Personal project

Purrfect Harmony — CatSpeak (Pet translator)

An exploration of audio-first interactions, playful microcopy, and a conversation-oriented design system for pet owners.

Product flow

Scroll or use the controls to move through the captured app states across recording, translation, care, and settings.

CatSpeak home recording screen — The home screen makes recording feel like the obvious next action, with strong visual hierarchy and low friction.

CatSpeak meow translator screen — The meow translator leans into playful feedback while still keeping the core translation output legible.

CatSpeak human to cat translator screen — Human-to-cat translation explores the reverse interaction, shifting the product from interpretation to playful output.

CatSpeak translations screen — The translations view groups phrases into a more browsable, library-like experience for repeat use.

CatSpeak translations history screen — History gives the concept more daily-use credibility by treating previous translations as something worth revisiting.

CatSpeak cat mood and health guide screen — The mood and health guide extends the product into education, not just novelty, which broadens its value.

CatSpeak cat diagnosis screen — Diagnosis-style screens show how the same design language can support more serious informational states.

CatSpeak AI vet consult screen — AI vet consult turns the prototype into a broader pet-care product rather than a single-feature gimmick.

CatSpeak app settings screen — App settings shows the quieter systems work needed to make a playful concept feel complete and maintainable.

CatSpeak settings screen — Settings closes the loop with a more utility-oriented screen that still fits the product’s visual language.

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Overview

Problem

Pets communicate in non-verbal ways that are meaningful to owners, but the UX for capturing and surfacing those signals is rarely crafted for delight. The project asks: how do we make an audio interaction feel approachable, interpretable, and useful?

Approach

The design system ("The Conversational Feline") emphasizes organic layering, playful asymmetry, and a "no-line" rule for sectioning. The prototype uses a large tactile record button, a waveform visualizer to provide immediate feedback, and a "mood bubble" to surface translated emotional states.

Implementation

Built as a collection of modular pages: a recording-focused home, a human-to-cat translator UI, a meow translation hub, and a translations history. The front-end focuses on timing, responsive feedback, and accessible controls for low-friction recording.

Outcome

The prototype demonstrates how clear audio affordances and a playful design language can increase engagement. It also provided a testbed for tuning latency, feedback animation, and the heuristics used to label translated phrases.

Learnings

Immediate visual feedback (waveforms) builds trust in audio UX.
Playful microcopy softens interpretation errors and encourages exploration.
Keeping the capture flow short improves repeat use and testing.