Most travel apps feel like

Most travel apps feel like impersonal search directories that you can clearly tell were made for your typical traveler - you know, the one that's going on vacation and leaving all worries behind?

But that's not us. We are freelancers, which means we get the freedom to travel, but also means client work also gets the freedom to travel alongside us. What a lucky bastard!!

Well, this app reimagines the digital nomad journey in the city I know best, Lisbon, through the lens of a local friend. It blends a work mode with vetted co-working spaces with a gamified travel scrapbook, ensuring you experience the authentic culture of the city while building a physical visual log of your stay - no matter the budget you're on!

🛠️ The Tech & Design Workflow

To get to this final working prototype, I utilized a connected pipeline across Figma’s advanced tool ecosystem:

⭐️ Figma Design: used as the initial creative sandbox to establish the visual identity, typography, and layout foundations.

⭐️ Figma Make: transformed my static design inspiration into a living, interactive, code-backed prototype with several back-and-forth iterations.

⭐️ Figma Weave: used to create a custom filter to add to user's photos, using its node asset pipeline.

📊 Architecture & Scalability

Instead of hardcoding a long database, all the co-working spaces and travel quests are stored in an external Google Sheet exported as a live, public CSV. This allows for instant, real-time data updates without redeploying code, making the app entirely scalable at any time.

Also, every recommendation and description for the co-working spaces was written by me from personal, first-hand visits. The travel quests are a blend of personal recommendations and some of my bucket-list items - maybe you'll cross them off sooner than me!

💰 Monetization & The Organic Growth Loop

To keep the platform 100% free for users, the plan is to develop affiliate agreements with co-working spaces and paid local experience hosts, earning small commissions per booking.

On the other hand, completing quests rewards users with points. And while currently displayed as a "coming soon" placeholder, the road map plans to allow users to redeem these points for real-life gift cards to drive long-term user retention.

Lastly, there's some built-in word of mouth, since the scrapbook features a prominent share button on your custom-filtered photos. This turns users into organic brand ambassadors when they share their custom-doodled memories with family back home or on social media.

Figma Design project: https://www.figma.com/community/file/1649623170040464186

Figma Make project: https://www.figma.com/community/file/1649623797184817979

Working app: https://tempo-slush-47265679.figma.site/