'Find your Dive Buddy'
Mobile app connecting diving partners
The Challenge
Finding a compatible dive buddy is one of the biggest barriers to accessing diving opportunities. This project aimed to solve that problem by creating a mobile application that helps scuba divers connect with suitable diving partners based on experience, location, certifications, and diving preferences.
Research and Analysis
I conducted research within the scuba diving community through online surveys and analysis of existing literature to understand diver behaviour and needs when choosing dive buddies. The research revealed that trust, compatibility, and shared diving philosophy were just as important as logistics like location and certification level.
Key insights from the diving community shaped every design decision, from what information divers needed to see about potential buddies, to how they preferred to initiate contact.
Design Process
Working from research findings, I developed sketches and wireframes to test core functionality and user flows. Early wireframe testing with divers helped validate assumptions and identify missing features before moving to high-fidelity design.
The final interactive prototype, built in Axure RP, included profiles showcasing diving history, certifications, locations, and preferences—giving divers the information they needed to make informed decisions about potential dive partners.
Outcome
The interactive prototype demonstrated how thoughtful design could address a real community need, showing how connecting divers with compatible partners could create safer and more accessible diving experiences.
Reflection
This project was born from a real frustration I experienced as a diver—finding a compatible buddy shouldn't be this difficult. Turning that personal pain point into a prototype was both challenging and incredibly rewarding.
What struck me most was how much the diving community wanted to share once I started asking questions. The survey responses revealed patterns I hadn't anticipated, and conversations with fellow divers uncovered needs that went beyond just "finding someone to dive with"—it was about trust, compatibility, and shared diving philosophy.
Designing for a community I'm part of taught me the importance of balancing personal assumptions with actual user needs. Just because I experienced something didn't mean everyone did, or that my solution would work for them. Testing wireframes early with real divers saved me from building something that only worked for me.
I'm proud of how this prototype captured genuine community needs and showed what's possible when you design with deep understanding of your users.