Ideaz

Every one of us has faced inconveniences during our hostel stay. It could have been roommate issues, noisy neighbours, or maintenance troubles. Today, I want to offer a solution to at least one of these problems.

When I moved into the hostel, my cupboard came with a very rusty closet rod. As someone with very sensitive skin, I started getting rashes as the rust fell on my clothes. Sharing bathroom stalls with dozens of people can be frustrating, especially when cleaning or repairs take longer than expected. Like many others, I quickly discovered that maintenance issues - from broken fixtures to leaky pipes - can become a daily inconvenience when repairs aren’t addressed promptly. 

We did have a solution: A physical complaint register. We had to fill it up if we had any problems, and the warden would then place a request with the repairman to fix the issue.

The existing solution, however, came with its own set of challenges. Firstly, we had no idea when the repairman would come to fix an issue. This left room for embarrassing moments like plumbers walking into the bathroom while it was in use, or carpenters entering rooms while students were changing.

These are very common issues for people living in hostel accommodations. Many have even come to see these “minor inconveniences” as a normal part of hostel life. Funnily enough, all of these inconveniences can be resolved with a very simple solution: an app.

On this app, students will be able to directly report their concerns and upload pictures with a description of their issue. The repairman will instantly be notified of the issue, eliminating the middleman communication that causes delays. But where does AI come into play here? We can smartly implement an AI to optimise the repairman’s schedule, minimizing the number of trips he needs to make. The schedule can be made publicly visible, giving everyone an exact time of when said issue will be resolved while preventing embarrassing moments for all parties. The AI model can also be used to organise the tasks based priority with higher priority issues being pushed up. This also helps out the wardens and other support staff who would otherwise have to manually categorise all these tasks.

A simple app like this can have a huge impact on one’s hostel stay. It is not just a solution for the residents, but improves the lives of the repairmen, the wardens, the cleaners and all the staff involved in hostel maintenance.