Street Art Detector - app for street art enthusiasts
Street art enthusiasts worldwide - GMI and the client built an app connecting community and street art discovery.
App vision
The goal was to create a tool that guides users through unfamiliar places, pointing them to stunning artistic installations hidden around the corner. With a ranking system for discoverers and a feature for adding personal finds, the app was meant to become an exciting community platform focused on street art.
Understanding the challenges
Every innovative project brings challenges requiring strategic thinking and problem-solving skills. Street Art Detector was no different. The GMI Software team faced numerous challenges - from designing an artistic user interface to building advanced location features.
Designing an artistic user interface
A main challenge for GMI Software was creating a user interface that digitally reflected the vibrant world of street art. The design had to be stylish and capture the spirit of the community while staying lightweight for smooth performance across devices. Maintaining that delicate balance was not easy, but the team tackled it with full commitment.
Precise street art location detection
A core app feature was precise street art location - one of the biggest challenges. Street art is not confined to galleries or predictable spots; it can appear in the most unexpected corners of cities and towns. The app needed a robust, accurate mechanism to identify those locations.
The team aimed to integrate a feature that saves locations based on metadata in user-uploaded photos. That approach was meant to ensure credibility of listed locations - critical for building community trust.
Ensuring a smooth user experience
Street Art Detector relies heavily on map interaction. Smooth transitions between the map view and other app sections - and back to the map - were essential so users would not feel disoriented. Designing this kind of fluid interface was a unique UX challenge requiring thoughtful approach.
Managing multilingual tags in the MVP
Supporting multilingual tags while keeping the MVP simple and budget-efficient added complexity. The team had to carefully plan how to implement this feature without overcomplicating the system or exceeding the available budget.
Project team and roles
Every project success depends largely on collective effort and team synergy. Each member plays a key role, and individual skills contribute to project success.
Virtual Chief Technology Officer (vCTO)
The vCTO led the project technically, ensuring all technical solutions aligned with strategic goals. They also made key decisions, resolved technical challenges, and kept focus on delivering value.
UI/UX designer
The UI/UX designer tackled one of the main project challenges - creating an interface that reflected the app artistic character while ensuring ease of use. They delivered an intuitive design and engaging user experience focused on smooth navigation and visual appeal.
Full stack developer
The full stack developer played a key role working on both front-end and back-end. They implemented essential features such as multilingual tags and integrated various APIs for smooth system operation.
Mobile developer
The mobile developer focused on translating design and functionality into a smooth mobile experience. They addressed iOS and Android platform-specific challenges, optimising performance and compliance with both platforms guidelines.
Solution development: building Street Art Detector
Designing a colourful, intuitive interface
From a user perspective, visual design was critical. The UI/UX designer played a key role in realising this vision - designing a stylish yet lightweight interface that captured the essence of street art without sacrificing usability.
Creating an engaging user journey
The team focused on engaging users at every development stage. A key need was a simple registration process with multiple account options (email, Facebook, Google). Users also expected smooth navigation through the main app menu.
Enhancing map and navigation interaction
The map feature was a core app element. The team successfully integrated features such as:
- Displaying the user current location on the map
- Map markers indicating street art locations
- Adding and removing route points directly on the map
Building a user-centred platform
The app lets users:
- Add artworks using a gallery photo or by taking a picture with the camera
- Mark places as visited from the artwork preview
- Interact actively with the app and personalise their experience
Gamification for greater engagement
Developers introduced gamification, including a discoverer ranking that added fun and competition, boosting user engagement. Users earn points and climb the ranking by adding new artworks to the app.
Comprehensive back-office features
To manage and moderate user-generated content effectively, the team built a robust admin back office with features such as:
- Admin panel with easy access
- Simple artwork management (CRUD)
- Administrator moderation of artworks
Overcoming technical challenges
Implementing art location detection
A main technical challenge was building a system capable of precisely identifying and saving street art locations from photo metadata. Verifying that a photo was taken at the stated location was essential to preserve authenticity of user-generated content.
Through deep understanding of EXIF metadata in photographs and a feature to read and interpret it, the team successfully implemented this capability. The solution increased app credibility and provided a verification layer for user contributions.
Solving map view navigation issues
Heavy reliance on map interaction posed a unique UX challenge. Transitions between the map view and other screens had to be smooth and intuitive to prevent user confusion. The team focused on user journey analysis, testing design concepts, and running extensive user tests.
Managing multilingual tags
Adding multilingual tag support increased project complexity. The client required this feature without overloading the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) or exceeding budget. The team took a strategic approach, making thoughtful decisions on tag and language management.
Technology stack and its impact
Choosing the right technology stack plays a key role in every software project success. For Street Art Detector, the GMI Software team carefully selected a stack that matched project requirements.
Node.js and Nest.js as the back-end foundation
The app back-end was built with Node.js and Nest.js - popular technologies known for scalability, performance, and efficient async task handling. They enabled a robust back-end system for complex tasks such as user data management, database interaction, and advanced app features.
React Native for mobile development
Choosing React Native enabled a highly responsive user interface. With "write once, run everywhere" capability, React Native saved time and ensured consistency on iOS and Android. It also allowed rapid updates and performance optimisation on both platforms.
PostgreSQL for data management
PostgreSQL, an open-source relational database, was chosen for data management. With advanced features and support for diverse data types, PostgreSQL let the team efficiently store and manage complex user and street art location data. Its reliability and stability ensured data security and smooth app functionality.
Project results and achievements
Delivering a user-centred app
The finished app - colourful yet intuitive - lets street art lovers worldwide discover, share, and connect around their shared passion. Users can easily explore unfamiliar places, find new artistic installations, add their own discoveries, and engage with a global community of like-minded enthusiasts.
Reliable, precise art location detection
The innovative feature for identifying and verifying street art locations via photo metadata proved highly valuable in maintaining authenticity of user-generated content. This technical achievement not only increased app credibility but also set a new standard in user-generated content verification.
Summary
Street Art Detector journey from concept to reality shows the power of collaboration, innovative thinking, and technical expertise that GMI Software brings to its projects. Despite numerous challenges - from designing a visually appealing yet intuitive interface to implementing complex location detection - the team consistently found solutions that not only solved problems but improved user experience.
Successful delivery of multilingual tags within the MVP demonstrated GMI Software ability to handle complexity while staying focused on project goals and budget constraints. The result is an app now serving street art lovers worldwide - proof of the team hard work and dedication.
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