Meerkapp
Peace of mind, without even touching your phone.
Walking home late at night can be a daily concern — especially in unsafe areas. MeerkApp anticipates those moments and keeps loved ones informed automatically, without requiring users to unlock their phones or send a message.
The problem
It’s a common routine in many lives: finish work or class late, step into the street, and feel the weight of uncertainty. For women and teenagers especially, returning home at night isn’t just a task — it’s a risk.
They try to stay connected: send a message, share their route, let someone know. But routines shift, things get missed, and someone at home is left wondering, “Did she make it back okay?”
The solution
MeerkApp lets users share their location and status with family or friends — automatically or with a single tap.
Whether leaving work, school, or arriving home, users stay connected without needing to send messages or remember routines. They choose what to share and when, giving peace of mind to loved ones without interrupting their flow.
Video Summary
This case study shows how MeerkApp was designed from the ground up — blending empathy, context, and UX strategy to tackle a common but often overlooked safety concern.
More than a set of features, MeerkApp was about creating a sense of connection and peace of mind. This video walks through how that idea evolved into a functional, human-centered product.
🧭 Framing the problem through real user behaviors
🤝 Translating insights into design decisions
📐 UX flows, visual exploration, and prototyping in Figma
Challenge
The challenge was built around two strategic premises. The first: people only use a handful of apps daily — so the experience had to be invisible, yet valuable. It should be activated only when it’s needed. The second — and on a more personal note — a friend used to joke: “You always want to build one-button apps, don’t you?” He wasn’t wrong. I’ve always been drawn to solving complexity with simplicity. Could I solve the problem with a single tap?
📍 Context-aware activation at key daily moments
👆 One-button execution for instant manual action
🎯 Minimal friction, maximum impact
Research
To avoid injecting my own perspective — as a young adult man without children — I began by listening. I conducted four semi-structured interviews (3 women, including a mother, and 1 man), followed by a survey with 25 participants (10 parents and 15 young adults, including 18 women and 10 men overall). Check out User Research.
The research uncovered a recurring behavior: people notify loved ones before heading home because they feel unsafe. But when routines shift or stress kicks in, they forget — creating anxiety on both sides. This inconsistency made it clear that relying on manual communication wasn’t enough.
🔍 Mixed-method research: interviews + surveys
📡 Communication patterns tied to safety, not habit
🔁 Unpredictable routines = missed check-ins
User personas
Defining personas wasn’t about demographics — it was about context, behaviors, and emotional triggers. Based on the research, three archetypes emerged, each reflecting different needs around safety, connection, and peace of mind.
The Parent – wants to stay informed and be emotionally prepared
The Young Woman – seeks reassurance and safety through connection
The Teenager – wants to ease family concerns without constant texting
🎯 Each persona represented a core use case
📱 Their needs defined entry points and notification logic
🧩 The product structure mirrored real-world relationships
Branding
The brand identity naturally emerged from the emotional themes discovered in research. The meerkat — alert, social, and protective — became the perfect metaphor for what the app offers: someone always watching over you.
By integrating the meerkat into the visual identity and product experience, the brand becomes approachable, relatable, and emotionally resonant — especially for people navigating daily uncertainty.
🦴 A friendly symbol of alertness and care
👀 Reinforces the idea of someone always watching over you
💡 Adds personality without compromising clarity
Ideation
To move from insight to solution, I sketched ideas, wireframes, and built an interactive mock-up to explore how MeerkApp could work in real life. The goal was to reduce complexity and surface only what mattered — a simple, functional experience for users in motion. I tested early concepts, interface logic, and basic interactions with real users to validate assumptions and refine the product. Check out Ideation.
⚙️ Low-fi prototype = fast validation
🔎 Focused on interaction flow and friction points
📈 Insights guided product structure before high fidelity
Visual Refinement
The design process emphasized clarity, comfort, and confidence. Visual elements were simplified to reduce noise and make every interaction feel intuitive.
Modals, headers, inputs, and flows were refined to support users in key moments — especially when multitasking or under stress. Automatic mode was visually clarified to better communicate its purpose and the value it provides — making the experience easier to trust and adopt.
👁️ Focused on reducing visual noise
🧭 Clearer guidance through key flows
💬 Calm, supportive onboarding experience
Interactive Prototype
The interactive prototype brings the product vision into focus — combining simplicity, context awareness, and emotional reassurance. It shows how key flows like auto-mode and one-tap manual actions can support real routines with minimal friction.
🧠 Frictionless interactions, built for trust
⚙️ Seamless toggle between auto and manual modes
📍 Context-aware experience that anticipates needs
Conclusion
This project was a powerful reminder that meaningful design begins with listening. By understanding the emotional needs embedded in everyday routines, I was able to craft a solution that doesn’t just function — it supports, anticipates, and reassures.
MeerkApp showed me that great design isn’t about adding more — it’s about knowing when to do less. The real impact came from observing people’s fears, habits, and the quiet ways they stay connected with those they care about.
Ultimately, It reinforced that design isn’t just about solving problems — it’s about identifying the right ones, and solving them with empathy and intention. When we pay attention to behavior and emotion, we create solutions that are not only usable, but meaningful.
If further developed, MeerkApp could explore real-time alerts, temporary live tracking, or scheduled check-ins — always prioritizing simplicity, privacy, and emotional peace of mind. I’d love to continue shaping it with real users and thoughtful iterations.
Did you find this case interesting? I recommend reading the one about Teduka to see how we were create a solution without touching code.