exping’s 2nd Anniversary - Explore, Experience, Express with Map

Forge Ahead, Exping’s Journey is Grateful for Your Witness

From the very moment exping came into existence, we embarked on a magical journey of map creation together. Time has flown by, and now, in the blink of an eye, exping has reached its second anniversary! Together, we've traversed countless explorations, made remarkable discoveries, and woven a tapestry of exclusive stories and memories on maps.

Over the past year, exping has crossed one milestone after another.

In February, we took another significant stride forward by introducing exping to various Android App markets. This milestone welcomed the first wave of Android creators, demonstrating their recognition and expectations, while also shaping our trajectory ahead.

In March, exping was honored to be selected for Huawei's daily picks, a distinction that filled us with immense excitement.

• In April, within just three days, we climbed from Top 11 to Top 5 in the App Store's category rankings.
• June brought yet another accolade as we received editorial recommendations from the App Store.
• In July, surpassing our previous achievements, exping soared from Top 4 to Top 2 in the App Store's category rankings.
• August marked a milestone moment as exping graced the App Store Today section, solidifying our presence in the digital landscape.

These achievements are not just a testament to the efforts of exping team, but also reflect the unwavering support of our users.

Your downloads and reviews have propelled exping's ascent in the rankings, ensuring that more individuals discover the value and uniqueness of exping.

We've been inundated with countless letters from creators, sharing their travel stories, experiences, and invaluable feedback. Each missive serves as both validation and inspiration, guiding our journey toward continuous improvement and innovation.

---

In this intricate and bustling world, we often find ourselves lost in the rhythms of life. Maps, however, serve as essential tools for us to explore the world, discover beauty, and preserve memories.

Each journey is a special experience, and every place holds its own story. From familiar street corners to remote mountains and seas, every landscape carries our memories and emotions. And exping is more than just a mapping tool; it's a keeper of our memories, a witness to our soulful journeys.

One step at a time.

We remain steadfast in our commitment to exping's core mission — "to create the ultimate map creation experience." Through continuous innovation and progress, we've been transforming our ideas into reality one by one.

Over the past year, the exping App has undergone 19 updates, witnessing the evolution from version 1.0 to 2.0, from individual creation to collaborative efforts.

Map Group feature allows you to present content more systematically

As the number of locations you record on the map increases, so does the difficulty of finding specific location information.

With the arrival of the map grouping feature, creators can now categorize diverse locations and routes based on different themes or purposes into customized groups.

This intuitive classification method enables creators to present content more systematically and users to conveniently find the desired location information.

Collaborative Map Breaks the Constraints of Individual Creation

When conceptualizing the multiplayer map collaboration feature for exping (Collaboration Alpha), we recognized the significance of frequent and meaningful cooperation among individuals in today's fast-paced world.

With this in mind, our goal was to create a collaborative mapping experience that transcends the limitations of individual creation and eliminates geographical barriers.

This enables creators, regardless of their physical location, to effortlessly share and collaboratively edit maps in real-time, fostering an environment where maps can embody a multitude of creative inspirations.

Creators can invite family, friends, classmates, or colleagues to participate in map creation, collectively marking places they've explored together, destinations they aspire to visit, and even planning travel or work routes.

Collaboration Alpha serves not only as a practical collaborative tool but also as a conduit for emotional connectivity and a catalyst for the fusion of ideas.

Sticker on Map: Adding Life and Personality to Map

With the introduction of the Sticker on Map feature, we've witnessed a burst of creativity among creators, as they adorn their maps with a variety of photos and interesting stickers, crafting unique worlds of their own.

Some have opted to embellish their maps with travel photos, capturing the beauty of landscapes and unforgettable moments.

Each photo is a precious memory, lending the map a touch of warmth and nostalgia. others have injected their own personality into their maps by adorning them with cartoon motifs and official stickers, injecting a sense of fun and whimsy into the mix.

As users explore these maps, the ability to preview images adds an interactive element, further enhancing the experience and making every journey even more memorable.

Route 2.0: Empowering Your Creative Freedom to Design Your Ideal Pathways.

After 529 days of meticulous refinement, exping Route 2.0 is finally here!

Route 1.0 was designed to automatically generate pathways based on the places marked by creators. However, we realized the limitations of Route 1.0; it seemed to confine creative inspiration.

True map allure and uniqueness can only emerge when creators have complete freedom.

With Route 2.0, creators can authentically experience the map as a canvas for their imagination, fulfilling the vision of freely sketching routes according to personal whims.

During the continuous optimization and iteration process of the App, exping's Web version is also quietly blossoming.

Up to now, exping Web has undergone its fifth update, with features becoming more comprehensive and user experience continuously enhanced.

From the early stages of individual creation to the current collaborative efforts, from the remarkable evolution from 1.0 to 2.0, and from the expansion from the App to the Web, we have been forging ahead, all for the sake of providing you with a better map creation experience.

TEDx * exping

In October, exping received a special invitation from TEDx. Clu was invited to take the stage and share with a broader audience the creative philosophy behind exping.

Fromits roots in a "taste community" to a "tool". exping transcends being a mere product; it embodies a unique approach to creativity.

As a coffee enthusiast, Clu always use Google My Maps and Apple Maps to pin down the various coffee shops he has visited across different countries.

With each visit, he logged details such as the equipment found in each cafe, provided reviews on the coffee quality, offered recommendations for standout drinks, and shared his experiences on his social media channels.

Until one day, a netizen expressed interest in purchasing his "coffee map", wanting to follow his footsteps in exploration. Clu realized that his taste and experiences could resonate with others and create value.

"It's entirely different when fans pay for my taste,unlike businesses inviting me to experience and then pay" Clu said.

Every place visited, whether for discovering new cafes, local attractions, or travel guides for international trips, whether a hit or miss, can be marked on the map. This allows those who admire and trust your taste to pay for curated selections.

While Google My Maps and Apple Maps both offer location marking features, they lack sufficient personalization options for users to express their tastes and experiences effectively. They also fail to meet the needs for marking routes and route planning.

An idea for a more personalized taste community, centered around "maps", gradually took shape.

Explore, Experience, Express - We encourage everyone to begin creating by exploring, experiencing, and expressing, forging connections between these places and people. With curiosity, explore more possibilities in life, uncovering unique experiences and feelings among these possibilities, and then express your own experiences and feelings.

And thus, the embryo of exping was born, marking the beginning of exping's narrative…

A map is a composition of various layers such as base maps, satellite imagery, administrative boundaries, water features, vectorized structures, road networks, points of interest (POIs), and 3D landmarks, all intricately stacked together akin to layers in a sandwich.

In essence, we can add some of our favorite seasonings to this burger, creating a burger with a unique flavor.

Therefore, adding our favorite places to visit or desired spots onto the map is akin to garnishing the hamburger with our favorite ingredients. And connecting these locations into routes, placing different types of places into different groups, is like giving this hamburger more layers and a more diverse flavor experience.

Watch the full video: Limitless Creativity: Exploring Design & Thinking

Inviting you to create more possibilities

We've received many messages from creators, each sharing their unique travel stories and expressing their love for exping. These heartfelt messages serve as the driving force behind our journey.

Perhaps, exping will become your guide to the unknown, accompanying you through bustling streets and quiet alleys, capturing every moment along the way.

Perhaps, exping will be the treasure chest of your memories, carefully storing each journey.

Perhaps, exping will be your tool for efficient work, streamlining your busy schedules.

Perhaps, exping will be the bond for sharing joy with your friends, where you co-edit maps and write your own stories together.

The 2nd anniversary of exping isn't just a milestone; it’s the beginning of our future explorations.

Throughout this journey, we've embarked on countless quests, discoveries, and shared innumerable experiences, crafting bespoke stories and memories with you. Each update, each bug fix, owes its existence to the unwavering support and invaluable feedback from our creators. Let's continue this journey, to create more remarkable stories together!