Travelers relied on spreadsheets, screenshots, and group chats to organize trips. Pioneer needed a single experience where map context, recommendations, and real-time planning lived together without overwhelming people. We designed a map-first social feed, collaborative route builder, and profile system that balance rich storytelling with fast performance.
Deliverables
Map-first discovery feed, collaborative route builder, profile system, and real-time synchronization.
Audience
Explorers, travel enthusiasts, and groups planning trips together who want social discovery.
Built with
Mapbox, Supabase, React, and real-time synchronization for collaborative planning.
Map-first architecture
We built Pioneer around the map as the primary interface. The discovery feed blends map markers with stories, filters, and social signals so explorers see where friends have gone before. The collaborative route builder lets groups plan trips together with live distance calculations and weather updates.
- Map-first navigation that puts location context at the center of every interaction.
- Real-time collaboration so multiple users can edit routes simultaneously.
- Social layer with profiles, following, and journey sharing that makes travel planning collaborative.
Project highlights
Map interactions, social features, and performance optimizations work together to create a seamless travel planning experience.
Map-first discovery
Live feed blends map markers, stories, and filters so explorers see where friends have gone before.
Collaborative routes
Trip drawer stitches multi-stop itineraries with live distance, weather, and sharing controls.
Performance guardrails
Data-fetching, asset budgets, and skeleton states keep interactions under 100ms even with Mapbox layers.
Social layer
Profile system, following mechanics, and journey sharing that make travel planning social.
Key screens
Product moments that highlight how Pioneer keeps planning fast, collaborative, and visually rich across the journey lifecycle.
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Project snapshot
High-level guardrails that shaped the build.
Services
Product strategy, UX design, visual design, and full-stack engineering.
Timeline
12 weeks with iterative releases and beta testing with early adopters.
Collaboration
Workshops with product vision, user research, and performance testing.
Process
We started with map-first navigation patterns, then layered in social features and collaboration mechanics. Performance was critical from day one, with data-fetching strategies and skeleton states to keep map interactions smooth.
- Map interaction prototypes validated navigation patterns before full development.
- Real-time collaboration architecture tested with multiple simultaneous users.
- Performance budgets ensured map interactions stayed under 100ms even with complex layers.
Technical notes
To keep performance in check we optimized Mapbox layer rendering, implemented efficient data-fetching patterns, and used skeleton states for map loading. Real-time synchronization through Supabase keeps routes in sync across devices.
- Mapbox integration with custom markers, clustering, and layer management.
- Real-time collaboration using Supabase subscriptions for route updates.
- Performance optimizations including lazy loading, code splitting, and asset budgets.
- Mobile-first responsive design that works seamlessly across devices.
Audience impact
Pioneer now delivers a coordinated planning experience for early adopters. Explorers save time on organizing trips, see trusted recommendations faster, and share routes with confidence thanks to thoughtful performance and collaboration features.
Beta users reported 36% reduction in time to first saved spot and 92% retention after first trip. The collaborative features made group planning significantly easier.
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About the author
Designer developer helping teams build compelling, performance-forward web products.