Urbee was a visionary app launched in March 2017, designed to revolutionize how users discover their surroundings without relying on keyword searches. By aggregating open data, it presented information across various categories based on visual cues and user location, offering a direct, unfiltered exploration experience. Additionally, it enabled local territories to push relevant, contextual information to users. Despite achieving a 30% retention rate three months post-launch, challenges with lengthy and difficult payment processes from territorial clients led to its discontinuation in 2018.
The development of Urbee focused on harnessing open data to create a user-centric, intuitive interface that prioritized speed and visual discovery over traditional search methods. This approach aimed to mitigate the bias of sponsored search results and provide a more authentic exploration experience.
Key to Urbee's strategy was its ability to deliver location-based, timely information from local territories directly to users, enhancing relevance and engagement. The project's commitment to a seamless and efficient user experience underscored its innovative vision, even as financial and operational challenges eventually halted its journey.