SociableUTA

Posted on by Steven McDermott

Team Name

SociableUTA

Timeline

Summer 2025 – Fall 2025

Students

  • Maegan Demers – Software Engineering
  • Joshua Gichaba – Computer Science
  • Ethan Le – Computer Science
  • Oyebola Oyewunmi – Computer Science
  • Wendolee Villegas – Computer Science

Sponsor

UTA CSE Department

Abstract

SociableUTA is a web-based platform that centralizes social media management for individuals and teams. It allows users to create, schedule, and track posts across multiple platforms from a single dashboard. Key features include post creation, cross-platform scheduling, a content calendar, analytics, and collaborative tools. The prototype successfully implements core functionality for Instagram and Facebook, providing an efficient, organized, and time-saving solution for social media management.

Background

Managing multiple social media accounts can be time-consuming and inefficient, as users must repeatedly post similar content across different platforms while monitoring engagement metrics individually. Existing tools either focus on single-platform management or offer limited integration and analytics. SociableUTA was developed to address these challenges by providing a single, user-friendly interface where posts can be created, scheduled, and analyzed, helping individuals and small teams maintain a consistent social media presence without unnecessary manual effort.

Project Requirements

  • Post Creation & Scheduling: Users can create posts and schedule them on multiple platforms simultaneously.
  • Calendar View: Interactive timeline of scheduled and past posts for planning and tracking.
  • Analytics Dashboard: Visual summaries of engagement, follower growth, and audience trends.
  • Collaboration: Multiple users can work on drafts and scheduled posts together.
  • Draft Management: Save, edit, and organize posts by status (draft, scheduled, published).
  • Secure Authentication: OAuth 2.0 for API access and encrypted storage of sensitive user data.
  • Performance: Dashboard loads within 3 seconds; post scheduling confirms in 2 seconds.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility: Works on modern browsers across desktop and mobile devices.
  • Maintainability: Version-controlled code repository with modular design for future expansion.
  • User-Friendly Interface: Intuitive navigation and minimal training required for core functionality.

Design Constraints

  • Accessibility: Platform follows WCAG 2.1 standards to ensure usability for users with disabilities.
  • Functionality: Core features (post creation, scheduling, calendar, analytics) must operate reliably across supported platforms.
  • Extensibility: System designed with modular architecture to add new platforms, analytics, or features with minimal disruption.
  • Usability: Intuitive interface with clear navigation for users of varying technical expertise.
  • Schedule: Prototype deadlines limited implementation of X, LinkedIn, and inbox functionality.
  • Maintainability: Codebase organized with clear documentation to support future development and updates.
  • Standards Compliance: Security, authentication, and web development standards must be met without sacrificing usability.

Engineering Standards

  • Authentication & Encryption/Security Standards
    • Enforced by: OWASP / NIST
    • Standard: Use best practices for secure user authentication, session handling, and data encryption.
    • Project Compliance: OAuth 2.0 is used for third-party APIs, and sensitive user data is encrypted during storage and transmission.
  • Programming/Web Development Standards
    • Enforced by: W3C / WCAG 2.1 / REST API guidelines
    • Standard: Web applications must be accessible, responsive, and follow RESTful API design.
    • Project Compliance: SociableUTA meets WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards, supports responsive design, and interacts with APIs using REST principles.
  • Common Engineering Standards
    • Enforced by: IEEE / ISO
    • Standard: Maintain structured documentation, modular design, and software testing best practices.
    • Project Compliance: Source code follows modular architecture; testing was performed for post creation, scheduling, and analytics features.
  • OSHA Compliance
    • Enforced by: OSHA
    • Standard: Maintain a safe digital work environment for users and developers.
    • Project Compliance: System prevents misuse (rate-limiting, spam prevention), ensuring safe interaction with connected platforms.
  • Building Codes (ADA, Web Accessibility)
    • Enforced by: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines
    • Standard: Digital accessibility standards to ensure inclusive design.
    • Project Compliance: Color contrast, keyboard navigation, and semantic HTML elements ensure compliance with accessibility requirements.

System Overview

SociableUTA consists of three main user-facing components:

  1. Calendar Page: Displays scheduled and past posts in a visual timeline; users can edit or reschedule posts.
  2. Posts Page: Draft creation, editing, scheduling, and post review in a single interface.
  3. Analytics Page: Provides engagement metrics, follower growth trends, and post performance insights.

Backend Services:

  • Designed for modularity and future expansion to additional platforms, inbox features, and advanced analytics.
  • Manages API connections to social media platforms, stores user and post data securely, and supports collaborative editing.

Results

The prototype successfully achieved post creation, scheduling, collaboration, analytics display, and calendar updates. Past and scheduled posts can be viewed and managed efficiently. Integration with X and LinkedIn, as well as inbox functionality, were not completed and are planned for future development.

Future Work

  • Integration with additional platforms such as LinkedIn and X.
  • Unified inbox for cross-platform messaging.
  • Advanced audience analytics, including sentiment analysis and engagement heatmaps.

Project Files

Project Charter
System Requirements Specification
Architectural Design Specification
Detailed Design Specification
Poster

References

  • Meta for Developers. Facebook Graph API & Instagram Graph API. https://developers.facebook.com
  • LinkedIn Developer Platform. LinkedIn Oauth 2.0 (Authorization Code Flow). https://developer.linkedin.com
  • MongoDB, Inc. MongoDB & Mongoose Documentation. https://docs.mongodb.com
  • Express.js. Express.js Guide. https://expressjs.com
  • React. React Documentation. https://tailwindcss.com/docs
  • Tailwind CSS. Tailwind CSS Documentation. https://vercel.com/docs
  • Node.js. Node.js Documentation.  https://nodejs.org/en/docs
  • Vercel. Vercel Hosting Platform. https://vercel.com/docs
  • Render. Render Hosting Platform. https://render.com/docs

Steven McDermott

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