We Nomad Us

A fun app that guides groups to their perfect travel destination with yes/no questions, NFC-powered interactions, and NFT collectible rewards

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About the WeNomad.Us Project

Inspiration

The idea for WeNomad.Us was sparked by the common challenge groups face when deciding on a travel destination. We wanted to create a fun, inclusive app that simplifies this process with intuitive yes/no questions, enhanced by modern technologies like AI, NFC, and NFT-like collectibles. Our vision was to transform travel planning into an engaging, shared adventure that’s both easy and rewarding.

What It Does

WeNomad.Us is a mobile app that helps groups choose their ideal travel destination through a seamless, gamified experience:

  • Create a Tribe: Users create a "Tribe" (a virtual room) with a unique QR code or code for group members to join.
  • Swipe-Based Quiz: Group members simultaneously answer yes/no questions by swiping right (yes) or left (no) on topics like climate, activities, budget, or culture.
  • AI-Driven Recommendations: A specialized AI algorithm, built on the Gemini model, analyzes responses to recommend destinations tailored to the group’s shared preferences.
  • Skyscanner API Integration: The app leverages the Skyscanner API to provide real-time flight prices, optimal travel dates, and estimated trip durations, while also informing destination recommendations and curated activity suggestions in combination with the Gemini-based AI.
  • NFT-Like Collectibles: Users earn digital collectibles, similar to NFTs but managed without a traditional blockchain, for selected or visited destinations. Exclusive collectibles—Common, Rare, or Shiny—are unlocked via NFC-enabled cards at partner locations like museums, Km0 bars, or cultural sites.
  • NFC Interactivity: NFC cards or device taps enable seamless Tribe joining and collectible unlocks, blending physical and digital interactions.

The app is designed to be user-friendly, making group travel planning quick, fun, and engaging.

How We Built It

  • Frontend: Developed a polished, cross-platform mobile app using Flutter, leveraging its rich widget library and smooth animations for intuitive swipe-based interactions.
  • Backend: Utilized Supabase as the backend-as-a-service platform, handling database operations, authentication, and API endpoints for Tribe management, quiz responses, and user data.
  • Database: Employed Supabase’s PostgreSQL database to store user profiles, Tribe data, quiz responses, and collectible metadata, with SQL queries optimized for performance.
  • AI Algorithm: Built a custom AI model with the Gemini model as its core, enhanced by prompt engineering, fine-tuning, and integration with the Skyscanner API. Techniques like preference weighting and response aggregation created a specialized, lightweight model optimized for deployment in our Flutter app, delivering fast and accurate destination matching.
  • Skyscanner API: Integrated Skyscanner’s API to fetch live flight data, travel dates, and activity suggestions, combining these with AI insights for comprehensive recommendations. Results were cached in Supabase for efficiency.
  • NFT-Like Collectibles: Implemented a system for digital collectibles similar to NFTs, managed via Supabase and Flutter’s Web3 libraries without a traditional blockchain, stored in an in-app wallet.
  • NFC Integration: Used Flutter’s NFC plugins to enable device taps or NFC card interactions for Tribe access and collectible unlocks, ensuring compatibility across devices.
  • Partner Ecosystem: Simulated partnerships with museums, bars, and travel agencies to test NFC card distribution and collectible rewards.

Challenges We Ran Into

  • Quiz Response Sync: Synchronizing quiz responses across devices using Supabase required careful optimization to ensure seamless group interactions.
  • AI Optimization: Adapting the Gemini-based model for Flutter’s resource constraints while maintaining accuracy involved extensive prompt engineering and model pruning.
  • NFC Compatibility: Ensuring reliable NFC performance across diverse Android and iOS devices was challenging due to hardware variations.
  • Skyscanner API Limits: Rate limits on the Skyscanner API necessitated efficient query batching and caching in Supabase.
  • Collectible System Costs: Optimizing our NFT-like collectible system to keep operational costs low was critical for user affordability.
  • User Onboarding: Simplifying the explanation of NFC, collectibles, and Tribe creation for non-technical users required multiple UX iterations in Flutter.

Accomplishments That We're Proud Of

  • Seamless UX: Delivered a Flutter app so intuitive that users can create a Tribe, join via QR/code, and swipe through quizzes in minutes.
  • Advanced AI: Engineered a Gemini-based AI model, enhanced with prompt engineering and Skyscanner API integration, that delivers precise destination and activity recommendations.
  • NFC Integration: Successfully implemented NFC for Tribe joining and collectible unlocks, adding a futuristic, tactile experience.
  • Gamified Rewards: Launched a collectible system with Common, Rare, and Shiny tiers, making travel planning engaging and repeatable.
  • Practical Insights: Combined Skyscanner’s API with AI for budget-friendly, real-time travel and activity suggestions.
  • Robust Backend: Leveraged Supabase’s capabilities and SQL database for a scalable, performant system handling multiple Tribes and quizzes.

Conclusion

What We Learned: Building with Flutter and Supabase taught us to prioritize simplicity and efficiency, while adapting Gemini’s AI for mobile use honed our optimization skills. NFC quirks pushed us to ensure accessibility, and our NFT-like system showed us how to balance innovation with cost.

What’s Next: We plan to expand globally, onboard real NFC partners, add social sharing, enhance AI with sentiment analysis, explore AR collectibles, support offline modes, and introduce a premium tier.

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