Digital services for all: The new Wuppertal Stadt App

To make access to government services modern, simple, and inclusive, the city of Wuppertal decided on a fresh start. The goal was to create a central platform for news, services, appointments, and personal applications — including automatic translation into various languages — to strengthen the direct link between the administration and its citizens.

Through a lean yet effective project approach, the focus was placed on user needs from the very beginning. A clickable prototype served as the initial version of the app, which was tested in a workshop with citizens. The insights gained flowed directly into further development.

Building on the city’s existing corporate design, we refined a modular design system to ensure an accessible and consistent user experience on mobile devices. The close collaboration with the city of Wuppertal — characterized by pragmatism and trust — enabled efficient and goal-oriented teamwork.

Based on Flutter and the Parse Server Platform, a powerful and accessible app was developed for iOS and Android. Its modular architecture enables multilingual content, push notifications, and the flexible integration and continuous enhancement of digital public administration services.

The new city app will be available in app stores starting in autumn 2025, bringing numerous administrative offers, services, and information directly to citizens' smartphones — bundled, digital, and human-centered. The result is a modern tool for smart city experiences and increased digital participation in everyday life.

Wuppertal is famous not only for its suspension railway (Schwebebahn) but also for its commitment to citizen engagement and digitalization. With over 350,000 residents, the city focuses on digital solutions to make people’s lives simpler, faster, and more accessible — always maintaining a direct connection to the urban community.