In the world of GDGoC community events, "Study Jams Swag Day" is both the most anticipated and the most dreaded day of the year.
At GDG on Campus (RCCIIT), we’ve historically dealt with the "Distribution Headache." Imagine 100+ excited students lining up in a narrow corridor, while three organizers frantically scroll through a 100+-row Excel sheet, squinting at screen glare to find a name, confirm a T-shirt size, and manually mark a "Yes" in a column. It was slow, prone to human error, and—honestly—a bit chaotic.
As the current Lead, I knew we needed a better way. We needed a system that was fast, secure, and most importantly, unbreakable.
🛠️ The Tech Stack: Building for Speed
To solve this, I built a dedicated QR Swag Distribution System.
- Frontend: Next.js 16 with a premium, mobile-first UI.
- Backend: Firebase (Firestore & Auth) for real-time synchronization.
- Communication: Automated email triggers using Nodemailer to send unique QR codes to every participant.
Key Features Under the Hood:
- Instant QR Verification: Each participant receives a unique QR code in their inbox. One scan at the desk instantly pulls up their name and, most importantly, their T-shirt size in giant, unmistakable text.
- Double Redemption Prevention: The system performs a real-time check. If a QR code is scanned twice, it flashes a bright red warning. No "accidental" double claims.
- Audit Trails: Every single "Claim" action is logged. We know exactly which admin processed which participant at what millisecond. This isn't just for tracking; it’s for accountability.
- Privacy First: We didn't just use public IDs. Every QR link contains a unique security token. No one can "guess" another participant's ID to steal their swag.
🚧 Overcoming the "In-the-Field" Bugs
Building the software is only 50% of the battle. The other 50% is how it behaves when 100 people are staring at you.
During development and testing, we hit some classic "real-world" bugs:
- Mobile Scrolling: Our initial modal for confirming claims had a "scroll lock" bug where long content was cut off on smaller phones.
- The "Fat Finger" Problem: On mobile, radio buttons and buttons were too small for high-speed clicking. We refactored the UI to ensure the entire card was clickable, making the process "blind-friendly" for organizers in a rush.
- Auth Hiccups: Ensuring admins could stay logged in securely while switching between scanning and list views required a robust Firebase Auth implementation.
⚡ The Result: 70/100 in 30 Minutes
The true test came during our recent event. The results were staggering:
We distributed swags to over 70 people in under 30 minutes.
That’s roughly 25 seconds per person—including the time it took for the participant to find their email, the scan to process, and the physical handover of the T-shirt. No manual typing, no "Wait, what was your email again?", and zero disputes.
🤝 A Legacy for Future Leads
One of my core goals as the Lead Organiser of GDGoC RCC is to leave the "campsite" better than I found it.
Previous teams spent hours fiddling with spreadsheets. By building and documenting this system, I’m ensuring that the next generation of leads at RCC doesn't have to deal with that headache. This tool is now part of our core infrastructure—meaning future teams can focus on the event itself, not the logistics.
Moving from Excel to a custom-built solution wasn't just about the "cool factor"—it was about respect for our participants' time and our team's sanity.
Onwards to the next 100! 🚀
Created with ❤️ by the GDGoC RCC Lead.