teachers.

The development

Throughout the project, the roles of backend and frontend developer gradually blended to support each other. The timeline began with setting up the core functionalities of the application, understanding key requirements, and then developing a basic skeleton of the app. The development followed the MERN full stack technology.

MERN full stack technology

The database was defined and set up, and once all the data was connected, the UI was created with a focus on a minimalistic, school-appropriate style that wouldn’t feel too "new" or unfamiliar for students.

Solution

Students can create an account using their university email, while professors can create an account that functions as an admin of the platform.
Professors can publish source code—whether it’s the base code demonstrated in class or a starting point for student assignments.
Students can create their own versions of the professor’s source code, freely editing and changing it, with automatic code formatting.
A built-in chat feature allows users to comment on each other's code and share feedback.