(04/05)App and smart-device ecosystem
An app that orchestrates a collar, a dispenser and a smart toy for cats living with diabetes, obesity or kidney disease.
In short
01 · The problem
Obesity, diabetes and kidney problems are frequent in cats but hard for owners to manage.
Meals at precise times, enough water, regular movement, often while the owner is away.
Three cats, three needs
A stable, predictable routine: precise portions at scheduled times.
Often does not drink enough: water must be encouraged and measured.
Small, frequent portions and play that makes it “earn” its food.
Cats never touch the app, but their needs shape the whole system.
02 · The research
Notes from the expert interview
An interview with an expert gave concrete requirements. Twelve products were analysed: GPS collars, smart feeders, toys and pet apps. None addressed these conditions together.
It has to be small and thin.
Kibble at different times every day: the app sets random meal times.
Three meals a day at precise times agreed with the vet, and regular movement to monitor.
Colourful balls or ice in the fountain to catch the cat’s attention and make it drink.
Coloured lights or small butterflies to get the cat moving.
Requirements that came from the conversation.
Twelve products analysed
Toys, GPS collars, smart feeders and pet apps: none handled these conditions together.
03 · The choices
Account or guest, also with Google, Apple or Facebook
GPS collar, feeder and toy pair with a QR code
Name, age, breed, weight and conditions: diabetes, kidneys, obesity
Water, food, calories and insulin doses tailored to the cat
Home with alerts and quick actions for feeder and toy
Weight over time, movement and live location
From the user flow map: from the first sign-in to the daily check.
04 · The project
The app configures and reads three devices: a GPS collar, a food and water dispenser and a smart toy. Alerts follow each condition: too little water for a kidney cat, a missed calorie target for an obese cat, excessive movement for a diabetic one.
01/03 Home
Home opens on your cats and on the notifications that need a response (insulin, activity, food), then gives direct access to the toy and the dispenser. Four tabs split the app into Home, Health, Activity and Settings.
02/03 Health
Weight per cat against a healthy range, calories against the daily target, and the cat’s position from the collar: data turned into a status the owner understands.
03/03 Meal plan
Meals are scheduled with time and grams and switched on or off one by one; the dispenser can also serve on demand.
05 · The outcome
What I delivered
A high-fidelity prototype in Figma covering onboarding, login and recovery, home, health, activity, settings, device pairing, dispenser, meal plan, toy and notifications.
What I learned
Here I learnt to look for the gap before drawing: none of the twelve products compared handled these conditions together, and the expert interview turned that gap into concrete requirements. It was also my first encounter with the ergonomics of an interface: designing for an owner who checks the phone in a hurry, often away from home.
(03) Contact
UX/UI internships and a master’s
I am looking for internships and collaborations as a UX/UI designer, and a master’s programme starting in autumn 2027. Get in touch.
