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Giftodactyl is the wishlist app I’m designing to simplify gift-giving by letting users share lists, claim items, and avoid duplicates while respecting privacy and discretion. Built on familiar messaging patterns, it offers a straightforward way to organize gift-giving for families and friends.
Origins
Giftodactyl started as a way to showcase some mobile and product design work that I can actually share publicly, but now I’m building it from scratch to tackle the constant chaos of managing gift-giving for my family.
We’re big on gifts, but over the years, our systems have gone from basic text lists to convoluted spreadsheets and encrypted Signal groups just to avoid spoiling surprises. Despite all that effort, we still end up with duplicates, lost requests, and constant miscommunication.
Where things fall apart
At first, our gift lists were basic texts, which quickly led to duplicates and confusion. Google Sheets seemed promising, but broken links, vanishing cells, and endless frustration made it a nightmare. Privacy also helped push us from Sheets to Airtable and then into Signal groups, each system increasingly complex and ironically less useful. We really just need a flexible app that can manage the lists without sacrificing privacy or sanity.
The linked Sheets solution worked, but it was confusing for less tech-savvy family members and visually challenging for everyone to keep straight. The first image is from a tab where the Asker lists the items they want. The second image is a Claiming tab where Givers can claim gifts for the Asker.
The Airtable version of the system never caught on for several reasons, but the biggest issue was that the new interface was harder for most of the family to use and functionality wasn’t applied consistently across the board.
Building a better system
Giftodactyl is designed to handle anything from ultra-detailed online product requests (links, images, prices, done!) to vague (set of nice King Size Sheets... you pick), offline, or intangible (movie night with the whole family) items.
My approach combines the ease of messaging apps with the structure of shopping platforms, making it feel natural for everyone, even the most tech-avoidant relatives, while still handling nuanced privacy and group dynamics.
Listening and iterating
Gift conversations in my family are nonstop, which means I'm constantly soaking up real-world insights. The ideal Giftodactyl experience needs to be as effortless as chatting but flexible enough for everyone's quirks and preferences.
The Signal version of the system doesn’t address preventing duplicates, leaving that to chats in separate groups that exclude the Asker, but it does support threaded conversations and clarification.
Progress and next steps
Giftodactyl currently lives in wireframes and strategic docs, with high-fidelity prototypes and an MVP on the horizon. The full system is now wireframed enough to get solid feedback, so I'm shifting gears into visual design. Before jumping into UI styling, I developed some early brand assets to help guide the tone and feel of the interface.
What started as a tidy portfolio piece to show off my design and product chops has grown into something more. I’m exploring angles and features that make it meaningfully different from existing tools, with a focus on dead-simple usability, practical privacy, and real-world functionality.
Visuals aren’t ready for primetime yet, but I’m happy to walk through early thinking in a one-on-one.
Brand development
This app could easily end up feeling sterile or overly commerce-y, which is not the vibe I’m going for. I wanted a brand that’s playful and a little ridiculous, but still holds together. The name already leans absurd, so the challenge has been making that feel intentional instead of random. In my head, Giftodactyl is a prehistoric delivery creature, kind-of a stork Santa situation, and the brand builds from there.
I started the logo as a single-color silhouette, exploring realistic forms before simplifying and cute-ifying it. Once the shape felt right, I added shading and brand colors to give it some texture.
The final version had so much implied motion that needed to be animated. I ended up doing that by hand, with some help from a bird flight study. It has a bit of a Hanna-Barbera feel, which I liked enough to echo in motion of the wordmark. I’ll probably experiment with newer methods for future animations, but for now, this gets it done.
Tools and strategy updates
As of late May 2025, I’ve wrapped wireframes and am beginning high-fidelity work in Figma. The goal is to establish a visual language that reflects the brand tone while staying lean and adaptable. I may keep this phase design-only, saving interactivity for FlutterFlow to avoid doing the same work twice.
Google Workspace is handling strategy and planning, and I’m actively exploring how AI could meaningfully support the product. Once design is far enough along, I’ll start building out the MVP in FlutterFlow.
Check out my other examples or learn more about me.
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