This autumn, I worked with a small design agency to rethink a new parking app. The product was new, but the design process relied on an outdated and in some places not very smart approach: disconnected screens, no shared components or tokens, and a Figma click-through prototype that couldn’t convey how the interactions would actually feel. Even small changes required manual updates across multiple screens.
My task was to propose how the new branding could bring the app’s dated first iteration to life. I also identified usability issues worth addressing alongside the visual update.
This autumn, I worked with a small design agency to rethink a new parking app. The product was new, but the design process relied on an outdated and in some places not very smart approach: disconnected screens, no shared components or tokens, and a Figma click-through prototype that couldn’t convey how the interactions would actually feel. Even small changes required manual updates across multiple screens.
My task was to propose how the new branding could bring the app’s dated first iteration to life. I also identified usability issues worth addressing alongside the visual update.
This autumn, I worked with a small design agency to rethink a new parking app. The product was new, but the design process relied on an outdated and in some places not very smart approach: disconnected screens, no shared components or tokens, and a Figma click-through prototype that couldn’t convey how the interactions would actually feel. Even small changes required manual updates across multiple screens.
My task was to propose how the new branding could bring the app’s dated first iteration to life. I also identified usability issues worth addressing alongside the visual update.
I rebuilt the visual language around the brand and created a shared system of tokens, styles, components, and interaction states. At the same time, I turned that system into code, so design changes could be tested on a phone immediately.
The main interaction became a horizontal time selector: drag anywhere across the card to adjust parking duration with your thumb. I also rebuilt the circular option and added an iOS-style wheel picker for precise input. Two complete visual directions, Glass and Flat, could be compared inside the working app.
The result was a prototype available on the web, installable on the Home Screen, and distributed through TestFlight. It included spring animations, native haptic feedback, and automated visual checks against the designs.
The result was a prototype available on the web, installable on the Home Screen, and distributed through TestFlight. It included spring animations, native haptic feedback, and automated visual checks against the designs.
All in three days. Building the design system and prototype together shortened the distance between a design decision and something we could actually hold, test, and refine.
All in three days. Building the design system and prototype together shortened the distance between a design decision and something we could actually hold, test, and refine.
