Vitec Visual

Idea

weguide was created to make urban exploration more authentic by connecting travelers with local stories, guides, and hidden places. Existing travel information was fragmented, outdated, or impersonal.
The idea was to build a community platform where locals could create immersive tours using audio and video content, while travelers could easily discover and experience cities through a single digital product.
At the same time, the platform was designed to enable creators to earn income from their tours.

Solution

We designed and built an end-to-end travel community platform consisting of a mobile app, backend, and admin panel. Users can explore tours worldwide, navigate routes via an interactive 2D map, and experience tours step by step through rich media content.
Creators are empowered to build and monetize tours, while Weguide maintains full oversight through moderation and management tools. The solution bridges discovery, storytelling, and monetization in one coherent system.

Key components

User registration Tour discovery Tour creation 2D map navigation Media content Payments Push notifications Admin panel Moderation

Development Process

Step 1

Requirements Analysis

Step 2

Product & Design Concept

Step 3

Implementation

Step 4

Quality Assurance

Step 5

Deployment & Operation

01Requirements Analysis

We worked closely with the founders to define user roles, creator workflows, and monetization logic. Core user journeys and MVP scope were validated early.

02Product & Design Concept

A UI design system was created to define branding and interaction patterns. Mobile app and backend concepts were iterated together to align UX and technical feasibility.

03Implementation

The mobile app was developed using Flutter with a clear MVVM architecture. Business logic was centralized in the backend to keep the app flexible and scalable. Development ran across multiple sprints with continuous reviews.

04Quality Assurance

Features were tested iteratively, including offline behavior, media handling, and payment flows. A closed beta phase helped refine usability and stability.

05Deployment & Operation

After five months, Weguide was released publicly. We remain responsible for ongoing support, maintenance, and further development.

Technology & Integration

Product Design

Figma for product redesign and design systems.

Mobile Apps

Flutter for iOS and Android using a single codebase.

Back-End

Custom back-end development for business logic and integrations.

Admin Panel

Custom admin panel for managing the entire platform.

Integrations

Google Maps (2D map visualization)
Google Places API (Route Calculation and GPS Accuracy)
Stripe (payments and creator payouts with platform fees)
Firebase Cloud Messaging (Push Notifications)
Social Logins (Google, Apple, Facebook)

Main Features

User Registration and Profile Management

Weguide supports registration via social logins such as Google and Apple, as well as email and password with one time password verification. After signing in, users are immediately presented with nearby and recommended tours, reducing friction from first interaction. Users can manage their personal information, connect a payout account to monetize paid tours, and fully control their account lifecycle. The platform clearly separates explorer and creator roles, enabling both discovery and monetization without overlap or confusion.

Explore Tours

Tours can be discovered through an interactive 2D map or structured list views. Users can search globally by region or city and quickly identify relevant tours based on location.In addition, the app highlights nearby and popular tours, allowing users to find suitable experiences whether they are planning ahead or exploring spontaneously.

Create Tours

Tour creation is designed to support complex, location based storytelling while remaining structured and manageable.Creators first define core tour information, including descriptions, personal audio or video messages, and the primary mode of transportation. They then build routes by placing stops directly on a 2D map, with paths automatically calculated using the Places API.
Each stop can include rich media content recorded on site or uploaded by professional users. Final steps allow creators to refine details such as duration, categorization, and visual assets. Draft and visibility controls enable tours to be created over time, hidden during preparation, or selectively shared before publication.

View Tours

Each tour provides a clear overview of its route, content, creator, and ratings. Users can decide whether to access free tours directly or purchase paid tours before starting. Reporting functionality allows users to flag non compliant or inappropriate content, supporting efficient moderation and platform quality control.

Do Tours

Tours are experienced step by step, with each stop presented in a story style view that combines audio, video, and visual content.Progress is tracked throughout the tour. Upon completion, users can rate the experience using a five star system, contributing to transparency and community driven quality assurance.

Admin Panel

Weguide operates a centralized admin panel that provides full oversight of users, tours, reports, and published content.This system enables active moderation, platform governance, and scalability, ensuring that quality and community standards are maintained as usage grows.

Main Challenge

The core challenge was enabling creators to build complex, media-rich, location-based tours without losing orientation or control. Tour creation required dynamic data handling, real-time map interactions, and third-party API coordination, all while remaining intuitive for non-technical users.

What We Learned

Complex creation workflows must be guided, not hidden. Breaking creation into clear steps, supporting drafts, and providing visual feedback are critical for creator confidence and output quality.

Why This Matters for Our Partners

These learnings help us design products where users create value themselves. They reduce drop-off, improve content quality, and enable scalable platforms built on user contribution rather than manual curation.

Our Advice

If your product relies on user generated content and monetization, invest early in creation workflows and moderation. Simplicity and control are key to sustainable growth.

Most Special Step

The most special part of the project was the route creation experience at the heart of weguide. This feature required us to deeply understand how people think about space, movement, and storytelling at the same time. We explored multiple interaction models, tested assumptions through prototypes, and iterated repeatedly based on real user behavior.
What made this step special was not just solving a technical problem, but aligning design, mapping logic, and media handling into a flow that feels natural to creators. It reflects our willingness to experiment, learn, and take responsibility until a complex idea becomes simple to use.

Weguide

Weguide - Digitalisation of Tourism for Guides, Business and Cities

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Sören Loos

Idea

Solution

Key components

Development Process