FH-Room Checker V1FH-Room Checker V1

The key innovation is how the data is interpreted. Timetables describe occupied time, but students need “free time.” We reverse-engineered the schedule logic and built a backend that restructures the API output into an availability database: it keeps active classes visible while also calculating exactly when each room becomes available, then surfaces the best options first for quick wayfinding and decision-making.

The hardest part was turning messy real-world schedule data into reliable availability. We built a Laravel/PHP backend, created a new database layer, and handled edge cases like overlaps, gaps, and find and show only usable. As our app was accessible to some of the students it let us conduct wide user testing with over 25 university Students, we iterated heavily to reduce page count and keep “less is more,” while adding invisible quality details like changing back to the live date ,when the user’s select a date, when they return, so the experience stays predictable and does not confuse users.

We delivered a working system with a backend pipeline plus a streamlined front-end that lets students locate free rooms quickly, check schedules, and plan short study sessions without guessing. Adoption started even during testing, with classmates and other students using the prototype to coordinate group work and find study spaces. The app reduced time wasted walking between floors and increased confidence in room choice because availability and schedules were visible before entering.