Product, Collection & Marketplace Design
Role: Product / UX / Interaction Design
Focus: Consumer product design, collection systems, companion experiences, marketplace UX, and engagement mechanics
Team: Solo
Focus: Consumer product design, collection systems, companion experiences, marketplace UX, and engagement mechanics
Team: Solo
Product Overview
Stitchlings is a mobile collection experience centered around a growing cast of original collectible creatures. Players can discover and collect Stitchlings, build relationships with them through the Buddy system, and trade with other players through the marketplace to expand their collection.
Codex
The Codex is an evolving reference library. Players can browse individual Stitchlings, learn about their traits and personalities, and uncover additional details as they explore the collection.
Buddy
Players can assign a Stitchling as your Buddy to build a friendships and grow affection over time. Higher affection increases the chance of finding useful items and Lost Treasures, which can unlock new Codex content.
Buddy widgets
Buddies appear throughout the app as a living presence, offering small updates and reactions as players progress. They can signal important events, such as completed trades, while their animations and daily thoughts give each Buddy a little more personality. Buddies may even react when a player has been away for a while, offering a playful reminder that they're still around.
Marketplace
The Marketplace lets players search for specific Stitchlings and list creatures they are looking to trade. Listings can specify a requested Stitchling, with the option to accept alternative trades that meet the seller's requirements.
Player information is kept off listings to keep transactions within the app and reduce opportunities for scams or unwanted contact, creating a safer and more private trading experience.
Stitchlings
Stitchlings are a growing cast of original creatures, each with their own personality, traits, and visual identity. These characteristics carry through the product, shaping how Stitchlings are presented in the Codex, how they behave as Buddies, and how they are valued within the trading experience.
Their designs combine playful forms with unusual details and quirks, giving each Stitchling a distinct identity within the larger world.
Design System
The Stitchlings interface uses a structured design system to maintain consistency across collection, Codex, Buddy, and marketplace experiences. Typography, color, spacing, and component patterns establish a consistent visual language while allowing each experience to prioritize its own information and interactions.
What's Next
The Stitchlings experience will continue to expand beyond the core app. Next steps include developing a visual identity and social presence as a proof of concept for growing the IP beyond the product, expanding the Stitchlings collection and Codex, and exploring the acquisition system that brings new creatures into the collection.
The current Stitchlings experience is available to explore in the interactive Figma prototype.
