When I was developing the concept for MustSee, I spent a lot of time thinking about how to describe the philosophy of the organization. It was important that the design of the service convey its philosophy. For instance, we don’t use a lot of words in the MustSee app. But each part needs its name, a name is a word, and words have definition. I had to be specific. The same was true with graphic symbols: they had to be so clear that anybody could understand what they meant.

When it came to defining what our service helps people produce and use, I finally chose ‘guide’. A guide shows the way for others. A guide helps people develop their own opinions and get their own information. A guide stimulates conversation, research, or exploration.

Another term I was evaluating for MustSee was ‘tour’. A “tour” is a journey to visit places for pleasure. Most of the users of our MustSee service seem to derive both satisfaction and a sense of achievement when they discover and begin to understand the world around them. Another idea was the word ‘tour guides,’ but the in-person relationship experience is distinctly different from an online one.