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Trubla

An AI-assisted social discovery platform built on real experiences and honest ratings.

The Trubla website on a laptop with the headline 'Trubla is where authentic experiences meet genuine ratings', beside two phones showing a creator profile and the For You feed with trending posts and hot topics.
Industry
Social, AI
Market
United Kingdom
Platforms
iOS, Android and web
MVP delivered in
9 months

01 Executive summary

A community where recommendations come from real people with a visible track record.

Client and market

Trubla is a UK-based, AI-assisted community and discovery platform. Its audience includes community-driven explorers, content creators and storytellers, and travel and lifestyle enthusiasts.

Challenge

Make seven-plus business domains, from discovery and messaging to trust and safety, work together across three client applications while each stays independently scalable.

Product

People discover trusted recommendations, publish their own experiences, build a reputation, connect with creators and explore personalised, location-aware content on iOS, Android and the web.

What Digital Growth Labs delivered

  • Product discovery, user interviews, branding and UX/UI design
  • Native iOS and Android apps and a React and Next.js web platform
  • Ruby on Rails backend with PostgreSQL, Redis, Firebase and AWS
  • Real-time messaging, moderation, analytics, English and Arabic localisation, QA and releases

9mo

MVP development

12+mo

Total partnership

8

Specialists on the team

3

Client applications

Attribution. Digital Growth Labs delivered Trubla as white-label engineering partner to URLaunched (You are launched), where this project is also published.

02 The challenge

Recommendations are everywhere. Trustworthy ones are hard to find.

User interviews showed that people come to Trubla to see real experiences before trying something new. The obstacles were consistent: too much sponsored or biased content, trustworthy opinions that are hard to find, and recommendations that don't feel personal.

User problem

Explorers

Want to find reliable experiences quickly and feel confident before choosing what to try, visit or recommend. Sponsored and biased content makes that hard to judge.

User problem

Creators

Want honest experiences to reach people who value them, and to grow trusted influence through meaningful connection rather than traditional engagement metrics.

Business goal

A scalable product foundation connecting community, AI-assisted recommendations, experience sharing, real-time messaging, analytics and operations, designed for continuous evolution rather than a fixed-feature MVP.

Product complexity

Two kinds of users with different motivations, content that must be easy to publish yet safe to show, and trust that has to be visible behind every opinion.

Technical complexity

  • AI-powered discovery
  • Real-time messaging
  • Multi-platform synchronisation
  • Location-aware experiences
  • Trust and safety
  • Product analytics
  • Administrative operations
  • iOS, Android and web
  • English and Arabic

Core problem

Support real-time interactions, AI-assisted recommendations, community engagement and operational workflows consistently across every client application.

03 Our approach

Understand what earns trust, then build a platform that can grow around it.

End-to-end product development, from interviews and brand through native apps, web and backend, to production releases and continued improvement after launch.

  1. 01

    Discovery

    User interviews on who Trubla users are, what motivates them, what content they value and what gets in their way. Two personas were defined: an authentic creator and an experience explorer.

    What it solvedDiscovery and sharing logic shaped by real motivations.

  2. 02

    Product strategy

    Three product decisions: a flexible entry with guest access, discovery as the main interaction loop, and profiles that act as proof of trust.

    What it solvedFocus on the actions users repeat most.

  3. 03

    UX, UI and brand

    User flows, low-fidelity wireframes and a design system with reusable states and cross-platform behaviour, plus a brand identity inspired by the chameleon's ability to adapt.

    What it solvedA cohesive experience across iOS, Android and web as features grew.

  4. 04

    Architecture

    Technical discovery and a modular, domain-driven, API-first architecture in which each capability evolves independently on a shared business foundation.

    What it solvedNew capabilities added without major architectural changes.

  5. 05

    Development

    Sprint planning, technical refinement, API alignment and code reviews across native iOS, native Android, web and backend work.

    What it solvedThree client apps kept aligned on one shared backend.

  6. 06

    QA and launch

    QA validation, regression testing, production releases, performance monitoring and continuous support after launch.

    What it solvedA platform that kept shipping across a 12+ month partnership.

03 Our approach: design process

Flows, wireframes and a design system laid the groundwork.

User flow diagram branching from Login/Sign Up to Create content, Community, Look, Rating and Search, with a highlighted path through Photo and Description.
User flow mapping the app's screens and navigation paths (detail).
Two rows of grey low-fidelity wireframes covering verification codes, sign-up, search, message requests, notifications and settings.
Low-fidelity wireframes for onboarding, authentication and browsing.
Design system board with text fields, reaction buttons, post cards, share sheets and a keyboard, in default and active states.
Design system with form fields, buttons and UI states reused across iOS, Android and web.

04 The product

Creators share. Explorers discover. Signals connect them.

Two journeys feed each other: what creators publish becomes what explorers discover, and how explorers respond shapes reputation and future recommendations.

Explorer

Finds what to try next

  1. Enter

    Sign up, sign in or continue as a guest

  2. Personalise

    Choose categories of interest

  3. Discover

    Personal feed, trending and nearby

  4. Evaluate

    Ratings, comments and creator profile

  5. Engage

    Rate, comment, save and share

Ratings, reputation, location and behaviour signals feed the recommendation engine behind every feed

Creator

Builds trusted influence

  1. Publish

    Photos, rating, categories and tags

  2. Engage

    Answer requests and reply to comments

  3. Grow

    Reputation, followers and match score

Three onboarding screens: a Trubla welcome screen with a Get Started button and language selector, a 'Check your email' verification code screen, and a Sign Up screen with Apple and Google options.
A flexible first entry: a welcome screen, email verification and sign-up with Apple or Google. Users can also continue as guests with limited access, while the product explains what full access unlocks.

04 The product: key screens

Built around the actions users repeat most.

Two phones showing the Trubla home feed: a full-screen post in the Following tab, and the For You tab with a top user of the week, trending posts and hot topics.

Home feed

For You and Following feeds, trending posts and hot topics. The feed brings together location context, creator details and community signals, and is organised around opening posts, reacting, commenting, rating and sharing.

The Trubla website shown on a laptop, tablet and phone, with the headline 'Trubla is where authentic experiences meet genuine ratings'.

Web platform

A responsive web experience presents Trubla's core value, real experiences, honest ratings and community-driven discovery, on laptop, tablet and phone, and brings users toward the apps.

05 Engineering

One backend, many independent domains, three client apps.

A modular, domain-driven architecture lets each product capability evolve on its own while sharing the same business foundation. Every client talks to it through the same APIs.

Client apps

Three platforms

iOS

Swift, SwiftUI

Android

Kotlin, Jetpack Compose

Web

React, Next.js

Shared backend

Ruby on Rails

Independent business modules

7+ core domains and 20+ product modules on one platform

Identity and authenticationRecommendation engineCommunity and reputationPublishing and mediaMessaging and notificationsTrust and safetyLocation and discoveryCentralised operations

Data and services

PostgreSQL

Redis

Firebase

AWS

Amplitude

Analytics

Simplified view. Module labels reflect the platform capabilities described in the project documentation.

Independent modules

Discovery, messaging, publishing and safety can each change and scale without forcing changes elsewhere.

API-first clients

iOS, Android and web consume the same services, which keeps behaviour and data aligned across platforms.

Centralised operations

Moderation, administrative dashboards and analytics sit on the shared platform rather than inside any one app.

05 Engineering: stack and decisions

Technical choices for a community that keeps changing.

Technology stack

iOS
Swift, SwiftUI
Android
Kotlin, Jetpack Compose
Web
React, Next.js
Backend
Ruby on Rails
Data
PostgreSQL, Redis
Cloud
AWS, Firebase
Analytics
Amplitude behavioural analytics
AI
Recommendation engine and AI-assisted moderation
Integrations
Map integrations, geolocation services, push notifications; Apple and Google sign-in shown in the sign-up flow
Delivery
Sprint planning, API alignment, code review, regression testing, production releases, performance monitoring

Why these decisions were made

  1. 01

    Domain-driven modules

    Each capability evolves independently on a shared business foundation, so the platform can add features without major architectural changes.

  2. 02

    API-first communication

    Three client apps use the same backend services, keeping behaviour consistent across iOS, Android and web.

  3. 03

    An independent recommendation engine

    Ranking combines behavioural, contextual, reputation and location signals instead of relying on a chronological feed.

  4. 04

    Trust and safety as infrastructure

    Reporting, review workflows, blocking, AI-assisted moderation and admin dashboards are platform services, available to every client.

  5. 05

    Analytics and localisation built in

    Amplitude tracks behaviour to guide product decisions, and English and Arabic localisation is part of the foundation.

06 Key capabilities

Five capabilities that make the community work.

AI-assisted discovery

A recommendation engine surfaces relevant experiences from behavioural, contextual, reputation and location signals, across personalised feeds, trending experiences, hot topics and smart filters.

ValueExplorers find experiences that match their taste and context faster.

Two phones: a creator profile with a match score, and the For You feed with a top user of the week, trending posts and hot topics.

Community and identity

Personal and creator profiles, reputation, match score, following and privacy controls, all built on a shared identity domain.

ValueEvery recommendation has a visible person and track record behind it.

Three profile screens: a creator profile with followers, following and match score, an activity feed of rated and commented posts, and the same profile's activity tab after following.

Experience sharing

Structured publishing with photos and media, ratings, categories and tags, drafts and comments, supported by media processing and content lifecycle management.

ValueAuthentic experiences are easy to create, organise and discuss.

Three phones showing a beach photo post, a discussion thread with a bizarre food question, and a food post with reactions and comments.

Trust and safety

Content reporting, review workflows, user blocking, AI-assisted moderation and administrative dashboards protect community quality as the platform grows.

ValueA healthier community that can scale without losing trust.

Phone showing the post action sheet with Rate later, Report and Share options above a list of people to share with.
Shown: the post action sheet, with reporting next to rate later and share.

Location-aware discovery

Nearby experiences, interactive maps, geographic filters and contextual ranking connect users with what is happening around them.

ValueLocal recommendations that are relevant right now.

'Discover Around You' section inviting users to discover what's happening around them, with trending posts nearby.

07 Results and impact

A multi-platform foundation built to evolve, not a fixed-feature MVP.

3

client applications, iOS, Android and web, running on one shared backend platform.

20+

Core product modules across the platform.

7+

Core business domains

Within the modular architecture

1

Shared backend platform

Connecting the whole product ecosystem

2

Native mobile apps

For iOS and Android

2

Supported languages

English and Arabic

9

Months to MVP

Discovery, design, build and QA

12+

Months of partnership

Including continuous support after launch

07 Results: delivery

Delivered end to end by an eight-person product team.

Delivery timeline

MVP development: discovery, brand, design, build, QAContinuous support
Month 0Month 912+ months

Platforms and deliverables

  • Native iOS and Android apps
  • React and Next.js web platform
  • Ruby on Rails backend with administrative operations
  • Brand identity and logo
  • Responsive landing page, promotional video and marketing creatives

Project team

  • 1 Project manager
  • 1 UI/UX designer
  • 2 KMM developers
  • 2 Server developers
  • 2 QA engineers
Three versions of the Trubla logo: a construction outline on a grid, a dark logo on yellow, and the full-colour logo on a dark background.
Brand identity: the mark draws on the chameleon, known for adapting and changing colour.

08 Why it worked

Five decisions behind the result.

  1. 01

    Architecture mirrored the product

    Seven-plus domains and 20+ modules on one backend let discovery, messaging, publishing and safety evolve independently.

  2. 02

    Discovery was designed as the core loop

    The feed was built around the actions users repeat most: exploring, opening posts, reacting, commenting, rating and sharing.

  3. 03

    Trust was made visible

    Profiles bring together identity, activity, shared experiences and match score, so users can see who stands behind each opinion.

  4. 04

    Entry stayed flexible

    Users can sign up, sign in or look around as a guest, while the product shows what full access unlocks.

  5. 05

    Safety and measurement live in the platform

    Moderation workflows and behavioural analytics are shared services, supporting community quality and product decisions across every client.

Trubla worked because its architecture reflected its product. Each area users care about became an independent module on one shared backend, which let three client apps reach MVP in nine months and keep evolving through a 12+ month partnership.

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Trubla was delivered by Digital Growth Labs as white-label engineering partner to URLaunched (You are launched), where the project is also published. Project facts and figures in this document come from that published case study.