I co-founded Gone to create a special place for outdoor lovers—bikepackers, hikers, trail runners—to share their stories in a way that really connects them. Gone is different from regular social media or apps that are all over the place. Instead, it brings together photos, stories, and GPX routes into one easy-to-share thing. It started as a fun idea and has grown into a whole platform where people can share their adventures, get inspired, and connect with others.

The Challenge

Most of us jot down our trips using various tools: photos, GPX files from mapping apps, and notes that are hard to find. Important details often get lost or buried in different chat threads and social posts. We needed a single place where we could keep our stories together in a way that looks good.

We thought that regular social media platforms aren’t great at handling maps or GPX data in a way that’s easy to use. Mapping social media like Strava or Komoot usually focuses on the activity itself, not the story behind it. We wanted to create an experience that highlights the journey, not just the athletic stuff or numbers.

Outdoor stories can inspire others to try the same routes and boost their confidence. But a simple blog post or forum thread often doesn’t have the interactive features (like map overlays) that make it more engaging. We wanted to build something that lets the community share their adventures and give others useful data to help them copy or tweak those routes.

My Role

I co-founded Gone and handle product design and front-end development:

• Experience design and brand identity: I designed the flows for writing and reading stories, and built the brand's visual language.
• User journeys and feedback: I ran feedback rounds with early adopters and used what they told us to decide what we built next.
• Front-end implementation: I built the Next.js app with Tailwind CSS, using React Aria for accessible components.

Approach

1. User-Centered Discovery. We talked to fellow bikepackers, hikers, and trail runners, gathering pain points and showing them early prototypes to get feedback.
2. Seamless Story Creation. We built a wizard interface allowing users to dump routes, photos, and minimal information to create an interactive story.
3. Map-Driven Design. Maps are at the core of Gone's reading experience. We hero the route previews and elevation profiles, and let readers explore the story at their own pace.

Solution

Gone is now a powerful storytelling platform where adventurers can easily combine text, photos, and GPX data into dynamic, shareable stories. Everything comes together in one place, making it effortless to capture memories, inspire others, and share useful route info for future trips.

We’re setting a new bar for how photos, words, and routes come together in a seamless adventure narrative. Readers can now discover epic journeys from around the world, sparking curiosity and cross-cultural exploration.

Impact & Learnings

• Our users find it refreshing to have one tool dedicated to preserving and sharing detailed outdoor experiences.
• Rich media and polished interactive maps motivate people to attempt new adventures.
• Continual feedback from the community drives new features—like Saving Routes, Browse view, and more we're amped to launch soon.

For me, Gone has been a great example of how niche platforms can thrive. By honing in on the real needs of a specific community—in this case, outdoor adventurers—we created something impactful. One key takeaway: deep integration of GPX data, map overlays, and photo galleries enhances storytelling with a level of fidelity that mainstream platforms lack.

If you’re curious to see Gone in action or want to chat about how we’re growing it, reach out! I’m always up for conversations about design, community building, and the outdoors.