The goal of the project is to build an application that will help pet parents find companions for their dogs locally. This app will allow users to create personal profiles and chat with other pet parents.

Pet Parents need a platform to find their dogs a companion because they sense that their dogs are lonely and they enjoy socialization.

Role                                          Duration                  Tools                       Project Type              

UX Research & Design             3 Weeks                   Adobe Xd.               App Prototype

Visual Design                                                             Figma                     Front End Dev

Front end Development                                              Miro

                                                                                    Adobe Photoshop

                                                                                    Invision  

Introducing our User Persona, Avery and Buddy Smith. These two are inseparable and more than just a pet, Buddy is Avery's family. Join her as she finds Buddy, a buddy for life.  

We believe that Dog owners and their dogs can benefit from our application because it will allow an opportunity to build long-lasting relationships for the physical and mental health of both of them.

The information gathered from the user interviews were transferred to sticky notes on Miro and an empathy map was created. The common patterns were arranged methodically into an affinity diagram. This helped in further uncovering insights what was truly required by someone who would use the Pawz & Play app

Now with the understanding of the ideal Pawz & play user, the next step was to think about problems that were being faced by pet parents and to come up with a solution to solve those problems. The insights from the empathy map, led us straight into the user sight, problem statements and How Might We (HMW) questions that would help further with the brainstorming process.

The data was further narrowed down to features that can actually solve the user’s pain point. According to the findings, it was observed that pet owners want validation and safety. When this data was transferred to pain points, it lead to the finalization of gain creators and pain relievers - such as uploading documents,  connecting with pet parents quicker, creating social platforms etc

A safe and trustable social platform to find pet matches nearby which saves time and provides the best results the owner is looking for.

Pet parents that desire companionship for their dogs, with the help of geo positioning.

With the features in hand, it was not time to envision the look and feel of the app. The mood board truly inspired us to create a space that the user would be happy to land into. Inspirations were drawn from other dog-related applications that gave an idea of what colour palette should be incorporated and what emotions should be conveyed while developing the final product. This was the beginning of the process to assemble the idea of what Pawz and Play should really look and feel like.

Based on the prioritization and knowing what value can be provided to solve the user's problem, emphasis was made on the initial development to registration + verification, as well as the pet matching process = MVP.

Though the app is where all the action is happening, the website was going to make that first impression and it is where the app is going to be showcased. The most important role of the website is to give people the basic idea of what the app is all about and a little bit of information about Pawz & Play as a company and where the app could be downloaded.  This would be the starting point where one could, Sign up, subscribe, read about paws and play and also where people can find more information about managing their pets through the articles on the blog. Social Media is another important aspect, where a community would be built, where people would be able to find reviews as well as share their thoughts, crucial information and ask questions.

The aesthetic was inspired by the mood board,  it incorporates light and playful colours, which used to we to create a welcoming atmosphere. The pastel colours were considered as they are easy on the eye and avoid using much contrast.

The dominant colour is a baby purple or lilac which is associated with friendliness, youth, open-mindedness and extroversion.  The logo is a combination of text and an image that alludes to the nature of our app for the user. Small references were included to the pets with a paw in the navigation bar along and pet-related graphics. 

Based on the feature proritizations and Task flow and knowing the values that would benefit the users, the emphasis was built on  the ease of use, such as availability of information both on the pet and the parent, verification of vaccination and chat options to set play dates etc. This in totality made the app both user friendly and trust worthy. 

1. A lot of calm colours and pictures have been included to make the app lively and fun to use. 

2. Introducing a playful prototype which allows users to feel calm and positive as they navigate through the app

3. The prototype involves communication for dog owners to build a better connection

4. The prototype will be designed to be as seamless as possible to keep users engaged.

Overall, this case study was challenging as well as interesting. It pushed me to think differently especially to tackle a real world problem.  It is so important to understand how people interact with the final product, since that will always determine how it is used and if it serves the intended purpose.

Expand our target audience, not limited to dog owners.

Available in Canada & Exchange training tips

Add an availability calendar for dog-sitting or playdate arrangement.