Fun Arena
- Client
- Fun Arena
- Role
- Lead Designer / Developer
- Platform
- iOS & Android
- Year
- 2026
(Overview)
A mobile app for Fun Arena, bringing bookings, events, loyalty rewards and venue information into one place.
Fun Arena is an indoor inflatable play arena at Burscough Aerodrome, with a restaurant, a bar for hire and party packages alongside the soft play.
The events run from toddler sensory sessions to adult takeovers, pancakes and pyjamas, and snowball fights with elves.
- UX flows
- UI design
- Prototyping
- App build
(The app)
I took the app from early UX flows through UI design and build, with the main job being to make repeat visits quicker for parents. Customers can book sessions, see what’s on, manage rewards and keep the useful bits of Fun Arena in one place on iOS and Android.
Around those sit the smaller things: gift cards, the menu, the play waiver, special offers and birthday party packages, plus notifications for new events and offers.
Book first, browse later
The first thing under the welcome is one button: Book Your Tickets. Below it, four tiles for gift cards, the menu, the waiver and offers, then What's On by month and the birthday packages.
Four tabs along the bottom, Home, Events, Info and Account, and that's the whole map.
Booking in a few taps
Pick a date, pick a session, book. The session page says who it's for (4+, or over 3ft) above the Book Now button. The confirmation arrives with the points, and the booking is there to show on arrival.
Tiers you can see
New members start at Ready for Take Off, with 50% off a first booking. Sky Explorer, at 500 points, brings a free tea or coffee (a QR code at the counter), and Frequent Flyer, at 1,000, a free after-school session. Locked tiers stay in view with the points they need. The names are aviation themed; the venue is on an aerodrome.
Offers that explain themselves
Each offer says what it covers and when it ends. Codes show when they've been used or have expired, the free hot drink shows its every-30-days rule, and a reminder goes out before a discount runs out.
Room for the family
Children can be added to an account for a little treat around their birthday. Inviting a friend from the home screen earns you both 50 points.
(The build)
It runs on iPhone, iPad and Android, back to iOS 15.1 and Android 7.0.
Built in React Native with Expo and TypeScript, so iOS and Android ship from one codebase. Firebase handles the backend: Authentication for sign-in (email, Apple, Google), Firestore for account data and Cloud Functions for points, discount codes and deletions. Events, offers and gift cards come from Contentful.
Bookings go through the venue's existing ROLLER checkout, opened in-app with the member's email pre-filled. When ROLLER confirms payment it calls a webhook on the app's backend, which matches the booking to the member, records it in their account and credits one point per pound, all within moments of paying.
Each account keeps the points, tier, membership card and bookings together, behind a sign-up with email verification. Data is encrypted in transit, and anyone can ask for theirs to be deleted.
Two launches, three updates
Android went first, on 12 July. iPhone and iPad followed ten days later, and the first fix was out the next day.
- 01 / 24 May 2026
Flows, design and build
Early UX flows, then UI design and prototypes, then the build.
- 02 / 12 Jul 2026
Live on Google Play
The first release, on Android.
- 03 / 22 Jul 2026
Live on the App Store
Version 1.0, on iPhone and iPad.
- 04 / 23 Jul 2026
First fixes
1.0.1: a fix for iPads that could stop responding after sign-in, a more reliable sign-up and email verification, and easier referral sharing.
- 05 / 11 Aug 2026
Discount check
1.0.3: a one-time mobile check when someone claims a discount, so offers stay fair.
- 06 / 1 Sep 2026
Rewards polish
1.0.4: booking celebrations, invite a friend from the home screen, clearer reward codes and a reminder before a discount expires.
(Since launch)
- 500+
Downloads on Google Play
- 2200+
Users signed up
A simple, useful mobile app that puts bookings, events and rewards in one place, giving customers a quicker way to plan every visit.