Students sit in silence, their eyes gazing at the window as they anxiously await the sound of the bell. With no one sure about the exact schedule, they reach for their laptops to check the infamous online scheduling application — TPS Time.
Originally developed by alumnus James Hawley, TPS Time was an instant sensation, reaching the devices of most students and teachers overnight. Designing the finished website took a total of around two years of work.
“When I first entered sixth grade, there was a simple yet popular app created by a former student, Ricky Woodruff,” Hawley said. “In eighth grade, for my 20-Time project, I had the opportunity to work on anything I wanted, so my friend Zach Kleiman and I decided to take on the challenge of reviving the idea. … The positive response motivated me to keep improving it and turn it into something even better.”
The launch of the application received immense praise.
“The initial student response was incredible,” Hawley said. “People immediately bookmarked the site and began using it daily.”
However, when Hawley graduated, the future of the app remained uncertain until juniors Joe Borgman and Asad Sadikov decided to take over the app.
Hawley’s ultimate goal was to leave the new developers full access to the website. The new pair of developers created an entirely new website with the same features, functionality and code.
“When I was creating the website, it was exciting to experiment with new ideas,” Hawley said. “I believe any oversight would only limit the students’ creative freedom. That said, I’ll always be available to help if the current developers need it.”
Designing the new application was no easy feat. Using TypeScript, it took the pair a total of four weeks to complete the redesign of the application, piggybacking off of the program’s old code.
The pair initially had trouble interpreting all of Hawley’s old code and applying it to the new application.
“When he made the new version for us, he tried to make it easy to read,” Borgman said. “There were still some parts that we were not able to understand, so it took us a couple of days to just understand where everything was and get it figured out from there.”
Teamwork and collaboration with Sadikov made the redesign process significantly easier. For instance, Borgman was responsible for the login interface while Sadikov primarily worked on integrating the house systems into the new application.
The pair maintains primary ownership of the application. Others are not permitted to create similar applications to prevent confusion among students and uphold strict security standards.
“Because the word of TPS Time isn’t really out too much, some of the people have tried making similar apps,” Borgman said. “As (Chief Technology Officer Alex) Podchaski was talking to us, he wanted the app to be secure to make sure the schedule didn’t get out, so it’s been kind of difficult to try to put out some of the copy cat apps.”
The redesign has been met with positive feedback and engagement.
“I think it’s way better,” freshman Neel Bhonde said. “You can also access it through an extension browser, which I think is really cool as well.”
Since Hawley’s departure, students and faculty alike have still used the old application due to limited awareness of the new website. Furthermore, accessing this new application requires connection to the school WiFi. However, the team is working to incorporate the tpstime.com domain, which would allow users to access the app in any environment, eliminating the need for a WiFi connection. In the meantime, the application can be accessed at tpstime.trinityprep.org.
After the pair graduates in the coming years, they hope to continue the legacy of TPS Time for future grades.
“We’ll probably try to find somebody next year who can continue the project, keep it maintained and add features that need to be added,” Borgman said.
The redesign of TPS Time has overall been a success, enhancing the experience for the student body as a whole.
“I think TPS Time is a great resource because you get to see what time your classes end and the whole schedule of the day,” Bhonde said. “Especially when we have events like pep rallies and homecoming week, the timings are a bit skewed, so I think it’s a great resource.”
