🎯 Inspiration
Imagine if your trip felt less like following a rigid itinerary… and more like an adventure game.
That’s what inspired EASY. We were tired of switching between 6+ apps to plan a trip — booking, searching, comparing, translating, reviewing. Everything felt transactional and boring.
So we asked: What if exploring a new city felt like completing quests in a game?
What if you could earn points by tasting a local dish, finding a hidden alley, or interacting with an artisan?
EASY was born from that idea turning every trip into a playful, immersive, and authentic experience. It’s tourism gamified, built for connection, discovery, and real-world rewards.
🚀 What it does
EASY is an all-in-one travel companion that combines:
- Real-life quests (e.g., “Try couscous in a local home”, “Find the oldest fountain in Fes”)
- A points & rewards system: Users earn points by completing quests and can redeem them for:
- Artisan products
- Discounts at hotels & restaurants
- Unique local experiences
- Custom itinerary builder based on budget, interests & travel style
- A community layer: Share moments, join group quests, follow local creators
- Partner dashboard: For hotels, artisans, and guides to reach, engage & retain travelers
All accessible from a single, multilingual app — no more juggling 6 platforms.
🛠️ How we built it
We started with user research: over 1,000 survey responses and in-depth interviews with tourists, locals, and hospitality partners. This helped us design features that address real pain points.
Tech stack & process:
- React Native for cross-platform mobile development
- Firebase for real-time database and authentication -postgresql
- Node.js backend with REST APIs
- Custom CMS for managing quests and partner content
- Gamification engine to assign rewards, track progress, and generate dynamic quests
We focused on scalability, intuitive design, and offline support for areas with poor connectivity.
⚠️ Challenges we ran into
- Onboarding local partners (hotels, artisans) across different cities required building trust and offering clear value
- Balancing fun and functionality: We had to ensure the gamification didn’t overwhelm or confuse first-time users
- Cultural sensitivity: Making sure quests are inclusive and respectful of local traditions
- Logistics: Piloting 1,800+ quests across 4 cities with limited field resources
🏆 Accomplishments that we're proud of
- Reached over 30,000 early users through organic word-of-mouth and demos
- Built partnerships with 50 hotels, 20+ activity providers, and dozens of artisans
- Completed MVP testing with live users across Fes, Casablanca, Marrakech, and Tangier
- Created a scalable model that directly supports local economies while enhancing tourist satisfaction
- Became part of national and regional digitalization programs supporting innovation and sustainable tourism
📚 What we learned
- Gamification works — when done right, it turns passive users into active explorers
- Community matters — people love sharing their moments and challenges with others
- Building trust offline is as important as online tech
- tourism is changing: Travelers want experiences, not just services. They want to connect, not just consume.
EASY isn’t just an app — it’s a new way of traveling, built around people, play, and purpose.
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