Overview:

In a world where pets are cherished family members, ensuring their well-being is a top priority. Pupper, an app designed as a part of Dribbble's 24 week Product Design Academy aims to redefine convenience, safety, and joy for pet owners and their furry companions.

Problem Statement

In the ever-evolving landscape of pet care, a significant gap persists in ensuring a secure, transparent, and communicative environment for pet owners and their cherished companions. Traditional dog walking services often lack standardized certifications, face challenges in streamlining onboarding processes, and struggle to facilitate effective communication between pet owners and walkers.

The Opportunity:

Recognizing the need for a revolutionary approach, Pupper seizes the opportunity to redefine the dog walking experience through a focus on certifications, a seamless onboarding experience, and enhanced communication channels. By implementing standardized certifications, optimizing onboarding procedures, and integrating user-friendly communication features, the app aims to set new industry standards, providing pet owners with peace of mind and fostering a community built on trust and reliability.

Research Methods

The primary goal of the user research for the Pupper Dog Walking App was to gather in-depth insights into the experiences, preferences, and pain points of pet owners and professional dog walkers. Targeted interviews and competitor analysis, were the main research methods utilised to inform the app's design and functionality, ensuring a user-centric approach that addresses real-world needs.

After interviewing dog owners in my community, I developed the user persona of Jillian. Jillian is a millenial dog-mom with an active social life who loves to travel. She often needs a walker or sitter at a moments notice and prioritizes choosing walkers with lots of experience and who genuinely must love dogs.

Competitor Analysis of Wag and Rover allowed me to identify key features to include in Pupper. It also allowed me to identify pain points to try to improve for Pupper. I felt that both apps had lengthy on-boarding processes and a lack of ease in quick communication between owners and walkers. Pupper aims to have walkers and owners communicating in seconds.

User Persona

Competitor Analysis: WAG & Rover

User Flow and Wireframes

As part of this project, we honed in on two pivotal aspects of the user flow for our dog walking app: the onboarding process and the process of searching and booking a walker. The user flow chart provided succinctly outlines the steps involved in onboarding for Pupper. Our primary goal was to ensure simplicity throughout the onboarding process, emphasizing a user-friendly experience.

Following the creation of these user flow charts, I transitioned to crafting low-fidelity wireframes in Figma, spotlighting key screens for both onboarding and walker search/booking flows. To enhance visualization of the final version, I strategically incorporated images and pops of color into the wireframes. This approach not only facilitated a clearer understanding of the app's functionality but also laid the groundwork for a visually engaging and intuitive user interface.

Visual Design

My visual inspiration for the dog walking app is driven by a desire to infuse a sense of playfulness and nostalgia into the user experience. Drawing inspiration from the interesting color pairings in my mood board, I developed a palette that combined soft pastels with pops of lively, contemporary hues. This blend aims to create a visually stimulating environment that reflects both the excitement of dog walks and the enduring charm of retro design. The use of retro fonts adds a touch of personality and timelessness to the app, creating a unique aesthetic that stands out in the crowded digital landscape.

Mood Board

Text Styles & UI Kit

Hi Fidelity Mockups

Usability and Testing:

During the prototyping phase, I sought valuable feedback from friends and family, creating a collaborative design process that enriched the overall user experience of the dog walking app. Their insights proved instrumental in refining the prototype, with notable suggestions such as incorporating an option to add another pet seamlessly during the onboarding process. This addition not only streamlines the user experience for multi-pet households but also aligns with the diverse needs of our user base. Additionally, feedback highlighted the importance of user convenience, leading to the integration of a "Sign Up with Google" option to enhance the onboarding process. These thoughtful suggestions not only showcase the app's responsiveness to user needs but also underscore the collaborative spirit that shapes its development, ensuring that every user, whether with a single pet or a furry family, can enjoy a tailored and user-friendly experience. If you would like to try out my prototype here is the link!

Key Takeaways

The project highlighted the crucial role of user-focused design, shaping every aspect of the dog walking app for a seamless experience. I learned that prioritizing usability and the user experience is key to designing a successful digital product.

Personally, I enjoyed exploring visual design—playing with colors, fonts, and playful illustrations to create an engaging interface. However, this process made me realize that good product design is as much about usability as it is about aesthetics! Finding the right balance of the two is crucial to designing a successful digital product.