A location-based audio guide platform for children

LyraGuides needed more than a standard website. The project required a complete custom web application that could support the full experience of discovering a city through audio stories, location-based triggers, tasks, clues, purchases, user accounts, and multilingual guide content.

The idea behind LyraGuides is simple but technically demanding: children become the guides. They move through a city, listen to audio stories, receive clues, solve tasks, and discover locations through their own curiosity. Adults are not the main guides in the experience. They become companions and guardians of the path, while the child leads the adventure.

The platform was developed from scratch using Laravel for the backend and Nuxt for the frontend. This gave the project the flexibility needed to support a custom business model, a mobile-first user experience, guide purchasing, GPS-based triggers, and an admin system for managing future content.

A key part of the project was geolocation-based audio activation. Each guide consists of multiple points along a route, and each point can include its own audio recording, task, clue, and related content. When the child reaches the correct location, the system detects their position and makes the next part of the adventure available.

Because the experience is used outside, while walking through a city, the application had to be designed with real-world conditions in mind. The interface needed to be simple, mobile-friendly, and easy to understand. The goal was not to create a screen-heavy app, but to support an audio-first journey where the child listens, moves, observes, and interacts with the environment.

The result is a custom digital platform that allows LyraGuides to sell and deliver interactive, location-based audio adventures for children, starting with Kamnik and designed to scale to more cities and more guides in the future.

The biggest challenge was that LyraGuides could not be built as a simple brochure website or a standard eCommerce store. It needed to work as a digital product with custom logic on almost every level.

The platform needed to support paid guide access, user accounts, time-limited availability, multilingual content, GPS-based progression, audio playback, saved progress, and an administration system where new guides, route points, audio files, tasks, and clues could be managed.

Location-based functionality was one of the most important technical challenges. The experience depends on triggering the right content at the right place. This means the system has to understand where the user is, compare it with guide points, and unlock the correct audio content in a way that feels natural during a real walk through the city.

Audio playback also introduced practical limitations. Mobile devices and browsers can handle media playback differently, especially when autoplay, background behavior, permissions, and user interaction rules are involved. The system had to work around these limitations and create an experience that remains understandable for families using different devices.

Another major challenge was designing the experience for children. The product had to be playful and engaging, but also simple enough to use outdoors. The interface needed to support the adventure without distracting from it. The child should be encouraged to look around, listen carefully, solve clues, and lead the way — not stare at the screen the whole time.

The platform also needed to be future-ready. LyraGuides started with Kamnik, but the system had to be built in a way that supports more cities, more guides, more languages, and more content over time.

The main goal was to create a working digital product that allows LyraGuides to sell, manage, and deliver interactive audio guide experiences for children.

A key objective was to build the entire application logic from scratch. This included guide management, purchase flow, Stripe payment processing, user accounts, guide access, activation logic, saved progress, multilingual content, and audio playback connected to real-world locations.

Another important goal was to create an experience that puts children in the role of the explorer. The platform had to support the idea that the child leads the way, listens to the story, follows clues, and discovers the city through movement and observation.

The project also needed a flexible administration system. LyraGuides needed to be able to add new guides, define route points, upload audio content, manage tasks and clues, and prepare future city adventures without rebuilding the platform each time.

Scalability was another major goal. The platform was not designed only for a single guide. It was built as a foundation for a broader audio guide system that can expand to new locations, new languages, and new types of family experiences.

Finally, the project needed to support a startup business model. LyraGuides was developed as a new digital product and recognized through a local tourism start-up competition, so the platform had to be built with both product validation and future growth in mind.

We developed LyraGuides as a custom web application using Laravel and Nuxt. This architecture allowed us to separate backend business logic from the frontend user experience while keeping the platform flexible, scalable, and maintainable.

Laravel powers the backend, including user accounts, guide purchases, access rules, Stripe payment integration, guide management, route point logic, progress saving, and the administration system. This gives LyraGuides a strong technical foundation for managing both the current guide and future expansions.

Nuxt was used for the frontend experience. The interface was designed and developed by FlickWeb with a mobile-first approach, because the platform is primarily used on smartphones during outdoor exploration. The frontend needed to be playful, clear, and simple enough for families to use during a walk.

The geolocation system was developed to detect when a user reaches specific points on a guide route. When the user arrives at the right location, the platform makes the next audio story, clue, or task available. This creates a guided experience that still feels like an adventure led by the child.

A custom Stripe integration was developed for guide purchases. Instead of using a generic eCommerce plugin, the payment flow was built around the product’s specific requirements. After purchase, users can access their guide through their account, activate it, and continue using it within the defined access period.

The platform also supports saved progress. This is important because families may pause the guide, take a break, or continue later. The experience is designed to fit naturally into a real outing rather than forcing users to complete everything in one session.

A custom admin system allows the LyraGuides team to manage guides, points, audio files, tasks, clues, and multilingual content. This makes the platform easier to expand as new city adventures are created.

LyraGuides now has a complete custom digital platform for selling and delivering location-based audio adventures for children.

The platform gives children a more active role in city exploration. Instead of passively following adults, they listen to stories, solve tasks, follow clues, and guide the route themselves. This creates a more engaging experience for families and supports learning through movement, observation, and curiosity.

From a business perspective, LyraGuides now has a scalable foundation for future growth. The platform is not limited to one city or one guide. New locations, new routes, new languages, and new audio adventures can be added through the custom admin system.

The Stripe-powered purchase flow gives the platform a clear digital product model, while user accounts and time-limited access support controlled delivery of paid guide content.

The geolocation and audio logic turn the website into something more than a standard web presence. It becomes the actual product experience — a location-aware web application that supports families during a real-world adventure.

This project represents the type of custom web application development that goes beyond templates and standard platforms. LyraGuides required custom architecture, product thinking, mobile-first UX, payment integration, geolocation logic, multilingual content, and a scalable admin system — all built around a unique startup idea.