RepawPlay
Product Design · UI/UX · Branding · 07/21Designing a circular service people join for the dog, not the landfill
- Client
- Self-initiated · No Turn on Red
- Industry
- Pet-care / circular economy
- Service
- Service design + UX/UI + branding
- Timeline
- 10 weeks
Two dead-end objects — a closet of unworn clothes and a dog's shredded toy — closed into one loop.
The platform guides people through collecting, shipping, and transforming textile waste into handcrafted pet toys — a loop that would otherwise feed landfill. It's a warm, participatory path for pet families who want to live a little greener.
Two separate waste streams. Two separate consumer behaviors. Not a UI problem but a service problem, spanning two unrelated objects in one home: the pile of shirts they haven't worn in two years, and the toy their dog destroyed last Tuesday. The challenge was emotional, not functional — guilt makes people close apps, participation keeps them open.
The dog is the emotional lever — not the landfill.
So the platform leads with what the user receives — a handcrafted toy made from their own clothes — not what they're clearing out. The flow compresses to three steps (collect, ship, receive), closer to a subscription box than a recycling program, and the identity follows suit: warm, domestic, pet-forward rather than campaign-green.
The problem in numbers
85%
of discarded clothing ends up in landfill rather than being repurposed or recycled.
67%
of pet owners report buying new toys monthly, many of which are destroyed within days.
2 → 1
RepawPlay collapses two separate waste streams into one participatory loop.
Service loop
Research
In China, clothing recycling is becoming a green lifestyle for the younger generation — but trustworthy textile recycling channels are scarce, most discarded clothes are short-life and low-recyclability, and there is no emotional link between sustainability and everyday pet-care behaviors.
92,000,000
Tons of global textile waste each year
5,000,000
Tons — China's annual waste-textile recycling volume
78%
of families feel frustrated by accumulated old clothes
P1
Lack of trustworthy textile recycling channels — users hesitate to donate.
P2
Pet toys are short-life, low-quality, and often non-recyclable.
P3
Missing emotional link between sustainability and pet-care behaviors.
Materials shared by pet toys + upcycling
Fabric
Soft, light, easy to work — ideal for DIY.
Leather
Sturdy and bite-resistant.
Rubber
Durable and chew-friendly.
Silk
Elegant and smooth, for light play.
System map
Service vision
A warm, participatory circular service that gives old clothes a second life through pets.
PATH 1
Recycling & Mass Production
Send old clothes → cleaned, sorted, and upcycled into mass-produced toys.
PATH 2
User-led DIY Creation
Order a DIY kit and make the toy at home with templates and tutorials.
PATH 3
Community Workshop
Join offline workshops to make toys together in community spaces.
User actions
Frontstage service
Backstage support
User journey maps
Ying Zimeng
Recycling old clothes
Female · Freelance illustrator · 27 · Nanyang
Scenario
She generates the need to dispose of old clothes when moving, changing seasons, or organizing storage. She pursues convenient, efficient disposal and tends to book door-to-door pickup through online platforms.
Expectations
- Simple operation and flexible registration
- Precise time and a controllable process
- Transparent price and reasonable valuation
- Clear information and privacy protection
- Differentiated experience, valuable feedback
Acquisition
Select platform
Consideration
Register / login
Acquisition
Fill in the information
Service
Book a courier for pickup
Loyalty
Wait for the clothing payout
Thinking
- Which platform pays the most for recycling?
- Which is more reliable?
- Which has more drop-off points, or door pickup?
- Quick login process
- Is one-click login a privacy issue?
- Which time frame is available for pickup?
- How is my information protected?
- How do I estimate the weight of clothes?
- Is the courier pickup time accurate?
- Do I need to take time off work for this?
- So little money for recycling old clothes
- Are the weights weighed accurately?
- Where do the recycled clothes go?
Doing
- Compare different recycling platforms
- Browse social media for what people say
- Click 'One-Click Login' to register and log in
- Fill in the pickup address
- Book a pickup time
- Weigh the clothes to be collected
- Wait for the courier at the door
- Pack clothes for recycling
- Hand used clothes to the courier
- Check money / points exchanged
- Exchange points for goods on the platform
Pain points
- Platforms have the same features — no differentiation
- Most are not on social media
- Forced login the moment you open the app
- Privacy of personal information
- Address details not protected
- Weighing clothes at home is a hassle
- Two hours of waiting
- The courier handover is face-to-face
- No feedback mechanism for users
- No visibility into where clothes go
Opportunities
- Differentiate platform functionality
- Precise targeting
- Enhance user engagement
- Step-by-step guide to filling in info
- Provide anonymous login
- Commit to not storing or leaking address info
- Photo-based weight estimation
- Precise 30-minute appointment slots
- No-touch handover
- Real-time clothes-flow updates after sending
- Clothes-flow data feedback
Feeling
Li Houyu
Buying a toy for a pet
Male · Operations manager · 36 · Guangzhou
Scenario
He has a pet at home and finds its favorite stuffed toy chewed through. When choosing a new toy he checks materials carefully, but the buying experience often disappoints: some toys break in days, and some pets simply aren't interested.
Expectations
- Quality assurance and information transparency
- Value for money & flexibility
- Aesthetic design and emotional resonance
- Better after-sales mechanism
- Scenario-based service matching
Awareness
Determine the need to buy
Consideration
Buy toys
Acquisition
Use of toys
Service
Damage to toys
Loyalty
Re-purchase of toys
Thinking
- Need new toys if the old ones broke
- Got a new pet and need toys
- Pet's birthday — want a gift
- Is the material safe and durable?
- Does the design meet my aesthetics?
- How cost-effective is it?
- How long will the toy last?
- Will the pet like to play with it?
- How much to restore a toy?
- Feeling sorry for a damaged toy
- Changing toys too often
- What kind of toy to buy again?
Doing
- Pick at a physical pet-toy shop
- Compare and buy at online flagship stores
- Search Taobao for affordable toys
- Take the pet to a shop to choose
- Touch toys by hand
- Browse toy reviews on social media
- Clean pet toys
- Daily maintenance of toys
- Repair damaged toys yourself
- DIY interesting designs while mending
- Compare toys online for better quality
- Swap brands with friends
- Throw away old toys
Pain points
- Price not proportional to quality — poor value
- Lack of distinctive pet toys on the market
- Pets may not like them
- Short toy lifespan
- Pet toys of questionable quality
- Can't repair toys
- Lack of materials to repair them
- Too much time and money buying toys so often
- Throwing away old toys
Opportunities
- Toy durability ratings
- Enhance the fun-match of toys
- Add toys for different pets
- Set standards for toys
- Provide low-cost trial toys
- Design a trade-in recycling mechanism
- Beginner tutorials for repairing toys
- Each toy ships with a free piece of matching fabric
- Monthly / quarterly delivery of age- and type-appropriate toys
- Recycling of old toys
Feeling
Service blueprint
Old-clothes recycling
Factory processing
Points & reward
DIY kit path
Mass-production toy
Offline workshop
User actions
- Apply for free mailing
- Pack clothes
- Send package
- Track status in app
- Receive points
- Choose kit
- Make toy at home
- Purchase toy with points + cash
- Register
- Bring old clothes
- Make toy on site
Frontstage interactions
- App submission form
- Shipping-label confirmation
- Tracking timeline display
- Points dashboard
- DIY kit store
- Video tutorials
- Toy product page
- Check-in
- Workshop facilitators
Backstage processes
- Platform verifies materials
- Sends shipping info
- Cleaning
- Disinfection
- Sorting
- Upcycling process
- Platform scoring algorithm
- Full points vs. 1/5 points
- Platform hosts templates
- Video content
- Manufacturing partner packages toy
- Community center coordination
Support processes
- Logistics provider picks up parcel
- Manufacturing partner workflow
- Database updates
- Designers maintain patterns
- Instructions
- Logistics shipping
- Volunteers assist users
Physical / digital evidence
- App screen
- Shipping box
- Progress notifications
- Points confirmation UI
- Kit package
- Printed templates
- App tutorials
- Toy packaging
- Convertible sniffing box
- Workshop table
- Tools
- Templates
UI · design system
Concept
The UI centers on eco-friendly recycling: soft, natural, warm colors convey new life for old clothes, complemented by vibrant tones for the warmth and interactivity of pet companionship. Overall approachable and uncomplicated — eco-consciousness, emotional connection, and playfulness.
Logo
App icon and branding logos are built from a paw-print 'RePaw' wordmark — used both in-app and across promotional materials.
Color palette
RepawPlay Colors — Paint
#15C4C9
Aqua Breeze
Brand color
#FE632F
Warm Coral
Brand color
#10B981
Fresh Mint Green
Brand color
#FAF8FA
Soft Cloud White
Brand color
Typography
Production · DIY kit
The packaging is designed not just as a container but as a functional part of the circular service: cuttable templates let the box itself transform into a sniffing box for pets — reducing waste and adding another layer of interaction.
01
Workshop poster
A printed poster introducing offline DIY workshops in Liangzhu Cultural Village, encouraging community participation.
02
Introductory guide
A step-by-step booklet that walks users through using the toy or assembling the DIY kit, lowering the barrier to participation.
03
Product packaging
Cuttable templates turn the cardboard box into a sniffing box for pets — packaging becomes a meaningful extension of the experience.
04
Toy ID card
A small card introducing each toy: its name, what it's made from, and how to maintain it for safe, long-lasting use.
Sustainability rides along for free — because the thing people actually sign up for is a better toy for the dog that wrecked the last one.