Travel & eco-tourismClient project
Ceylon Trails
A concept mobile app connecting travellers with independent local guides for hikes and nature trails, with offline maps and simple payments.
Context
Ceylon Trails is a concept exploring a marketplace for guided trails. The guides, trails and reviews shown are illustrative and were created for the concept.
Client project - This case study describes work delivered for a client. Details are shared with permission; outcomes are limited to facts the client has agreed we may publish.
- Scope
- Trail discovery with difficulty, season and duration filters
- Guide profiles with availability calendar
- Booking and payment flow
- Offline trail maps for low-signal areas
- Services
- Technology
- React Native · Expo · TypeScript · Supabase · Mapbox
The challenge
Travellers browse on good Wi-Fi but hike where there is none. The app had to feel rich while planning and remain useful with zero connectivity, on both iOS and Android, without two codebases.
Design and engineering approach
- 01
Plan online, walk offline
Booking a trail downloads its map tiles, waypoints and emergency contacts. The offline state is designed, not an error screen.
- 02
Guides as people
Guide profiles lead with a photo, languages spoken and a short first-person note, because trust is what a traveller is really buying.
- 03
One codebase, native feel
Expo with platform-aware components gives native navigation patterns on each OS from a single TypeScript codebase.
The product, at every touchpoint
Outcomes
Outcomes below are limited to facts supplied by the client.
- Demonstrates our approach to designing for unreliable connectivity as a first-class state.
- Shows cross-platform delivery from a single codebase with platform-appropriate patterns.
- Concept project — no client, metrics or launch claims are made.
Working on something similar?
We are happy to talk through how we would approach your product, and what a first release could look like.