tour guiding
mobile app design
Integrated design, business, and engineering to develop a multilingual AI-powered tour guide platform.
Net Promoter Score
52
52
Improved from an NPS of ~32 to 52 after smoother multilingual tours
Feature Adoption Rate
75%
75%
Of participants said they would actively use AI powered tour reroute feature
The problem
Language barriers and juggling between different apps are a major challenge for tour guides. That’s why tours usually consist of tourists from the same country, with the guide speaking their native language.
The problem
Language barriers and juggling between different apps are a major challenge for tour guides. That’s why tours usually consist of tourists from the same country, with the guide speaking their native language.
Research
Before ideating any solutions, I first immersed myself in understanding the tour-guiding domain. By exploring the problem space, I aimed to ground the design in real user needs.
On this link you can find classic field study that used participant observation on Scandinavian package tours with mixed-language groups.
Research shows that a tour guide's competence is the biggest factor in overall guest satisfaction. This app prioritizes authentic translations that go beyond basic text to text translations to preserve meaning and flexibility.
To ground the design in real needs, I created two key personas based on research:
User personas
1. Maria (The Multilingual Tour Guide)
/
Challenges: Juggling translations, notes, and group dynamics with fragmented tools (paper, apps). Struggles with seasonality and logistical stress.
Goals: A centralized platform for live translations, content management, and reputation growth./
2. Alex (The Curious Tourist)/
Challenges: Difficulty hearing guides in noisy settings, lacks on-demand tour info, hesitates to ask questions.
Goals: Seamless audio/text support, supplemental content (maps, itineraries), and engaging storytelling.
Competitor analysis
To identify market gaps, I analyzed three key platforms used by guides and tourists:
1. Viator (Tripadvisor Experiences)
Strengths: Massive booking reach, integrated with Tripadvisor.
Limitations: No in-tour support—lacks live translation, scheduling, or audio tools.
2. Airbnb Experiences
Strengths: Focus on authentic, niche tours; flexible hosting.
Limitations: Booking-centric—no features for real-time guiding or multilingual logistics.
3. Vox Connect
Strengths: Smartphone-based live audio (replaces bulky headsets), no-app access for tourists.
Limitations: Audio-only—no content management or scheduling integration.
Key Insight:
Existing tools excel at booking or audio, but none combine live translation, content centralization, and logistics—a gap my solution addresses.
Research
Before ideating any solutions, I first immersed myself in understanding the tour-guiding domain. By exploring the problem space, I aimed to ground the design in real user needs.
On this link you can find classic field study that used participant observation on Scandinavian package tours with mixed-language groups.
Research shows that a tour guide's competence is the biggest factor in overall guest satisfaction. This app prioritizes authentic translations that go beyond basic text to text translations to preserve meaning and flexibility.
To ground the design in real needs, I created two key personas based on research:
User personas
1. Maria (The Multilingual Tour Guide)
/
Challenges: Juggling translations, notes, and group dynamics with fragmented tools (paper, apps). Struggles with seasonality and logistical stress.
Goals: A centralized platform for live translations, content management, and reputation growth./
2. Alex (The Curious Tourist)/
Challenges: Difficulty hearing guides in noisy settings, lacks on-demand tour info, hesitates to ask questions.
Goals: Seamless audio/text support, supplemental content (maps, itineraries), and engaging storytelling.
Competitor analysis
To identify market gaps, I analyzed three key platforms used by guides and tourists:
1. Viator (Tripadvisor Experiences)
Strengths: Massive booking reach, integrated with Tripadvisor.
Limitations: No in-tour support—lacks live translation, scheduling, or audio tools.
2. Airbnb Experiences
Strengths: Focus on authentic, niche tours; flexible hosting.
Limitations: Booking-centric—no features for real-time guiding or multilingual logistics.
3. Vox Connect
Strengths: Smartphone-based live audio (replaces bulky headsets), no-app access for tourists.
Limitations: Audio-only—no content management or scheduling integration.
Key Insight:
Existing tools excel at booking or audio, but none combine live translation, content centralization, and logistics—a gap my solution addresses.
Tour Guide Functionalities
Here are all guide-focused functionalities, with connections to how each feature solves the pain points identified in our research.
Note: The login and sign-up process is excluded from this case study, as it is relatively straightforward and does not significantly contribute to the core UX analysis.
Users start by selecting their role within the app. Based on their selection, they go through a tailored onboarding flow. The screens shown here represent the onboarding process for Tour Guides. In addition to providing basic personal information, uploading a profile photo, and verifying their ID, tour guides are asked to define their availability — selecting specific days and time slots when they are free to lead tours. This ensures that tours can be completed in these time frames. They also select the types of tours they wish to offer (e.g. cultural, gastronomic, nature-based) and choose their preferred payment method.
To become an active tour guide, the user must complete a course based on their selected tour category. For example, if they choose to offer cultural tours, they are required to study the history and culture of the country they reside in. If they choose sports tours, the course will focus on the country's sporting background and achievements.
While this flow is not fully developed in the prototype, the idea is to include a learning path followed by a certification test. The goal is to equip guides with deep knowledge, allowing them to draw meaningful parallels and enrich the storytelling during tours, ultimately improving the overall experience for tourists.
For instance, a guide living in Milan should still understand key aspects of ancient Roman history to offer compelling comparisons and help tourists see the broader cultural picture of Italy.
Tour Guide Functionalities
Here are all guide-focused functionalities, with connections to how each feature solves the pain points identified in our research.
Note: The login and sign-up process is excluded from this case study, as it is relatively straightforward and does not significantly contribute to the core UX analysis.
Users start by selecting their role within the app. Based on their selection, they go through a tailored onboarding flow. The screens shown here represent the onboarding process for Tour Guides. In addition to providing basic personal information, uploading a profile photo, and verifying their ID, tour guides are asked to define their availability — selecting specific days and time slots when they are free to lead tours. This ensures that tours can be completed in these time frames. They also select the types of tours they wish to offer (e.g. cultural, gastronomic, nature-based) and choose their preferred payment method.
To become an active tour guide, the user must complete a course based on their selected tour category. For example, if they choose to offer cultural tours, they are required to study the history and culture of the country they reside in. If they choose sports tours, the course will focus on the country's sporting background and achievements.
While this flow is not fully developed in the prototype, the idea is to include a learning path followed by a certification test. The goal is to equip guides with deep knowledge, allowing them to draw meaningful parallels and enrich the storytelling during tours, ultimately improving the overall experience for tourists.
For instance, a guide living in Milan should still understand key aspects of ancient Roman history to offer compelling comparisons and help tourists see the broader cultural picture of Italy.
AI-Powered Tour Guidance
Guides start by speaking into a high-quality microphone connected to the app. As they talk, the AI instantly translates their words into the languages selected by tourists, who listen through their own headphones. To keep translations accurate, the system compares the guide's live speech to pre-approved scripts stored in the backend.
Tourists are reminded upfront to bring headphones for this feature.
Guides need to hit at least 80% coverage at each checkpoint to maintain good coverage percentage on the platform. This percentage directly proposes them for the next gigs. When key points are missed, the AI assistant Viki issues real-time warnings, ensuring guides address omitted content immediately. Guides can also report any inaccuracies through the app, contributing to continuous improvement of Viki's functionality through machine learning feedback loops.
AI-Powered Tour Guidance
Guides start by speaking into a high-quality microphone connected to the app. As they talk, the AI instantly translates their words into the languages selected by tourists, who listen through their own headphones. To keep translations accurate, the system compares the guide's live speech to pre-approved scripts stored in the backend.
Tourists are reminded upfront to bring headphones for this feature.
Guides need to hit at least 80% coverage at each checkpoint to maintain good coverage percentage on the platform. This percentage directly proposes them for the next gigs. When key points are missed, the AI assistant Viki issues real-time warnings, ensuring guides address omitted content immediately. Guides can also report any inaccuracies through the app, contributing to continuous improvement of Viki's functionality through machine learning feedback loops.
AI-Powered Tour Reroute and Voting
When severe weather threatens to disrupt a tour, Viki (our AI bird assistant) gives smart reroute suggestions. Guides see these warnings pop up in real-time, complete with clear explanations like "Heavy rain expected at 2:00 PM" and automatic handling of any affected ticket reservations if possible. Viki presents two alternatives - something like "Go to Basilica di San Clemente" and "Wait and see". The guide can either select one of Viki's proposals immediately or let the group weigh in by a vote.
If they choose a vote, tourists receive both options on their phones. When opinions split evenly, the guide makes the final decision between suggested alternatives. This balanced approach combines AI-powered suggestions with tourist involvement, ensuring disruptions lead to collaborative solutions rather than confusion. Once settled, the app updates everyone's itinerary - adding new stops and processing any refunds for canceled sites.
AI-Powered Tour Reroute and Voting
When severe weather threatens to disrupt a tour, Viki (our AI bird assistant) gives smart reroute suggestions. Guides see these warnings pop up in real-time, complete with clear explanations like "Heavy rain expected at 2:00 PM" and automatic handling of any affected ticket reservations if possible. Viki presents two alternatives - something like "Go to Basilica di San Clemente" and "Wait and see". The guide can either select one of Viki's proposals immediately or let the group weigh in by a vote.
If they choose a vote, tourists receive both options on their phones. When opinions split evenly, the guide makes the final decision between suggested alternatives. This balanced approach combines AI-powered suggestions with tourist involvement, ensuring disruptions lead to collaborative solutions rather than confusion. Once settled, the app updates everyone's itinerary - adding new stops and processing any refunds for canceled sites.
Emergency Response Integration
When an emergency occurs (like a tourist collapsing) the guide taps the SOS button, which is always visible on the tour screen. The app defaults to Ambulance (with options for Police or Firefighters) and immediately calls the local emergency number (e.g., 112 in Europe, 911 in the US). During the call, the app records the conversation in regions where single-party consent is legal.
After the call ends, the app automatically sends critical data to EMS via API: the group’s real-time GPS coordinates (e.g., Colosseum, 41.8902° N, 12.4922° E), the affected tourist’s pre-shared medical details (if consented, like Type 1 Diabetes, carries insulin), and the guide’s mobile number for follow-up.
Emergency Response Integration
When an emergency occurs (like a tourist collapsing) the guide taps the SOS button, which is always visible on the tour screen. The app defaults to Ambulance (with options for Police or Firefighters) and immediately calls the local emergency number (e.g., 112 in Europe, 911 in the US). During the call, the app records the conversation in regions where single-party consent is legal.
After the call ends, the app automatically sends critical data to EMS via API: the group’s real-time GPS coordinates (e.g., Colosseum, 41.8902° N, 12.4922° E), the affected tourist’s pre-shared medical details (if consented, like Type 1 Diabetes, carries insulin), and the guide’s mobile number for follow-up.
Gamified Engagement System
This feature turns downtime during intercity travel into engaging quiz moments that reinforce key facts from visited locations. Tourists earn points for correct answers and unlock perks — discounts on future tours, exclusive local experience vouchers etc.
Business side of this feature:
Trippin partners with local businesses (gelato shops, museums, etc.) to offer exclusive discounts (e.g., “10% off with 200 points”) or free samples (e.g., “Free espresso at Café Roma”).
Profit Model:
Affiliate Fees: Businesses pay to be featured in rewards (e.g., $200/tour for gelato promo placement).
Commission: Trippin takes 15–20% of revenue from app-driven purchases.
Gamified Engagement System
This feature turns downtime during intercity travel into engaging quiz moments that reinforce key facts from visited locations. Tourists earn points for correct answers and unlock perks — discounts on future tours, exclusive local experience vouchers etc.
Business side of this feature:
Trippin partners with local businesses (gelato shops, museums, etc.) to offer exclusive discounts (e.g., “10% off with 200 points”) or free samples (e.g., “Free espresso at Café Roma”).
Profit Model:
Affiliate Fees: Businesses pay to be featured in rewards (e.g., $200/tour for gelato promo placement).
Commission: Trippin takes 15–20% of revenue from app-driven purchases.
Gamification for Guides
Since this is a freelance-based role, what qualifies a guide for more bookings are the results they achieve. In this app, two key metrics define a guide’s performance: Coverage Score and Average Rating.
The Coverage Score reflects the percentage of key points from a predefined tour script that the guide successfully includes during the tour.
To support motivation and growth, the app features a progression system. As guides gain experience, they advance through divisions, unlocking benefits such as a higher fixed fee per tour and a larger percentage of earnings per tourist.
In the future, the app will include a mentorship feature, allowing experienced guides to support newcomers. Mentors will gain direct access to trainee data and receive extra income for guiding others.
Gamification for Guides
Since this is a freelance-based role, what qualifies a guide for more bookings are the results they achieve. In this app, two key metrics define a guide’s performance: Coverage Score and Average Rating.
The Coverage Score reflects the percentage of key points from a predefined tour script that the guide successfully includes during the tour.
To support motivation and growth, the app features a progression system. As guides gain experience, they advance through divisions, unlocking benefits such as a higher fixed fee per tour and a larger percentage of earnings per tourist.
In the future, the app will include a mentorship feature, allowing experienced guides to support newcomers. Mentors will gain direct access to trainee data and receive extra income for guiding others.
Marketing Opportunity
Guides can upload photo albums from their tours to encourage tourists to share their experiences on social media — helping to boost visibility and app usage organically.
Marketing Opportunity
Guides can upload photo albums from their tours to encourage tourists to share their experiences on social media — helping to boost visibility and app usage organically.
Final Thoughts
This is a project I started with the idea of potentially launching a startup with a few developer friends to deepen my knowledge in Product Design and potentially grow a big travel platform.
Throughout the process, I’ve come to truly appreciate the value of iteration and testing. I regret not having the chance to conduct usability testing at this stage, as I believe it would have provided strong insights and significantly improved the design.
Every hypothesis should be tested, and the most important principle in designing meaningful digital products is empathy for the end user ( a core of the Design Thinking methodology ). People connect to stories, emotions, and other people. That’s why this app translates the guide’s spoken words in real-time, rather than using static text scripts.
If you found this case study insightful, feel free to leave a clap or comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts — especially if you’ve worked on something similar.
Final Thoughts
This is a project I started with the idea of potentially launching a startup with a few developer friends to deepen my knowledge in Product Design and potentially grow a big travel platform.
Throughout the process, I’ve come to truly appreciate the value of iteration and testing. I regret not having the chance to conduct usability testing at this stage, as I believe it would have provided strong insights and significantly improved the design.
Every hypothesis should be tested, and the most important principle in designing meaningful digital products is empathy for the end user ( a core of the Design Thinking methodology ). People connect to stories, emotions, and other people. That’s why this app translates the guide’s spoken words in real-time, rather than using static text scripts.
If you found this case study insightful, feel free to leave a clap or comment. I’d love to hear your thoughts — especially if you’ve worked on something similar.
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©2025 ALEKSA SIMEUNOVIĆ
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©2025 ALEKSA SIMEUNOVIĆ
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