Nuddi
Nuddi is an iOS diving app bringing together a dive log, an atlas of over 1,100 marine species and ideas for your next dive.
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CONTEXT
Nuddi grew out of my passion for diving. On diving trips, finding useful information and suitable apps was difficult: logging a dive, identifying a species or choosing the next destination meant jumping between many different websites.
Together with developer Marc Cubiró, I turned that need into a product of our own.
PROBLEMS AND GOALS
We started with a simple idea: digitise the dive log. Existing apps fell short, while the information divers needed was scattered everywhere.
Problems
Scattered information
Logging dives, identifying species or planning a dive required several different websites and apps.
Unintuitive interfaces
Existing diving apps were difficult to navigate and made finding information harder than necessary.
Only the basics
Most apps covered only basic dive data, offering little beyond that.
Goals
Digitise the dive log
Quickly and intuitively log and review location, depth, duration, conditions and equipment.
Bring everything into one app
Combine logging with the information divers currently find elsewhere: species, destinations and ideas for the next dive.
Connect with the passion for diving
A visual experience reflecting the beauty of the underwater world and the diver’s identity.
SOLUTION
Core features that support divers before and after every dive.
Logbook
A dive log with depth, time, conditions, equipment and species, plus statistics and a map.
Atlas
Over 1,100 species to identify and save your own sightings.
Explore
Destinations and ideas for planning the next dive.
Private challenges
Real dives become challenges, experience and ranks. Everything stays in iCloud, without public profiles.
RESEARCH
We combined surveys, diver interviews and a benchmark of diving apps. The conclusion was clear: the information divers need exists, but is spread across countless places. This led the product beyond a simple logbook.
Log
- Where do I save my dives?
- How do I review my history and statistics?
- What equipment and conditions did I have on each dive?
Identify
- Which species did I see?
- Where can I find reliable information about it?
- How do I save my sightings?
Plan
- Where should I dive next?
- Which destinations are worth visiting?
Progress
- How do I track my progress as a diver?
- What challenges can I set myself?
Insights
The information exists but is scattered: the value is in bringing it together.
Logging a dive must be quick and intuitive, even straight out of the water.
Beyond logging, divers want to identify species and plan their next dive.
A dive log is personal: privacy takes priority over social features.
WHO WE DESIGN FOR
Divers have different needs. We created profiles to understand how to support both occasional divers and those who have made diving a habit.
Occasional diver
Laura Martín
29 years old · Barcelona
Marketing specialist
Remember every dive without turning logging into another chore.
Laura started diving on a trip and wants to keep discovering the underwater world. She is comfortable with her phone but is still learning diving terminology and routines.
Goals and motivation
- Keep memories and see her experience grow.
- Recognise the species she has seen.
- Discover destinations suited to her level.
Current behaviour
- Keeps information across photos, notes and a paper logbook.
- Identifies species from pictures and asks the guide when she does not know their names.
Frustrations and barriers
- Forgets details if she postpones logging.
- Long forms and technical terms leave her unsure.
- Struggles to gather everything she needs for the next trip.
Usage scenario
- After a dive, she wants to save the essentials and identify the fish she remembers before forgetting it.
What she would prioritise in Nuddi
- A log with few required fields and an atlas that is easy to browse visually.
LOGBOOK + ATLAS
Regular diver
Dani Costa
41 years old · Girona
Industrial engineer
Turn his history into useful information for the next dive.
Dani has been diving for years, combining local outings with trips. He enjoys documenting his experiences and wants to review them without keeping duplicate information across tools.
Goals and motivation
- Review and compare previous dives.
- Keep a consistent history of locations, conditions and species.
- Easily find where to travel and what to see at each time of year.
Current behaviour
- Checks his dive computer and completes his notes afterwards.
- Reviews previous logs and compares destinations on websites and maps.
Frustrations and barriers
- Re-enters information in more than one tool.
- Finds it hard to locate a particular dive among many entries.
- Does not want to publish his activity to enjoy the app.
Usage scenario
- Before returning to a destination, he wants to retrieve his dives there and recall the conditions and species he found.
What he would prioritise in Nuddi
- An easy-to-review history with statistics, a map and destination exploration, without requiring a public profile.
LOGBOOK + EXPLORE + PRIVACY
DESIGN DECISIONS
How can one app bring together everything a diver needs while staying simple?
Combine a logbook, atlas and destinations; link progress to real dives; prioritise privacy by design; and offer an atlas for divers worldwide.
Everything in one app
The logbook, atlas and destinations live in one product so divers do not have to jump between websites.
Logbook · Atlas · Explore
Progress linked to real dives
Challenges, experience and ranks are unlocked by logging real dives, rather than simply using the app.
Challenges
Private history
Data is saved in the user’s iCloud, without public profiles, comparisons or social features.
iCloud synchronisation
An atlas for divers worldwide
Over 1,100 catalogued species, available in 15 languages.
Atlas · Species profiles · 15 languages
CONCLUSION
Nuddi is a personal project turned into a real product. We started with our own need, tested it through surveys, interviews and benchmarking, and built an app that brings together the logbook, species and destinations previously scattered across many sources.
Learnings
Research changes the product
We began with a digital logbook. Research showed the need was broader, and the product grew with it.
Add value without adding complexity
Adding Atlas, Explore and Missions required a clear architecture to keep the app simple to use.
Designing a product together
Defining the product together with the developer enabled viable decisions from the outset.
From personal project to published app
Taking Nuddi to the App Store required thinking about the complete product, beyond individual screens.
Next steps
Measure real usage
Analyse which core features are used most to prioritise future functionality.
Listen to divers
Gather community feedback to keep improving the logbook, atlas and destinations.
