NX-Counting-App

✨ This is Virginia Tech's Echolab Counting app research project but within an NX workspace.

A counting and early math learning app built with React and Node.js, designed for preschoolers to practice counting, number recognition, and basic arithmetic through interactive games and activities.

Features

• Interactive Counting Games: Touch-based counting exercises with visual feedback and audio cues.
• Multiple Game Modes:
  • Touch Training: Tap cookies to count and hear numbers.
  • Animation Training: Watch animations and count objects.
  • Baseline Training: Compare quantities and choose the correct tray.
  • Practice Mode: Free-play counting activities.
• Audio Support:
  • Text-to-Speech (TTS) for instructions and feedback.
  • Sound effects for interactions (trills, circling sounds).
  • Audio unlock on first user gesture for iOS/iPad compatibility.
• Progress Tracking: Save user answers and touch data for analysis.
• Responsive Design: Works on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
• Accessibility: Alt text for images, keyboard navigation, and screen reader support.

Why Nx?

We chose Nx as our workspace tool for several reasons:

• Monorepo Management: Nx allows us to manage both the frontend (React) and backend (Node.js/Express) in a single repository, simplifying development and deployment.
• Build Optimization: Nx's intelligent build system only rebuilds what has changed, making development faster and CI/CD more efficient.
• Code Sharing: Easy sharing of types, utilities, and configurations between frontend and backend.
• Scalability: As the project grows, Nx makes it easy to add new apps, libraries, and tools without restructuring the codebase.
• Developer Experience: Built-in generators, linting, testing, and caching out of the box.
• CI/CD Integration: Nx Cloud provides distributed task execution and remote caching, speeding up builds in CI.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or higher)
• npm or yarn
• MongoDB (for data storage)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd NX-Counting-App

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Set up environment variables:

   • Create a .env.local file in the root directory
   • Add your MongoDB connection string and other required variables

4. Start the development servers:

   # Start both frontend and backend
   npm run dev
   
   # Or start individually
   npm run start:frontend
   npm run start:backend