SIDE PROJECT
UX/UI DESIGN
0-1
IOS
After finalizing its design phase, Jug is currently in its developing phase with the help of Claude Code and Gemini AI and scheduled to be released for beta testing in June 2026.


Design Phase
February - May 2026
Development Phase
May 2026 - Present
Role
Founder
Design Engineer
Developer
Team
1 Designer
1 Consultant
Platform
iOS
Tools
Figma
Figjam
Firebase
AI
Claude
Gemini
Skills
Design Systems
Vibecoding
UX/UI Design
A QUICK NOTE
I led, designed, and developed this concept as a passion project for my partner. Their struggle as a new climber and adapting to the gym environment piqued my interest, so I interviewed other climbers to understand if this was a common problem. Results have led me to understand this was a struggle many climbers experience.
WHAT IS JUG?
Indoor climbing is a social sport, yet for many, it can feel isolating and intimidating. Many beginner climbers can feel "imposter syndrome" and a lack of technical guidance.
OUR CHALLENGE
New climbers often feel like outsiders, discouraged with a lack of clear entry points for social interaction at the gym. Climbers struggle to find their own small community, identify busy peak hours, or access beta.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
SOLUTION
BUSINESS ALIGNMENT & MARKET VALUE
Maximizing Member Value
About 66% of new, first-time climbers never return for their second visit.
Goal: Mitigate entry point friction–physical intimidation, learning curve– by encouraging social integration.
Value: By fostering immediate connections, Jug can reduce the churn rate and aid recurring revenue with long-term loyalty.
Diversifying Revenue with Events
Many members struggle to find community events, unofficial "official" clubs, and retail events.
Goal: Convert digital users into active participants within facility events or member-held events.
Value: ARPU through targeted and intentional promotions.
Risk Management & User Trust
A heavy number of climbers experience plateau or projects for months, diminishing confidence and leading to quitting the sport.
Goal: Implement a scalable feature allowing users to post beta videos of the routes at their local gym.
Value: Maintain higher member motivation and significantly reduce frustration.
RESEARCH
USER PERSONAS
After deep-diving through 10 interviews, I identified three imperative user-personas to keep in mind– each struggling to navigate different social and structural facets of the community.
USER FLOW & KEY INSIGHTS
Onboarding
COMPETITIVE RESEARCH
Existing climbing apps optimize for outdoor routes (Mountain Project) or solo analytics (KAYA). None of them are built around the social texture of a local indoor gym, which is exactly where new climbers struggle most. Jug attacks that gap.


BRANDING
The visual identity of Jug was designed to mirror the bold colors and high-energy of modern climbing gyms. These high-contrast colors create an atmosphere that feels familiar to climbers and help important social interactions stand out.
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PROTOTYPING
By translating my research insights into a high-fidelity design system, I focused on creating a high-energy visual language from using bold typography and a vibrant palette to mirror the atmosphere of a modern climbing gym. Every component was built with scalability in mind, ensuring the interface remained intuitive.
FINAL DESIGN
REFLECTION
The transition from the low-fidelity to high-fidelity phase was the rockiest part of the project. My early concepts looked complete on paper but kept failing the user problem I'd written down at the start. What I expected to be a single round of iteration became continuous. I'm still changing things– features, hierarchies, the way the home feed introduces itself to a new climber at the gym. If I started Jug again tomorrow, I'd build in shorter feedback loops by testing something in front of climbers before the high-fidelity stage instead of after, so early concepts could be revised faster and cheaper.
WHAT'S NEXT?
This was my first experience developing a new platform for a selected group of people to utilize. I learned so much– from honing into community psychology to mastering a 0-1 product cycle. Moving forward, I want to:











