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Travel Mugs
(iOS App)
Travel Mugs
(iOS App)
Your travel-inspired 3D country mug collection
Client: n/a
Duration: Feb - Mar 2026 (2 months)
Design Team Size
1
Role
UX Designer, Mobile Developer
Reach
n/a (Prototype Only)
Design System
Human Interface Design (iOS), Grounds (custom design system)
Device Type
iOS 18, 26
Tools
Figma, Xcode, multiple AI tools
Summary
Summary
The Challenge
The Challenge
Many travelers enjoy collecting souvenirs to remember the places they’ve visited, but physical items like mugs or trinkets can quickly create clutter and are not always practical to keep over time.
These items are also difficult to share with friends or family who would have to visit in person to see them. Modern travelers increasingly value digital experiences that are lightweight, organized, and easy to access or share from anywhere.
My Solution
My Solution
Travel Mugs provides a simple way for travelers to digitally log their trips while collecting unique, country-specific virtual mugs as souvenirs.
Each trip entry records details like travel dates and unlocks a custom mug tied to that destination. Alternative to physical items, travelers build a personal digital collection that can be easily viewed, shared, and celebrated any time from their phone, turning travel memories into a convenient and visually engaging experience.
Skills Applied
Skills Applied
Content Strategy, Graphic Design, Information Architecture, Interaction Design, Product Design, Prompt Engineering, UI Design, UX Design, UX Development, UX Research, UX Strategy, UX Writing & Visual Design
Workflow
Workflow
Ideate > Defined Target Audience > Identified Features to Design > Sketched Low Fidelity mockups > Created High Fidelity Mock-ups > Developed Alpha Version of App > Conducted Research / Tested Alpha Release > Group Test Final Output on Test Flight > Fixed Bugs based on Feedback > Conducted Additional Research
Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) Best Practices Implemented
Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) Best Practices Implemented
Foundations: Accessibility, App icons, Branding, Color, Dark Mode, Icons, Images, Layout, Materials, Motion, Privacy, SF Symbols, Typography, Writing
Patterns: Entering data, Feedback, Launching, Loading, Modality, Onboarding, Playing haptics, Searching
Components:
Content: Image Views, Text Views
Layout and organization: Labels, Lists and tables, Tab views
Menus and actions: Buttons, Toolbars
Navigation and search: Search fields
Presentation: Action sheets, Page controls, Scroll views, Sheets
Selection and input: image wells, Pickers
Status: Progress indicators
System experiences: n/a
Inputs: Gyroscope and accelerometer
Technologies: Maps
Learn more about Apple's Human Interface Guidelines (HIG)
PHASE 1 of 6
Empathize
Empathize
UX Research
UX Research
Qualitative Research
Qualitative Research
To better understand target user needs, I conducted 3 User Interviews with 7 representative participants
Insights Gained:
Users shared that digital souvenirs could reduce packing challenges and save money, especially for families buying souvenirs for multiple children
Users expressed interest in location-based rewards, similar to Pokémon Go, that unlock limited collectibles tied to specific destinations
PHASE 2 of 6
Define
Define
Personas
Personas
Maya (She/Her)
The Digital Travel Collector
A traveler who enjoys collecting memories from places they visit but prefers digital items over physical souvenirs.
Ethan (He/Him)
The Minimalist Traveler
A traveler who prefers lightweight, clutter-free experiences and avoids buying physical souvenirs.
Sofia (She/Her)
The Family Trip Planner
A parent traveling with children who wants a fun way to remember trips without buying multiple physical souvenirs.
Jordan (They/Them)
The Gamified Explorer
A traveler motivated by location-based rewards and collectibles.
Defined Features to Design & Build
Defined Features to Design & Build
Major Features
Major Features
Launching flow
Returning flow
Adding a travel entry flow
Editing a travel entry flow
Main country-mug page
And more
Minor Features
Minor Features
App Icon
Colors, Design System
Splash page
Onboarding page
Country list
And many more
PHASE 3 of 6
Ideate
Ideate
A set of low-fidelity sketches to generate an overview of the flows to prototype
PHASE 4 of 6
Prototype
Prototype
Built the Grounds Design System to express the coffee-inspired theme across the product
A set of high-fidelity mockups to bring the creative ideas to life
AI-assisted development of an iOS 18.6 & 26 app to bring the prototype to life
PHASE 5 of 6
Test
Test
Qualitative Research
Qualitative Research
To better understand target users, Travelers and Collectors, I distributed a beta version through TestFlight and gathered qualitative feedback
Top Insights Gained:
Users found the experience delightful, quickly understood the app, and were able to navigate it seamlessly
Some users attempted to interact with the onboarding image, expecting animation or interactivity
Users explored the map preview to understand the proximity of unfamiliar countries and looked for a way to zoom out, though strong interaction with the map was not initially expected
PHASE 6 of 6
Implement
Implement
Launch
Launch
The beta version was released through TestFlight, where it received strong positive feedback from testers
Additional polish was implemented, including compressing 3D models to reduce file size by 3×, improving performance, and making the app easier to install
While additional features could be explored, the project is considered complete and serves as a foundation for a potential future product
Impact
Impact
Users quickly understood the app and were able to navigate it easily
The 3D mug interaction (spin, rotate) created excitement and delight
The gyroscope lighting effect on the mug was highly impressive to testers
Users strongly resonated with the digital souvenir concept and suggested future enhancements
Lessons Learned
Lessons Learned
Building a working mobile prototype helped validate interactions that are difficult to simulate in Figma, such as swipe behavior, tactic feedback, and spinning a 3D mug
AI accelerated development, enabling a quick MVP that allowed research and validation to happen closer to the working product and reduced the cost of pivoting
This project provided hands-on experience with new technologies, including CAD-based 3D models and iOS interactive elements. This was fun.
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