CampingKit

Overview

Camping Kit is an iOS app ↗ designed to help campers plan trips and manage gear lists. The app allows users to organize packing lists, track equipment quantities, and visually customize trips.

I joined the project as a UX/UI designer, collaborating with the founder to refine the visual design, improve key interactions, and expand several product features prior to launch.

Role
UX/UI Designer

My work focused on:
• visual identity and branding
• redesigning the home screen
• simplifying the navigation structure
• improving the packing list interactions
• designing dark mode and visual styling
• collaborating closely with engineering on implementation

Visual Identity & Branding

One of the first steps was establishing a cohesive visual identity for the app. I designed the logo, defined the color palette, and created UI styling guidelines to give the product a consistent and recognizable look.

The goal was to create a style that felt outdoorsy, modern, and fun, reflecting the spirit of camping while keeping the interface clean and approachable.

The logo combines a mountain silhouette with a snowy peak and a subtle check mark, referencing both outdoor adventure and the app’s core function of checking items off a packing list.

This branding work helped establish a stronger foundation for the rest of the interface.

Home Screen Redesign

The original home screen relied on a basic list layout that made trips difficult to scan and lacked visual hierarchy.

I redesigned the home screen using a card-based layout with imagery, allowing users to quickly recognize trips visually.

Key improvements:
• card-based trip browsing
• improved hierarchy for trip information
• redesigned list creation flow
• stronger visual identity

Simplifying Navigation

The original navigation was crowded and included several competing actions. I simplified the structure into three primary sections:

• Home – trip overview and packing lists
• Reminders – tasks to complete before a trip
• Restock – items that need replenishing after returning

This streamlined the interface and reduced cognitive load.

Improving the Packing Workflow

The packing list is the core functionality of the app, so improving how users interact with items was a key focus.

The redesigned interface supports:
• expandable gear categories
• quick item checkoff
• quantity controls for gear items
• faster item creation

These changes make it easier to track gear, especially for group trips where multiple quantities of items are common.

Personalizing Trip Templates

To make trip planning more flexible, I added the ability to customize gear list templates based on trip context.

Users can generate lists based on:
• who's attending (kids, pets)
• trip essentials
• planned activities
• weather conditions

Supporting features like Reminders and Restock help users prepare for trips and track items that need replacing afterward.

Image Customization

To make trips feel more personalized, I introduced an Unsplash integration that allowed users to select high-quality imagery for their trips.

This feature allowed users to:
• browse a wide range of outdoor imagery
• customize the visual appearance of trips
• create a more engaging home screen

This small feature added a layer of visual personalization that made the app feel more expressive.

Light & Dark Mode

To ensure the app remained usable across different lighting environments, I designed both light and dark interface styles.

Camping often involves outdoor and low-light conditions, so dark mode was particularly useful for evening use.

Designing both modes required defining:
• color adjustments
• contrast levels
• component styling

This ensured the interface remained clear and readable across both themes.

Premium App Icon Customization

As an additional personalization feature, I designed a set of alternate app icons that users could select as part of a premium upgrade.

These variations allowed users to customize the look of the app on their home screen while also providing a small monetization opportunity.

What I Learned

Working on Camping Kit was also a valuable opportunity to collaborate closely with the engineer.

In particular, I gained a better understanding of technical tradeoffs involved in mobile interface design, including:

• performance considerations like lazy loading for long gear lists
• the complexity of combining swipe and tap gestures within the same interaction patterns

These discussions helped shape design decisions so the interface would remain both responsive and intuitive.

Reflection

Camping Kit was an opportunity to refine an early-stage product and contribute across both visual design and interaction design. The project focused on improving the clarity of the interface while supporting the core goal of the app: helping campers prepare for trips more efficiently.