Gold Coast Council Mobile App
Gold Coast Council is the local government for one of Australia’s fastest growing regions, spanning 57 kilometres of coastline and serving over 600,000 residents. It is the second largest local government area in Queensland. The Council is responsible for planning, regulation, service delivery, and infrastructure that support the community, while maintaining high standards of integrity, transparency, and accountability.
PROJECT
Gold Coast Council – Native iOS/Android Mobile App Redesign
DATE
January 2024 – June 2025
SERVICES
UX Strategy, Wireframing, UI Design, Design Systems, HIG & Material Design, Prototyping, Stakeholder management, JIRA sprints
overview
The Gold Coast Council mobile app was underperforming, with low feature adoption and limited value for residents.
Features were minimal, difficult to navigate, and often unclear in purpose. The bin collection reminder was particularly problematic, confusing to use and failing to meet its core goal. Overall engagement was low, with very few residents using the app regularly.
I joined the project in early 2024, taking over from the previous designer and migrating all design assets from Adobe XD into Figma. To manage growing complexity, I implemented a document management strategy that evolved as new features were released, ensuring improved organisation, version control, and collaboration.
discovery & research
Thorough research and stakeholder engagement informed every design decision. I conducted sessions with the project manager and key stakeholders to understand user needs and pain points. I benchmarked against other council and weather apps to identify opportunities for improvement, analysed user data captured by the mobile team, and synthesised findings from previous user testing to guide the design approach.
strategy & ideation
Collaborating closely with stakeholders ensured every feature delivered value and technical feasibility.
I worked with senior stakeholders to define requirements and prioritise enhancements based on user benefit and business impact. Partnering with the engineering team, I validated technical feasibility before moving to design. Standalone concept documents were used to iterate rapidly on ideas and present refined solutions to the product owner.
design & prototyping
Detailed, organised, and platform-specific designs ensured smooth development and consistent results.
I delivered high-fidelity Figma designs for iOS and Android, using a meticulous file structure and clear labelling for design statuses. I collaborated with the technical lead and project manager to ensure designs matched JIRA specifications, and created interactive prototypes to communicate complex micro-interactions and edge cases.
From scratch, I built a comprehensive design system with tokens, light/dark mode overrides, and platform-specific specifications. Approved designs were showcased fortnightly to stakeholders, keeping the team aligned and engaged.
ux strategy
aligned product direction with user research insights and stakeholder priorities
interface design
delivered polished, detailed designs including prototypes & edge case handling
design systems
built a scalable design guide with tokens and overrides for consistency across platforms
cross platform
designs for iOS and Android using Human Interface Guidelines and Material Design
JIRA sprints
fortnightly agile sprints, updating assets as features completed
dev handoff
weekly meetings with developers to confirm design accuracy
GLOBAL SEARCH
SEARCH FACILITIES
ALL SERVICES
product features
I delivered a wide range of new and improved features that significantly increased the app’s value and usability.
The biggest release was Discover, an embedded Google Maps experience allowing users to search facilities, view detailed location information, save favourites, and get directions.
discovery map
Enabled location search, filtering, and directions within an embedded maps interface
live cams
Integrated video streams to increase engagement with local events and destinations
global search
Delivered a single, unified search function across all app content and features
bin collection
Simplified the process of checking collection schedules and receiving reminders
beaches
Provided up to date beach conditions, surf information, and imagery
weather & surf
Delivered accurate, location specific forecasts for residents and visitors
MY BIN DAY
BEACHES LANDING
WEATHER LANDING
testing & iteration
Continuous testing and iteration ensured every feature met user needs before release. Feedback from the product owner and internal teams guided targeted refinements. Specific features were reviewed with relevant departments, tested internally with the mobile team, and rolled out to beta users for real-world feedback. Updates were made progressively, with larger requests added to the product roadmap.
outcome & impact
The redesign and feature enhancements led to higher engagement, improved user satisfaction, and streamlined internal processes.
The app’s active user base grew to over 150,000, with live stream views peaking at 1.5 million during a cyclone event. Customer service tickets decreased by approximately 20 percent, reflecting a clearer, more intuitive user experience. Design deliverables were completed on time for around 95 percent of tasks, with minimal revision requests.
The new design system covered the majority of visual components, reducing development time and ensuring consistency across features. Handoffs to the development team became smoother, with fewer clarification requests and faster implementation cycles, allowing the mobile team to deliver updates more efficiently and confidently.
1.5mil
live streams
increased camera streams during the 2024 Gold Ccast cyclone
150k
new users
feature adoption rate over the course of 6 months
40%
faster handoff
setup of documents & design system increased productivity
4.5
store rating
average store rating during lifecycle of project
20%
less tickets
reduction of customer service ticket requests
95%
on-time design
designs where delivered swiftly and efficiently
conclusion
The project delivered high-value features, streamlined workflows, and set a new standard for design within the Council.
Residents received a more useful and engaging app, while the internal team benefited from a more efficient design process. Positive feedback from across the organisation has sparked interest from additional teams wanting to integrate into the mobile platform.
The engagement was a clear success and positioned the app for ongoing growth and adoption.
LET’S WORK TOGETHER