Designing Waku Navi:
Childcare Social Ecosystem.
Built a complete product ecosystem from the ground up for the Japanese market, including Mobile App (iOS/Android) and Web Admin for SkipJob's childcare social networking product.
01. Context & Challenges
The project started from a functional specification file and fragmented client wireframes. The challenge was to transform those inputs into a coherent, engaging, and operationally efficient product ecosystem across mobile and web admin.
Design both Mobile App and Web Admin so users get a smooth, engaging experience while the SkipJob team can manage operations efficiently at scale.
- Mobile App: balance an engaging short-video feed with clear entry points to deep-dive articles.
- Web Admin: build a CMS from scratch so the team can operate the app independently.
02. Process & Solutions
The solution strategy focused on product usability, admin operability, and implementation clarity so the team could move fast without losing consistency.
Optimize the swipe-led mobile experience for retention, build an operational CMS from functional requirements, and establish a tokenized design system for clean handoff.
- Mobile App: optimized swipe mechanic with clear entry points to deeper article content.
- Web Admin: designed full CMS flow for content creation, scheduling, user management, and categories.
- Design Tokens: created structured variables and exported token JSON via Figma Tokens plugin as a single source of truth.
03. My Role
I led UX/UI design for the entire ecosystem, translating client requirements and reference behaviors into a cohesive product direction across both user-facing and admin-facing surfaces.
Create a production-ready UI system that supports fast implementation, minimizes ambiguity, and keeps product behavior consistent across platforms.
- Designed mobile feed and content discovery paths around swipe behavior.
- Built complete CMS UX from functional requirements.
- Defined systematic variable naming and token structure in Figma.
- Delivered JSON token output for direct developer usage and rapid handoff.
04. Impact
The final product launched successfully and established an operational foundation that connected engaging end-user experience with practical daily management for the internal team.
Token-driven implementation eliminated pixel disputes and supported accurate first-pass UI development, contributing significantly to the 3-month delivery timeline.
- App launched on App Store and Google Play in Japan.
- CMS gave the team centralized control over content and users for smooth daily operations.
- JSON design token handoff enabled precise UI implementation from the first attempt.
- Streamlined designer-developer collaboration accelerated development velocity.
05. Lessons Learned
Reference apps can accelerate alignment, but they can also limit originality. The key is to evaluate reference strengths and weaknesses, then propose practical improvements instead of copying behavior blindly.
Reference with Intent
Use references as acceleration tools, not design constraints, by identifying what should be adapted and what should be improved.
Evidence-backed Proposals
A short upfront competitor analysis can provide stronger rationale for suggesting product improvements to clients.
Faster with Structure
Systematic tokens and clean handoff pipelines reduce friction and protect deadlines in multi-platform projects.
