Nova Circle

TravelTech mobile app connecting people with recommendations they can genuinely trust, inspired by like-minded individuals

TRAVEL, FOOD & DRINKHYBRID MOBILE DEVELOPMENT

2023 - 2024

A mobile app to streamline how users discover and share recommendations with friends and trusted individuals.

Unlike traditional review platforms that rely on the opinions of strangers, Nova Circle elevates trusted, personalized recommendations from real friends, cutting through the noise and saving users time.

Process

Lean Startup

User Research

Design Thinking

Rapid Development

Product Stage

Early stage

Nova Circle in numbers

weeks

DND phase

Highest team size

s

of locations added worldwide

Challenge

The uncertainty: Finding the niche and differentiating

Nova Circle’s founders had a clear vision: a platform where trusted recommendations from friends outweighed anonymous online reviews. However, they needed to define their niche and stand out in a crowded market of review apps.

We began by identifying their core user segment through extensive research, focusing on the value of visually rich, trusted recommendations. To differentiate, we designed a seamless, photo and video-driven experience, supported by a smart algorithm that prioritized personalized, relevant content for each user—setting NovaCircle apart from traditional review platforms.

Solution

Travelling made simple

Design and Discovery phase

We began with our proven DnD methodology, designed to take broad concepts and refine the client into focused, market-ready products. To start off, we started with the market research and user interviews , speaking directly with potential users to identify pain points and assess the demand for a recommendation-based app. The core idea that emerged was the value of trusted recommendations from friends, which guided our design process. In collaboration with the NovaCircle team, we explored various designs and prototypes. We iterated rapidly, ensuring that every design choice was aligned with the needs of the target audience. By combining product management, UX/UI design, and technical feasibility, we honed the app's core value proposition: simplifying how users discover trusted recommendations.

MVP development

Once the DnD phase was complete, we moved quickly into the MVP development. Our approach was to deliver a lightweight yet scalable app with a seamless user interface and optimized performance. The core functionality revolved around:

Visually-heavy recommendation sharing: A clean, intuitive flow for users to share their favorite places, restaurants, and experiences with friends through rich, visual reviews. We focused on enhancing the impact of recommendations by allowing users to post photos and videos, recognizing that visuals have a much stronger influence than text alone. By making reviews more visually engaging, we enabled users to create compelling content that would resonate more deeply with their trusted circles.

Recommendation sharing: A clean, intuitive flow for users to share their favorite places, restaurants, and experiences with friends.

Trust networks: A system to follow trusted friends and influencers, ensuring users only see recommendations from sources they value.

The app, built with Flutter and a Node.js backend on top of Postgres, featured amazing UX, beautiful UI style with slick animations to really drive the cozy and smooth feel of the app all to provide the users the best experience for deep focus and enhancing their concentration free of distractions.

Explore powered by our algorithm

To enhance the discovery experience, we introduced an endless scrolling Explore feature that is driven by a highly sophisticated algorithm. This algorithm prioritizes and curates the most relevant content for each user based on their personal preferences, interactions, and behaviors during their Explore session. It continuously analyzes user actions making real-time adjustments to deliver personalized, highly engaging recommendations. This dynamic approach ensures that every piece of content users encounter feels relevant and tailored to their interests, making the Explore feature a core driver of user engagement and satisfaction.

Let’s talk about your digital product

Tech Stack

Flutter
Postgres
NodeJS
TypeScript
AWS
Firebase

Check out the app

Where we at now?

Our collaboration with Nova Circle concluded after the successful completion of the Design and Discovery (DnD) and MVP build phases.

We are proud to have helped shape and deliver their vision, and we continue to follow their growth closely as they expand in the market. Although we are no longer directly involved in the development, we remain enthusiastic supporters of their journey and look forward to seeing their ongoing success.

Martin Philipsson Löf

Co-Founder - Nova Circle

Bringing our vision to life required a team that could execute with speed, precision, and creativity. Ministry of Programming was exactly that partner. They played a crucial role in designing and developing the first version of Nova Circle, allowing us to launch quickly. Their expertise in both programming and design meant we could focus on refining our product rather than assembling a team from scratch. Ministry of Programming delivered a seamless experience, turning our ideas into an efficient platform with the latest technologies. Their ability to adapt, problem-solve, and execute at a high level made them an invaluable part of our journey.