Project 1: PawMatch
A location-based app that connects pet owners for play and walking meetups, matched by their pet's profile.
Role
UI/ UX Designer
Industry
Pet & Social
Duration
4 Months
OVERVIEW
A playdate app for pets and the people who love them.
PawMatch is a social mobile app that connects pet owners with suitable pets nearby. The goal is to enable play and walking meetups that are tailored to each animal's character.
Location-based suggestions help users discover suitable contacts and plan safe, enjoyable meetups.
CHALLENGE
Pet owners want their dogs to socialise but finding the right match is hard.
PROBLEM
Compatibility is invisible until it's too late.
Owners can't tell another dog's energy level or temperament in advance. Finding playmates means scrolling time-consuming social-media groups, and busy schedules leave little room to plan regular activities. The result: missed walks, mismatched meetups, and under-socialised pets.
SOLUTION
Match on character, then meet with confidence.
PawMatch surfaces nearby pets filtered by character, age, and energy, shows rich profiles, and turns a match into a planned meetup in a few taps with safe, structured group walks and park meetups built in.
DESIGN GOALS
01
Connect pets with compatible friends.
02
Make meetups easy to plan.
03
Support safe and reliable interactions
04
Encourage social activity for pets
KEY INSIGHTS
1
Temperament is the real filter
Owners care less about breed than about energy and sociability. A calm senior dog and a hyper puppy is a bad match and that's invisible in current tools.
2
Logistics kill good intentions
People want to socialise their dogs but can't coordinate. Time, place, and "will they get along?" are three separate frictions that compound.
3
Safety builds trust
First meetings feel risky. Owners wanted context (profiles, shared history, and structured group walks) before committing to meet a stranger.
PERSONA
Meet Emily - busy, caring, and short on time.
Emily Carter
Emily owns a 5-year-old Labrador who is friendly but selective with new dogs. Because of her busy work schedule, she wants her dog to meet compatible playmates and stay active.
32 · Software Engineer
Amsterdam, Netherlands
GOALS
· Find compatible dogs nearby
· Easily plan a playdate
· Discover group meetups quickly
FRUSTRATIONS
· Can't gauge a dog's energy or temperament in advance
· Finding matches in social groups is time-consuming
· Limited time to plan regular activities
Tech comfort
TEMPERAMENT FIT
Free time
Social drive
NEEDS
· Confidence a match will actually suit her dog
· A fast, low-effort way to arrange a meetup
· Safe, structured first introductions
USER FLOW
From "who's nearby?" to a confirmed meetup.
The core happy path keeps Emily moving toward a planned, compatible meetup with a compatibility check as the decision point that builds trust.
STEP 01
Open & locate
App finds nearby pets by location.
STEP 02
Browse & filter
Filter by age, breed, energy level.
STEP 03
View profile
See temperament,photos, history.
DECISION
Compatible?
Energy & temperament match check.
STEP 04
Plan meetup
Pick a group, date, and time.
STEP 05
Confirm & meet
Both/All owners confirm. Done.
Screen / action
Decision point
LOW- MID - FIDELITY WIREFRAMES
The key screens were first mapped in grayscale, focusing on hierarchy and flow, allowing visual decisions to come later on a solid skeleton.
Lo - Fi
Mid - Fi
DESIGN SYSTEM
A warm, friendly system. Energetic orange, grounded teal.
The palette feels playful but trustworthy. Poppins carries personality in headings; Roboto keeps body text clear and neutral.
UI COLORS
TYPOGRAPHY
COMPONENTS
FINAL DELIVERY
High-fidelity screens
