Case study # Turning Visitors into Explorers Updated September 8, 2026 Software Development Strategy Website Design Website Development Digital Infrastructure Tourism Lethbridge is the destination marketing organization for Lethbridge, Alberta. We rebuilt their website, then brought their gamified tourism app, Explore Lethbridge, across the finish line: one cohesive design system, a refined Python platform, and points-and-rewards exploring at 350+ locations. [See the Site ](https://app.tourismlethbridge.com/) ![Explore Lethbridge, the gamified tourism platform built by Paper Crane for Tourism Lethbridge](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/3cfa24e2da19c2f869b08e735051eac040f284eb-3200x1800.png) Detail ## The brief Tourism Lethbridge is the destination marketing organization for Lethbridge, Alberta. When we first met, their digital presence was spread across disconnected systems, and even small updates leaned on outside help. Project one was the website. We rebuilt tourismlethbridge.com in Webflow, consolidated those systems, and handed the marketing team a site they could finally run on their own. That work went well enough that they came back with a bigger ask. ![The new tourismlethbridge.com, rebuilt in Webflow with Lethbridge's photography front and center](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/2b859236f5a5ff56406817acb5a739918c881f49-2640x1920.png) Field note ## First, the website The new site puts Lethbridge's stunning photography front and center, and gives the team full control of pages, stories, and campaigns. Publishing happens in-house now, no tickets required. It also set the visual language that everything after it would build on. Detail ## Then came the app Alongside the website, Tourism Lethbridge had been building something ambitious with the University of Lethbridge: a gamified tourism platform where visitors check in at local spots, earn points, and redeem them for real rewards. The foundations were genuinely good. The point system was smart, the flows made sense, and the core build was there. But the project had wound down with launch still out of reach, and the team needed it ready soon. So they asked us to bring it home. One month later, Explore Lethbridge was launch ready. Detail ## Many styles, one system The app had grown under many hands, and it showed. Bootstrap, plain CSS, and Tailwind all lived in the same codebase, each styling its own corner of the product. We anchored everything to the design language of the new website: one Tailwind system, one component library of 50+ shared pieces, used by every screen, email, and dashboard in the platform. ![The Explore Lethbridge design system: brand blues and yellow, type, buttons, badges, and components](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/2b9882f5146ef9767df30c1d7f1980b4da6d6ff7-2800x2100.png) ![Bootstrap, plain CSS, and mixed UI kits consolidated into one Tailwind system with 50+ components](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/aa21e7515468ede524837fd8d35af5a21bb21e17-1800x2100.png) ![The Explore Lethbridge home page, inviting visitors to let Lethbridge surprise them](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/52b3e3bef84fb53246ba03964a7992e53e64359b-2400x1800.png) ![The Explore page, where 350+ Lethbridge locations each carry their own points](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/33f7ba558c2c875cf20d82828b70b4a655ab2746-2400x1800.png) ![A check-in: proximity verified, points earned, package progress updated](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/ebfe7fd3178b0c9ed2db7d455b6c87f0bbb94182-2400x1800.png) ![The admin dashboard, tracking check-ins, points, and reward redemptions](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/4b6557904cc9234b0d07c65ec9437da777a83c30-2400x1800.png) Detail ## Built like software, because it is Underneath the friendly blue and yellow sits a serious Python platform. We refactored and optimized the backend while keeping the solid data model that was already there. - A Flask service layer with 18 dedicated services and 56 database models - Redis caching and Celery background workers keeping every page quick - Proximity-verified check-ins with fraud detection to keep the points honest - An installable PWA with offline support and push notifications - An admin suite with executive dashboards, review moderation, and email tooling - Fully containerized with Docker, from local development to production ![The Explore Lethbridge loop: scan a QR code, verify proximity, earn points, redeem real rewards](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/7c698419943ae9630a64e97dce39e3503cc19d52-2640x1920.png) Field note ## Check in, earn, redeem The whole platform turns on one simple loop. Scan a QR code at a location, prove you are really there, earn points, and trade them in for local rewards. Themed packages and campaigns string those check-ins into adventures, from Indigenous experiences to local shopping trails. ![The Explore Lethbridge home feed with featured experiences](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/aa0a6d3a172aa16f9eb76c4f518aee304e92ca6e-1040x2080.png) ![A successful check-in: points earned and package progress](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/46c4417c52d17d66b8e18658167b3fce900e8738-1040x2080.png) Measured outcomes ## By the numbers A few favourite figures from the platform so far. from stepping in to launch ready 011 month Lethbridge locations served on the platform 02350+ points earned by visitors exploring the city 0310k+ visits across the website and app 04100k+ Detail ## Still exploring Launch was the start, not the finish. We have worked with the Tourism Lethbridge team ever since, growing the platform with significant analytics capabilities, email tooling, and a steady stream of refinements. A website that tells the city's story, and an app that gets people out into it. That is a digital front door we are proud to keep building. In closing ## Have a city worth exploring? We help municipalities, tourism boards, and DMOs turn their destination into a digital experience visitors love. From the website to the platform behind it, we build it, launch it, and grow it with you. [Start a Project ](https://www.papercrane.ca/contact) ![Explore Lethbridge: let Lethbridge surprise you](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/7b2221505415e61baa589493cf5f9b1e50f1b8a9-3200x1428.png) Related: [Nonprofit website design](https://www.papercrane.ca/nonprofit-website-design) ## MORE PROJECTS [ ![Help for Dementia bloom mark on brand blue](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/2c00ada95c718d3cfeb2faf06a5534cc249f4fbc-3200x2000.png) BrandStrategySoftware Development+1 ### Help for Dementia Help for Dementia is the Alzheimer Society of Alberta and Northwest Territories' home for dementia learning and support. Over three years we rebranded it, rebuilt the learning platform from the ground up, and added an AI resource assistant and a resilience tool that meet people wherever they are. Explore ](https://www.papercrane.ca/case-studies/help-for-dementia) [ ![The PCNA roundel mark centred on a deep Aurora field](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/b895f41328d2c7b79d17788f9ceaf886cb9618ae-3200x2000.png) BrandStrategyCreative+2 ### PCNA Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers on the planet. But PCNA's message was diluted across two brands and two websites. We unified them into one uncompromising home that treats the stakes with the seriousness they deserve. Explore ](https://www.papercrane.ca/case-studies/pancreatic-cancer-north-america) [ ![CCASA's mark on warm cream with its audience colours](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/0838mkru/production/c33442161b1d7b22eb56cdea1db2a5c8367946e2-3200x2000.png) BrandStrategyCreative ### CCASA For more than 25 years, Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse has been a steady presence for people affected by sexual violence. When they were ready to carry that work into a new decade, they came to us for a brand that felt less like a help line and more like a friend. We rebuilt their identity from the ground up. Explore ](https://www.papercrane.ca/case-studies/ccasa) [See all projects](https://www.papercrane.ca/case-studies) --- Source: https://www.papercrane.ca/case-studies/tourism-lethbridge