Hi! I'm Meritxell Gil.

Take a look at some of my work here.

Work in progress. This application is currently under development and some features may be incomplete or subject to change.

UX CASE STUDY

El CaçaMites | The APP to discover and play with Catalan mythology

By Meritxell Gil

Project Overview

The product

An immersive territorial gamification experience to discover oral culture, nature, and the local landscape through an interactive app.

LandApp.cat is a geolocated mobile application that allows users to explore legends from the Catalan territory while physically moving around, unlocking cultural content, completing playful activities, earning points, and discovering new challenges.

The project combines popular legends (intangible heritage), nature, sustainable tourism, and technological innovation with a strong community focus. All content is in Catalan and can be adapted to the different linguistic varieties of the region.

Project duration: The project was developed during the duration of the course (2026).

The problem

Many cultural and natural discovery resources in Catalonia are neither gamified nor adapted for an interactive experience, which hinders:

The active participation of the community and visitors.
The preservation and dissemination of oral and natural heritage.
The promotion of sustainable tourism and the exploration of lesser-known areas.

The goal

General Objective: Create a technological tool that highlights the oral and natural heritage of Catalonia through gamification and geolocation.

Encourage sustainable tourism and respectful exploration of the territory.
Promote the active participation of local communities and illustrators.
Facilitate the dissemination and preservation of popular legends.
Develop collective activities to foster social cohesion.
Stimulate knowledge of the natural environment and ecological awareness.

My role & responsibilities

I have led the entire UX process; the technical team will develop the solution, I’ll handle frontend, considering future funding.

Tools used

Figma for design and prototyping, Miro for ideation, Webflow for no-code frontend development (development is not included in this case).

Research

Activities carried out: Currently, a preliminary study of references and benchmarking of cultural applications and educational games has begun. Interviews and surveys of potential users will be conducted soon.
What you want to learn: Identify consumption patterns of cultural applications and user preferences in educational games.
Key insights: (Provisional: this section will be expanded after the first round of user testing and analysis.)

User research

Families and children.
Young people and adults interested in adventure routes and outdoor activities.
Hiking groups, cultural associations, singles groups.
Cultural tourists and users of discovery apps.
Local administrations and heritage organizations.

General summary and common pain points

Difficult access to cultural content in an interactive way.
Low gamification in territorial discovery resources.
Need to combine education, leisure, and sustainability.

Cultural motivations and interests

Interest in legends and oral heritage.
Active exploration of nature and the local territory.
Participation in local communities and cultural activities.

Pain points

Scattered and unappealing information.
Lack of gamified routes and experiences.
Low engagement with local cultural heritage.

Persona: Laia

Age: 32
Profession: Teacher and mother
Motivation: To discover family activities that combine nature, culture, and play.
Frustration: Lack of interactive apps that integrate gamification and cultural learning.

“I want my children to learn about our culture and nature through play, without it being boring or just looking at a book or a map.”

User story

Laia, 32 years old, teacher and mother, passionate about culture and nature, is looking for interactive, educational, and fun family activities, with safe and gamified routes across Catalonia.

Problem statement

Available cultural and nature activities are not gamified or technology-integrated, making it difficult to keep children motivated and learning through play.
Existing routes lack interactive content or rewards, and information about legends and heritage is scattered and hard to access.

Goals

Discover legends and cultural heritage of Catalonia in an interactive way.
Participate in routes and activities that combine nature and learning.
Find safe, family-friendly experiences that encourage curiosity and family bonding.
Meet other families or groups with similar interests to share experiences.

Frustration

Limited offer of interactive activities combining nature, culture, and play.
Lack of children’s motivation on traditional routes that are not dynamic.
Limited participation from the local community and low visibility of popular legends.

Ideation

Brainstorming

Initial session with the Krei24 team, project promoters, to generate ideas for games, interactive routes and cultural content.

The sections initially planned: Pokémon Go was taken into account, but the game system is simplified. The objective will be to discover legends through a Quo Vadis-type system of clues, combined with a points system to solve challenges such as: defeating a monster, breaking a curse, solving a riddle or helping the hero or heroine by carrying an object.

Starting the Design

Digital wireframes

Interactive Map: Geolocated legends with detailed activity information.
Guided Routes: Explore Children/Family and Adventure categories with step-by-step guidance.
Virtual Object Hunt: Earn points, track penalties, and compete on online rankings.
Rewards & Activities: Collect rewards and participate in group or collective challenges.
Safety & Feedback: Submit incident reports and safety recommendations via a dedicated form.

User flows

Initial definition of main flows for players and learners.

Information architecture

First structural model for Beta with Google’s Antigravity.

(More specific details to be expanded soon.)

UI final // 22-12-2025

Final UI: In the process of definition, with a beta prototype available for internal testing.

Design decisions: The colors and hierarchy have been selected following accessibility criteria and respecting the Catalan cultural identity.
(Details of the final design will be developed and expanded after testing and iterations.)

Final product screens - Low intensity // 22-12-2025

Onboarding / Access

Splash / Introduction

App value message
Thematic illustration or animation

Onboarding (3–4 screens)

Basic game mechanics
Geolocation and safety
Game categories
Points and rewards system

Registration / Login

Email / password
Social login
Acceptance of terms and privacy

My book of legends

List of Legends

Search
Filters by category, area, and difficulty
Status (completed / pending)

Legend Details

Name and illustration
Narrative introduction
Type (historical, fantasy, folklore)
Geographic location
Game category
Difficulty
Unlock requirements
Points and penalties
Recommendations (safety, nature, farming/rural activities)

Interactive Map

Pins with legends
Special zones (repopulation bonus)
Time and safety indicators

Map Filters

Category (Children/Family, Adventure)
Difficulty
Active time-based events
Accessibility

Quick Point Details

Legend name
Type
Distance
Status (locked / available)

Tipus de punts de control

Ruby (mandatory checkpoint)

Explanatory character
Required objects
Enemy (cannot be defeated without the necessary points)

Box / Chest (optional checkpoint)

Contingut surprise
Can add or remain punts

Diamonds

It cannot be avoided
Required to complete the route

Key user flow demo

A demonstration video showing the exploration of a route, unlocking of legends, and interaction with the points and rewards system.

And what about back office users?

The final product is divided into two main, distinct but interconnected usage environments:

Users (Front Office)
Collaborators and Administrators (Back Office)

Each environment addresses different needs and provides specific functionalities. While our focus will be on the end user, it is also possible to see how collaborators can submit their proposals through the back office.

Graphic elements: illustrations

All graphic elements will be progressively incorporated and will be created by local artists. Currently, the general illustrations of the App have been drawn and illustrated by myself.

The illustrations of the Font de la Baronessa have been made by Sergi Dachs: www.sergidachs.cat

BETA Test - February 2026

Current phase – App creation or testing / v. beta 1.0.0

24/12/2025: the development of the Beta version of the application is currently underway, with the help of tools such as Antigravity, Google, and Android Studio. During this phase, tests are carried out to validate functionality and user experience.

The legend of the Baron of Savassona serves as a narrative reference, providing context and history to the application, which is aimed at a diverse audience passionate about local legends.

24/01/2026: a beta version has been developed with custom-made illustrations and an attractive visual identity. Today, the first closed test was successfully carried out: a technical test to verify that the points respond correctly. Throughout the week, the detected changes will be implemented, along with minor adjustments such as alerts for errors or low coverage, and the illustrations for the legend La Font de la Baronessa, created by Sergi Dachs.

During the month of February, a test with a closed group of participants is planned, with the coordinate points already finalized in situ in the area of Savassona. It will be necessary to verify that the route and surroundings are not dangerous and that no point is located in an inaccessible area.

🔜 Next Steps

Mid-term

App review and improvement: Necessary changes will be applied based on feedback collected during the Beta phase to resolve issues and optimize the user experience.
Optimization: Performance and usability will be improved to ensure a faster and more accessible app.
Beta launch: User testing will be conducted to gather more feedback and adjust the application.
Marketing plan: Strategy for promoting the app, accompanied by presentations at funding rounds to ensure its long-term maintenance. Pursuit of public funding.

🤗 Are you interested in this project? Fantastic!

It is important to note that the application is a living and evolving project, currently looking for funding. If you are interested in supporting or collaborating, please contact hola@krei24.com.