Field Herper brings modern tools to a passionate but underserved community.

Field herping is similar to birding, but focused on reptiles and amphibians. Enthusiasts search for and document species in their natural habitats. While birders have several well-designed digital tools, herpers have far fewer options built specifically for their needs.

Field Herper is a mobile-native app designed to fill that gap.

Built for iOS and Android using React Native, the product is currently in development.

The herping community is global, data-driven, and deeply engaged. Yet the tools available to them are fragmented.

There was no dedicated app that allowed users to:

• Build a comprehensive life list

• Browse a global catalog of reptiles and amphibians

• Explore species profiles and range maps

• Access information offline in remote environments

The opportunity was to create a modern field guide and tracking tool designed specifically for this niche community.

Field Herper functions as both:

1. A personal life list tracker

2. A searchable global species catalog

Users can log species they’ve observed in person and build a structured record of their discoveries over time.

The app currently includes data for over 18,000 reptile and amphibian species worldwide.

Because managing this scale of data independently would be unrealistic, the product integrates publicly available community-driven sources such as:

• iNaturalist

• GBIF

• Wikipedia

This approach ensures accuracy, ongoing updates, and global coverage.

Designing Field Herper meant balancing vast information density with usability.

Key challenges included:

• Structuring taxonomy across nearly 20,000 species

• Making search and filtering intuitive

• Presenting species data without overwhelming users

• Designing for offline environments

• Maintaining clarity across both casual and advanced users

The solution leaned into a clean, information-forward interface.

Rather than heavy ornamentation, the design emphasizes:

• Clear hierarchy

• Fast search

• Modular species profiles

• Tab-based navigation

• Minimal friction when logging discoveries

The experience had to feel lightweight, even though the data set is not.

Field Herper is built around a focused set of tools designed to support discovery, documentation, and learning in the field.

• Life list tracking

• Global species catalog

• Detailed species profiles

• Range maps

• Daily herp highlights

• Offline browsing

The interface is intentionally direct. Users should be able to log a species or find information within seconds, even in field conditions.

I initiated Field Herper independently and designed the full product system in Figma. Development is being handled by two collaborators using React Native for cross-platform deployment.

Close collaboration between design and engineering ensures the interface remains performant and scalable despite the size of the data set.

Field Herper is actively in development.

The initial focus is on building a stable, information-rich foundation before exploring monetization strategies.

The long-term vision is to provide the herping community with a dedicated, modern tool comparable to what birders have enjoyed for years.