Time frame: 6 Weeks

Tools used: Figma, Miro & Adobe Illustrator

Created for Bachelor of Design - DES201 Creative Communities

Problem

As part of a team project, we were tasked with identifying opportunities to help a non-profit organisation through a conceptual design solution. We chose Lonely Miaow, a New Zealand-based organisation dedicated to rescuing and rehoming stray cats in Auckland.

While their existing website offered basic functionality, we saw an opportunity to create a mobile app that would both improve user engagement and educate people on responsible cat care.

The Solution

We designed a mobile app that mirrored the website’s core features — such as donation, adoption, and fostering — but introduced a unique, interactive component: Cat Story.

This feature was an educational visual novel where users foster a real stray cat listed on the website. Through branching narratives and decision-making, players would be responsible for the cat’s well-being. The goal was to teach users proper care techniques in an engaging and emotionally resonant way.

My Role

• Conducted user research and ideation with my team

• Designed the app interface and created a high-fidelity Figma prototype

• Applied the organisation’s existing branding and style to maintain consistency

• Built and tested the Cat Story feature through iterative design and user feedback

Outcome & Feedback

User testing highlighted strong engagement with the interactive storytelling, and the concept was praised for its originality. However, feedback revealed:

• Confusion about the purpose of Cat Story and how it connected to the app’s goals

• Navigation and usability issues, especially around screen spacing and information hierarchy

• Opportunities to improve accessibility and clarify user flow

Learnings

This project taught me the importance of clearly communicating feature purpose and aligning tone with user expectations. While the gamified approach created emotional engagement, it showed me that fun and function need to be balanced with clarity and intent — especially in education-based tools. I also developed a deeper appreciation for using design to support non-profits through storytelling and interaction.