2025 • Moonwalk

Everything you need to know about space.

Moonwalk is a personal side project I worked on with my partner, Maxime Nory. He originally built the app a few years ago, and I joined for V5 with the goal of leveling up the branding, UX, and UI.

  • Industry

    Space

  • Team

    1 designer (me), 1 developer

  • Website

    Visit website

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Overview

Moonwalk is a passion project for space fans, helping users track upcoming rocket launches and stay updated on related news.

The previous version of Moonwalk (V4) was fully functional but built with native iOS conventions, default fonts, stock components, and a lot of in-page navigation. While it worked technically, it lacked personality and a clear sense of identity.

The challenge

Moonwalk had a loyal niche audience, but the app lacked a distinct visual identity and relied on outdated iOS conventions. Key information—like live countdowns—was buried behind poor navigation patterns, making it frustrating to use despite its functional core.

Brand design

Designing the brand.

We started with a new logo and visual direction. The logo features a clean moon shape with a surrounding orbit circle. We played with line weight and shadows to evoke movement, referencing both Earth and its satellite (the Moon). It needed to function well as both an app icon and a standalone logo.

[Fig.1] Moonwalk new logo.
[Fig.1] Moonwalk new logo.
[Fig.2] Moonwalk app icons.
[Fig.2] Moonwalk app icons.
[Fig.3] Merch mockup.
[Fig.3] Merch mockup.

The color palette draws directly from real space imagery: rust-toned shades, deep space blues, muted neutrals. We wanted it to feel clean and a little futuristic, while still looking cohesive with the iOS ecosystem.

[Fig.4] Moonwalk color palette.
[Fig.4] Moonwalk color palette.
[Fig.5] Moonwalk typeface system.
[Fig.5] Moonwalk typeface system.
The problem

The previous UX leaned heavily on bottom sheets and layered views.

There was no persistent navigation, and important information like live countdowns was hidden behind multiple taps. This made it hard to build a consistent mental model of the app and often buried key launch information behind multiple taps.

  • Hard to navigate
  • Lack of hierarchy
  • Lots of unused space
[Fig.6] Screenshots from the previous Moonwalk version.
[Fig.6] Screenshots from the previous Moonwalk version.

Moonwalk pulls data from the SpaceDev API, which provides plenty of information about launches — location, timing, mission type, vehicles, agencies, and more. Yet much of this data wasn’t being surfaced effectively. Our challenge: show as much meaningful information as possible without overwhelming the user.

[Fig.7] Back to the drawing board, sketching ideas and exploring potential improvements.
[Fig.7] Back to the drawing board, sketching ideas and exploring potential improvements.
Improvements

Adding back persistent navigation.

We restructured the app around a simple tab bar to give users easy access to key content: the launch calendar, live events, past launches, and news. This change dramatically improved discoverability and reduced friction. It also helped users understand the scope of content available.

Improvements

Re-thinking the launch card to support dynamic data.

Between frequent last-minute updates, changing weather, and critical timing for livestreams, rocket launches are unpredictable. The launch card became our most important UI element. We redesigned it with a few guiding principles:

The checklist:

  • Make the countdown the visual anchor so users never miss the launch window.
  • Use visual variants to signal status (upcoming, delayed, completed, etc.)
  • Maximize utility in minimal space
[Fig.7] Launch card variants.
[Fig.7] Launch card variants.
Improvements

Real-time weather for every launch.

While we were limited to the data and information available in the Space Dev API, we wanted to go a bit further. Because we had launch locations, we integrated Apple’s WeatherKit to show local weather conditions for each launch site. Weather plays a huge role in rocket launches — so giving users this context made the experience more informative and immersive.

We designed a custom weather widget using gradients that aligned with our color palette. Each weather type had a distinct visual identity, built from Apple’s documentation and tailored to the Moonwalk aesthetic.

[Fig.8] New custom weather widget.
[Fig.8] New custom weather widget.
[Fig.9] Snapshot from the launch screen.
[Fig.9] Snapshot from the launch screen.
[Fig.10] Snapshot from the agency screen.
[Fig.10] Snapshot from the agency screen.
The results

The app now feels clearer, faster, and more informative: exactly what we set out to achieve.

My partner implemented analytics shortly after launch. While we’re still collecting long-term data, early results are promising and more importantly, feedback from our peers has been overwhelmingly positive: the app now feels clearer, faster, and more informative: exactly what we set out to achieve.

This project taught me a lot about working with real-time data, designing for edge cases (like scrubbed launches), and finding clarity within complexity.

Download the app today!

We’re still actively improving the app — so if you’ve got thoughts, we’d love to hear them!

Download on the App Store
[Fig 5.] Moonwalk home before and after.
[Fig 5.] Moonwalk home before and after.