ZotWee

ZotWee started from a very simple and very real problem. During an ICS 31 lecture in PCB, I suddenly needed to find a bathroom but had no idea where the nearest one was. After talking with friends, I realized this was a common issue, especially for new students who are not yet familiar with campus. That moment led to the idea for ZotWee.

ZotWee is a web application that helps students quickly find nearby gender-neutral bathrooms on campus. The app shows the user’s current location on a map and highlights all known gender-neutral restrooms with interactive markers. When a user clicks a button, ZotWee finds the closest bathroom and displays the most efficient walking route to get there. Each bathroom marker also includes additional details such as the exact room location and whether the restroom is ADA-compliant.

We built ZotWee by first collecting and organizing campus restroom data into a JavaScript dataset. Using the Google Maps API and Google Directions API, we handled location tracking, map rendering, and walking route calculations. We added custom markers and pop-ups using HTML to clearly display bathroom information directly on the map. One of our biggest technical challenges was routing. We initially used Leaflet with satellite maps, but after many hours of work we discovered it did not support pedestrian paths. With limited time left, we switched to Google Maps and rewrote our routing logic to match the new API.

Despite losing team members before the hackathon even began, I am most proud of how quickly we adapted and delivered a working product. ZotWee was my first real experience with front-end development and API integration, and it taught me how to debug unfamiliar systems and stay calm under time pressure. In the future, I would like to add user accounts, allow bathroom ratings, and expand the amount of information available for each restroom to make ZotWee even more helpful for the campus community.