DogGO

Where care for your pup 
is a walk-in-the-park!

Project Brief

Pet owners sometimes need help caring for their furry friends. DogGO connects dog owners with dog walkers to provide safe, trusted care, quickly and conveniently.

My Role

I took this project from the early concept stage all the way through to creating high fidelity prototypes. I:

• Conducted user and competitor research to identify gaps in the market

• Worked with a team to brainstorm solutions to address these problems

• Created low-fidelity wireframes, prototypes, and explored visual design options to create a cohesive brand identity and test product effectiveness early

• Designed high fidelity prototypes and conducted user testing to improve flows and optimize the user experience

Research

User Research: Surveys

I created and posted a Google Form survey to my dog's Instagram account. She has over 1,000 followers who are primarily pet-parents within the target demographic, as well as local, small business owners specializing in dog products and services. Survey results were automatically exported to Excel, enabling a quick and easy way to view subsets of data.

Market Research: Competitor Analysis

I also analyzed 12 competitors, and documented the following:

• Name, tagline, and mission to better understand their positioning

• Number of app downloads and overall ratings, including examining comments to understand what users did or didn't like

• Visual impression from their app, website, and Instagram accounts to gain a sense of the cohesion between brand identity and product offering

• Copy outline from their website to compare their marketing and sales pitch, including services offered

Opportunity for Competitive Advantage

Extensive research revealed the opportunity to create a product that felt more personal, social and accessible, while maintaining a high level of polish (competitors with tight brands lacked relatability; those that felt more accessible were less professional).

While the product could eventually expand to include additional services, there was also the opportunity to focus on just one service, but build it out more extensively in ways that made it more social and engaging. The rough concept that emerged was to combine the fun (addictive nature!) of social media with the simplicity of an easy check-out experience.

I worked with a team of other UX/UI designers to brainstorm how to execute this idea while building trust for both pet owners and walkers. We also compiled community mood boards with elements to possibly set the direction and tone we wanted to achieve.

Personas

I created personas based on our user research. A primary profile for this project was Kelly Williams. Kelly is a busy millennial who needs easy, affordable care for her puppy. She wants people she can rely on and trust because she sees her dog as her child - a common trend for those in her generation who are choosing pets over parenthood, often due to expense.

User Flows

I created rough user flows for onboarding, aiming to make the experience familiar and efficient. Set up allowed users to quickly create an account, then add detailed information about their pet, adding all content to one profile. This addressed Kelly's frustration around having to explain her pet's needs to every new caretaker, or worrying important information might be forgotten.

Ideation, Wireframing & Prototyping

With our product goals in mind, I began creating basic wireframes. I outlined different versions of primary screens to create options and work toward the best possible solution. The first set of wireframes centered on clean, open flows with straightforward pathways. The second set aimed to eliminate additional clicks and keep the user on one page. Ultimately, I selected a combination of the two, keeping the clear navigation paths while minimizing too many click-through options so the user could accomplish their goal in a streamlined way.

Visual Design

With a clear wireframe direction, I began to hone in on visual design. I collaborated with a team to research visuals that implied trust and consistency, as well as brand looks that featured bright and playful elements.

Next, I created a mood board that combined open, clear type, with fun, quirky art to set the tone for DogGO. I also designed the app's logo and tried various color palettes on potential home screens to see what combination best communicated trustworthiness and friendliness from the user's first interaction with the product.

I began skinning the app with the appropriate colors, selected artwork to match, and set up color libraries and a design system with reusable components to ensure efficient, consistent design across all screens. I took these designs through another round of edits to streamline the color palette and update the copy in order to strengthen the overall brand identity.

Usability Testing

Once the visual design was in place, I began prototyping to show how the app could work in a real world scenario. I wired up the app, adding subtle - but consistent - animation between different elements and screens.

Next, I conducted usability testing by sending out a test link to a few contacts to see if they could intuitively navigate through the included features. I created a feedback survey for them as well so they could document any suggestions they had or share things they liked and wanted to see more of.

Based on their feedback, I made a few changes including altering button size and color to ensure even easier navigation through the app. While I only took the prototype through one round of user testing, I would expect to further build out the app, send out another test, and continue several rounds of the iterative cycle to optimize user-friendliness.

Takeaway & Next Steps

There is great potential to solve a common pet-owner need in a new way, while carving out a niche in the market that has yet to be filled. Doing so with a product that is familiar, intuitive and streamlined that also resonates with a younger market and creates social connections that build trust is sure to be successful.

Next Steps for this project include completing a full build-out of the app following the iterative process used throughout, and updated based on user testing. 

While I was able to conduct user research at the start of this project, I would change my process for future project by sending out surveys sooner, finding ways to incentivize completion, and including follow-up for additional interviews to enhance data collection and ensure we're creating the most useful product possible.