
Client
CityGuidex
CityGuidex
A cross-platform city guide mobile app helping users discover places, events, and experiences in their city.
The Problem
Tourists and new city residents had no reliable, locally-curated mobile guide for discovering genuine experiences — most apps showed generic or outdated listings.
The Goal
Build a mobile-first city discovery platform with curated local content, smart filtering, and an intuitive map-based exploration experience.
My Role
Lead mobile engineer. Responsible for React Native architecture, navigation system, API integration, map implementation, and App Store/Play Store deployment.
Challenges
- 1
Building a performant map view with hundreds of markers without degrading scroll and interaction performance.
- 2
Designing an offline-friendly experience for tourists with poor data connections.
- 3
Curating and structuring location data in a way that scales across multiple cities.
The Solution
Built with React Native and Expo, using a custom map implementation, category-based filtering, and an offline cache layer. Backend powered by Node.js with MongoDB for flexible location data modeling.
Lessons Learned
Map performance on mobile requires careful clustering and lazy loading — never render all markers at once.
Offline support is not optional for a travel app — it should be designed in from day one.
Content quality matters more than feature quantity for discovery apps.
Results
4.8 ★
App Store rating
3
Cities supported
2,400+
Monthly active users
60% faster
Load time improvement
Tech Stack
Mobile
Backend
Infrastructure
Tags
Gallery


