Every day, Udacity students are putting their skills to the test building apps of their own. To celebrate #NationalAppDay, we want to showcase some of the projects that Udacity students have built using skills they’ve learned in our courses.
Interestingly but not surprisingly, our students are building tech that seeks to solve key issues in fields such as public health, sustainability, and education. It’s inspiring to see that when Udacity students are given the skills to build anything, they prioritize projects that create a positive social impact. Read on to hear how they put the skills they learned at Udacity to work making a difference.
App Developer: Daniel Cook
App: Body Measurement & BMI Tracker
Inspiration: “I was looking for a simple application that would allow me to track my body measurements, estimate my BMI and body fat percentage, but I couldn’t find anything to meet my needs. So I went ahead and built it myself.”
Skills learned and skills used: “I used the Android development skills I learned at Udacity to build this app. It includes data persistence and cloud sync with Firebase Realtime Database to drive the most critical app features. The app also incorporates Firebase Cloud Messaging, Firebase Remote Config for A/B testing and Firebase Analytics for application measurement.”
Challenges faced: “One of the earliest challenges I faced building this application was poor ratings and user retention. I decided to make it easy for users to email my directly with a simple link in the app to “email the developer”. I’ve gotten lots of great, direct feedback over the years that have helped me find bugs and introduce new features that improve the user experience.”
App Developer: Ivanna Kaceviča
App: Whaley’s Bins Waste Sorting
Inspiration: “The idea came from recognizing the widespread confusion around recycling and its environmental impact. I noticed that many people wanted to recycle but found the process complicated or intimidating. Combining this need with a passion for sustainability and interactive learning, I envisioned a game that simplifies recycling, educates users, and encourages real-world action—all while making it engaging and approachable for all ages. The concept of using a friendly guide like Whaley and integrating gamified rewards grew from the desire to make learning about waste management fun and impactful.
Skills learned and skills used: “I built this app by combining skills in game development, sustainability research, and mobile development. I created interactive waste-sorting gameplay with accessible features like high contrast, adaptive fonts, and a color-blind-friendly interface… My journey into tech began with the Android Basics Nanodegree on Udacity, a course I joined without knowing just how life-changing it would be. Since then, I’ve completed a few more Nanodegrees, earned wins in coding competitions, and gained over four years of experience as a mobile developer. Today, I’m proud to serve as a Lead Software Engineer at LMT, Latvia’s first and largest mobile telecommunications operator. It’s been an incredible journey that all started with that first step into the world of mobile development.”
Challenges faced: “Balancing work and life while building this app as a late-night and weekend project was definitely a challenge. With a full-time job, finding the time and energy to focus on this wasn’t always easy. But coding has always been more than just a job for me—it’s a passion I genuinely enjoy. That love for creating and problem-solving kept me motivated, turning those late-night sessions into something rewarding rather than exhausting. It was challenging, but because I love what I do, it felt like building something meaningful rather than just extra work.”
App Developer: Hafida Belayd
App: Plant Disease Prediction in Arabic (GitHub)
Inspiration: “The idea emerged from observing the challenges faced by farmers in diagnosing plant diseases accurately and timely. Limited access to agricultural experts in many regions inspired the creation of a tool that leverages AI to bridge this gap and make advanced agricultural insights more accessible.”
Skills learned and skills used: “Machine Learning & Data Science: Building predictive models using Python libraries such as TensorFlow or PyTorch for image classification; Image Processing: Techniques like data augmentation and preprocessing using OpenCV or PIL; Dataset Handling: Cleaning, labeling, and managing large datasets of plant disease images; App Development: Integrating the model into a user-friendly interface, potentially using Flask or Streamlit; Version Control: Using GitHub for collaborative development and project tracking; Arabic Language Proficiency: Customizing the app interface and communication for Arabic-speaking users… Udacity’s courses, particularly those in machine learning and deep learning, provided foundational knowledge for building neural networks and optimizing models. Additionally, soft skills like project management and version control techniques learned in their Nanodegree programs ensured smooth collaboration and app deployment.”
Challenges faced: “Data Scarcity: Initially, obtaining labeled images of diseased plants was challenging. This was addressed by sourcing open datasets and creating custom data with expert collaboration. Model Accuracy: Ensuring accurate predictions required experimenting with various architectures like CNNs and hyperparameter tuning. Language Customization: Adapting the interface to Arabic posed translation and cultural adaptation challenges, resolved by consulting language experts. Deployment Issues: Integrating the model into a user-friendly app required learning new frameworks, which was achieved through additional research and Udacity tutorials.”
App Developer: Bambo Traore
App: Kittycara APP (GitHub)
Inspiration: “In many countries, adolescent girls often face challenges discussing their menstrual cycles, either due to embarrassment, cultural stigma, or fear of judgment.I wanted to create a solution that could help these young girls understand and manage their menstrual health in a private, approachable, and non-intimidating way”
Skills learned and skills used: “Python: For integrating the OpenAI API and handling core logic; FastAPI: To create and deploy the backend on Hugging Face; Laravel: For backend management and secure authentication; React Native: To develop the mobile interface, ensuring a seamless user experience across devices… Udacity’s courses taught me how to work effectively with APIs like OpenAI, which was crucial for building the app’s AI-driven features… The hands-on projects at Udacity improved my ability to break down complex tasks, plan, and execute efficiently, ensuring the app was built step-by-step.”
App Developer: Leonel Nguefack
App: Sensai
Inspiration: After my Nanodegree on Udacity, I wanted to put my skills to the test in a real project. The idea for Sensai came to me when I was using Duolingo. I wanted to create an application like Duolingo, but one that could be used to learn programming languages and African languages, especially those of Cameroon.”
Skills learned and skills used: “For this project, I used React-Native for the mobile application, NodeJs for the backend, ReactJs for the admin panel and Firebase. In 2021, I took Nanodegree React on Udacity. All these skills helped me a lot for this project.”
Challenges faced: “The biggest challenge for an educational application like Sensai is the creation of course content, especially for African languages, which will take a little longer to be available in the application, that’s why I started by programming languages. Another challenge is to avoid boring the user. And to overcome this, I had to use the concept of gamification to enhance the user experience and create a funny application.”
Ready to build your own app and be the next Udacity success story? Whether you need to learn Android or iOS development, level-up your UI skills, or get started with programming basics, in just a couple of months you can be publishing your next (or first!) app in the app store.
