A BENDIGO woman has developed two apps in lockdown, including one that could help hard-pressed workers find elusive car parks.
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Amanda Pavilach began developing the apps last March when the pandemic hit, but the idea is one the full-time student has been thinking about longer.
"It's weird with the pandemic and I guess it all comes down to your outlook. You can say 'I've got no job and can't find any work' or you can go 'hey, I've got lots of time, let's think about this'," she said.
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Ms Pavilach believed COVID-19 had likely created a greater demand for the Park At My Place app, which she and a designer developed to help people in cities large and small find car parks in driveways and private parking spots.
"With Covid, people are reluctant to use public transport and the idea of finding somewhere close is helpful," she said.
The app might also be good for people dealing with unexpected developments like hospital emergencies, when highly stressed people might not want to think about avoiding fines.
"Maybe one of your family members has been flown to Melbourne and you are driving down there. Wouldn't it be great to be able to park across the road and not have to worry about moving your car?" Ms Pavilach said.
She worked with an app designer to harness Google Maps to find people willing to hire out private parking spots, then help them negotiate a price.
Ms Pavilach has also spearheaded a Perfect Paint Properties app inspired by her efforts to paint her new house.
The previous home owners had left her spare cans of paint for every room, in case she wanted to do touch-ups or freshen up some walls.
The only problem was that the paint dried in the cans before she could use it.
"So I've had to go into the store and try and match the colours up, but they didn't have the recipe. I was standing there thinking 'I bet I'm not the only one this has happened to," Ms Pavilach said.
So she and an app designer developed something that allowed people to upload their floor plans and register paint recipes for safekeeping.
"You can go into the detail of what colour you've painted the door frame, what store you bought it from, so you can get that exact paint next time," Ms Pavilach said.
Both the Park At My Place and Perfect Paint Properties apps are available on Google's Play Store and should soon be on the Apple Store.
On an unrelated note, Ms Pavilach said a local basketball team she is part of is looking for players.
The Bunjil Basketball Club trains in Eaglehawk.