Browser Extension Project

A browser extension is a small piece of software that is added onto a browser for all kinds of purposes including those made for productivity,accessibility,and entertainment. For those who use Chrome as their browser users can go to The Chrome Web Store to explore and download these extensions. I, along with my team: Jacob Padilla and Lulu Zhuu, worked on developing one such extension.

Our extension is called Meowtivation and is an open-source MIT-licensed browser extension designed to provide motivation to students studying by allowing them to simply click on the extension and be greeted with an inspiration cat gif.

Process

The hardest part of this process was brainstorming and agreeing on our final idea for this project. We wanted something that was within our ability to develop but was also going to contribute something worthwhile to a users experience on the internet.

Luckily, Jacob came up with the idea for having an extension that would be inspirational for students such as us. We were able to agree on an idea, a plan, and a name, and so Meowtivation was born.

Lulu created the initial README.md form as well as the repository. Meanwhile, I initialized the CONTRIBUTING.md and wrote our Code of Conduct. This was a very educational process for me as I was unexperienced with the files necessary for an open source project. I eventually settled on the Contributor Covenant as I felt it best suited out project and the future we imagined for it.

While the code needed to fetch from an API was being developed by Jacob, I and Lulu set out on enhancing our README.md with a custom logo. Based on the aesthetics in our logo I created a css file to match those same themes in the extension itself.

Meowtivation – A Purr-fect Study Companion!

I also created a discussion board where users and contributors can add feedback, comments, and concerns outside of making an issue request using the template that was created by Jacob.

Overall, creating a browser extension was a rewarding experience because it allowed for our team to not only work together but also discover and develop new skills that will transfer over to future projects.