Peronality Genie Case Study

Project Overview

Personality Genie faced the obstacle of securely integrating complex personality questionnaires into a web/mobile application designed for a genetics research study. They needed a developer who could not only implement a new questionnaire from scratch but also seamlessly integrate an existing one while ensuring robust data security. The client anticipated that overcoming these challenges would result in a reliable platform capable of securely transferring genotyping data between Gencove and DNANexus, ultimately leading to successful pilot testing and a functional app. They expected the project’s outcome to enhance the study’s data collection efficiency and security, with the app hosted on Heroku and built using Node.js, HTML, and JavaScript.

At a Glance

Challenges

Secure Data Transfer Ensuring secure data transmission between Gencove and DNANexus, including adding SSL to Heroku.
Questionnaire Implementation Developing a personality questionnaire from scratch and integrating an existing online questionnaire.
Database Creation Creating a secure database to capture and store the results of the personality questionnaires.
App Debugging and Pilot Testing Running a pilot project and debugging the app to ensure it is fully functional.
Platform Integration Successfully integrating the app with existing APIs from Gencove and DNANexus.

Benefits

Enhanced Security Improved data security through SSL implementation and secure database management.
Streamlined Data Collection Efficient and secure transfer of genotyping data between platforms, leading to more reliable data collection.
Functional App A fully operational app capable of supporting a genetics research study, with integrated personality assessments.
Seamless Integration Smooth integration of the app with established platforms (Gencove and DNANexus) and existing online questionnaires.
Research Advancement A reliable platform to facilitate the collection of crucial data for a genetics research study, supporting future research efforts.

Objectives

By combining the strengths of target-date funds and personalized solutions, the ERO Calculator and Optimizer offer a compelling research-backed approach to retirement planning. This academic-driven tool enables individuals to maximize their 401k plans, empowering them to take charge of their financial future with informed investment decisions.

Solutions

As an alternative to the traditional one-size-fits-all approach, the ERO Calculator and Optimizer pave the way for more robust and efficient retirement outcomes.

Benefits

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What we did

React (Front end)
Express (Web Server)
MongoDB (Database)
Heroku (Hosting)
Gencove (API)
Open Humans (API)
JavaScript (App)

Dr. Denise Cook
Research Scholar Ronin Institute
Founder and Owner Personality Genie

While target-date funds have contributed positively to participant outcomes, they are not without shortcomings. Personalized solutions, on the other hand, present intriguing potential benefits, but cost considerations must be carefully weighed. In this context, the ERO Calculator and Optimizer offer a comprehensive solution that transcends the limitations of generic strategies.

Project Result

Developed by esteemed academic Dr. Frank Sortino, with contributions from distinguished experts like Nobel Prize recipients William Sharpe and Daniel Kahneman, the ERO Calculator takes a personalized approach to retirement planning. Unlike traditional age-based strategies and TDFs, it analyzes an individual's specific financial situation to determine the essential return required to meet future cash flow needs. This precision ensures that investment strategies align with each person's unique goals and aspirations, allowing for informed decisions that cater to their specific situation.

David is a highly skilled and experienced full-stack web developer with extensive knowledge of modern, and fast, website design frameworks and the steps required to securely integrate with various external APIs. The major databases and frameworks/languages used on this project were MongoDB, Redux, React-Bootstrap, Express and NodeJS. I hired him because of his background in the financial services industry, where data privacy and security as of the highest priority, since my project involves the storage and analysis of sensitive genetic information. I have no knowledge of the required steps to take to secure information online, so hiring someone with a background in data security that I could trust was of the upmost importance to me. He took a bare-bones connection to Gencove's API left by a previous developer and created a robust website that tracks informed consent and genetic data status, collects and stores survey responses from individuals, and displays final summary reports to all participants, all the while ensuring the anonymity and confidentiality of the participants' data. He also took great care to implement various tests and failsafes to ensure the web application and database are secure and functioning properly. He was always available to answer my sometimes inane questions, always promptly fixed any bugs I ran into and provided daily summary reports of what he'd been working on. He was also more than happy to teleconference and collaborate with various other collaborators and companies involved in this project, which was vital to the success of the web application. He was also comfortable if things didn't go as planned, and we had to change directions. He also provided helpful solutions to the different, unforeseen problems that surfaced during the course of the project. I highly recommend David for any and all technically challenging web development work that requires someone with an expansive skillset. In fact, I am rehiring him right now for continued maintenance work on my web application, as well as help automating the data analysis.