Architect
Looking for emotional comfort under work pressure.
UX case study · Behavior design
Hikitten
Making walking feel like companionship.
A mobile concept that makes everyday walks more engaging through a virtual kitten companion, playful challenges and light social connection.
RECORD 04 / 04 HIKITTEN 2024
- STATUS
- High-fidelity interactive prototype ● To verify
- CONTEXT
- Individual UX / product design project ● To verify
- ROLE
- User research, UX and interaction design, UI design
- TEAM
- Individual ● To verify
SUBJECTSBehavior design · Habit formation · Playful motivation
[Key visual — three core screens + the kitten character]
01
The question
How might we make everyday walking more enjoyable, motivating and socially connected?
Walking is the easiest exercise to start and one of the hardest to keep up. It can feel repetitive and lonely — while the comfort of a pet comes with time and responsibility many people can’t take on.
Freelancer
Enjoys being outdoors — best with friends.
Product manager
Wants to move more, but time and energy run out.
Synthesised into one persona: Lucy, a busy interior designer who wants to move more, misses companionship and rarely finds time to walk with friends.
● Total participants, recruiting and research method to verify.
03
Three gaps
- 01 Motivation Walking is easy to start but monotonous, so it rarely becomes a habit.
- 02 Companionship People want the comfort a pet brings, but life doesn’t always allow one.
- 03 Social connection Walking with others is motivating, yet schedules rarely line up.
The opportunity: treat a walk not as a workout, but as time shared with a companion that grows with you.
04
The experience loop
Walk. Nurture. Connect.
Every walk feeds the kitten; the kitten gives a reason to walk again. Rewards, memories and friends keep the loop turning.
- 01 Walk Daily challenges give each walk a small goal.
- 02 Earn Steps turn into experience points and rewards.
- 03 Nurture The kitten grows and reacts to your walks.
- 04 Remember Photos from the walk become a comic story.
- 05 Connect Meet nearby kittens and join walking groups.
↺ Connect leads back to Walk — friends and nearby kittens become the next reason to go out.
BEFORE
A reason to go
A reminder, the kitten’s mood and today’s challenge.
DURING
Company on the way
Challenges, feedback and photos shared with the kitten.
AFTER
Something to keep
Rewards, growth and a short story of the walk.
TOGETHER
Others nearby
Discover other kittens and the people walking them.
07
What testing showed
People liked the kitten. They struggled with everything that stood between them and the walk.
Worked
- + The kitten’s look and growth drew people in.
- + Daily challenges and rewards gave a reason to engage.
- + Walking with a companion made it more fun.
- + Seeing other people’s kittens sparked social interest.
Got in the way
- − Creating and customising the kitten took too long.
- − Too many taps before a walk could start.
- − Some chat interactions felt unnecessary.
- − Notifications were repetitive and easy to ignore.
- − Photos had too little purpose beyond points.
- − A daily journal felt like extra pressure.
● Test sample size, method and any quantitative results to verify.
- 01 Reduce friction Presets for the kitten and a one-tap start to the walk.
- 02 Make companionship contextual Fewer idle chats; more weather nudges and encouragement in the moment.
- 03 Make memories meaningful Turn walk photos into comic stories worth keeping and sharing.
- 04 Richer ways to meet nearby Social features built around doing a walk together.
- 05 Lighter reflection Guided prompts or a mood pick instead of a blank journal.
09
Looking back
A product designed to encourage walking should help people spend more time walking — not more time managing the app.