This week, we officially started backend development, which feels like a huge milestone. We set up Firebase to handle account information like emails and passwords. Which is our first step toward making JAICE fully functional beyond the prototype.
I worked on the sign-up page, where users can now create their accounts. It checks that both email fields match and that no existing account is already using that email. Another teammate handled the sign-in page, and someone else added error messages so users can see exactly what went wrong if they have trouble logging in or signing up. Those little details make the whole experience feel smoother and more user-friendly.
I also created the shell UI for the sticky bar that appears at the top of every page. It shows which user is currently logged in and includes a search bar that can search across the entire app, not just the page you are on, though it has no functionality yet.
We also added quick sign-in with Google, which works great so far. We tried to add Microsoft, too, but Firebase made that process pretty tricky, so we decided to hold off for now. We only need one integration for testing anyway, especially once we start connecting the AI email parsing later.
Next week, we are planning to begin exploring the AI side of the project, not integrating it just yet, but researching models and figuring out how to make them fit into JAICE’s long-term plans.
