Case study · Mobile developer

Binner — Bin Finder Application

A Flutter mobile application that helps people find the nearest public bin using live map data.

Timeframe
2024 · Mobile development coursework
Team & role
Small team · my role: mobile developer

Context

Public bins are hard to find in unfamiliar areas, and existing map data for them is incomplete.

Problem

  • Static datasets go stale quickly; bins are moved or removed.
  • Rendering hundreds of pins on a phone map hurts performance.

Approach

  1. 01

    Community-verified data

    Users can add a bin or confirm an existing one, so accuracy improves with usage instead of decaying.

  2. 02

    Clustered map rendering

    Markers are clustered by zoom level and only the visible viewport is queried, keeping the map smooth on mid-range phones.

Architecture & stack

  • Flutter + Maps API with geolocation permissions handled per platform.
  • Distance sorting computed from the device location on demand.
  • Flutter
  • Dart
  • Maps API
  • Geolocation

Outcome

  • Nearest-bin lookup in a couple of taps, with routing handed off to the map app.

What I learned

  • Location permissions and empty states matter as much as the happy path in mobile UX.