Problem
Many aspiring dog owners lack breed-specific knowledge, resulting in stress and thus increased likelihood of rehoming.
I remember back when Game of Thrones was popular, and there was this rise in Husky popularity due to the resemblance huskies have to dire wolves. However, at the time there was also a surge in Huskies being brought into shelters once new owners discovered the behavioral & economic difficulties of having a Husky.
Secondary research
As an aspiring dog owner myself, I was curious to see how relevant & true these behaviors might be today compared to back then. Beginning my investigation, I found some data points concerning such a correlation.
Finding 1
60% of shelters reported receiving surrenders (or surrender requests) of dogs that people say they paid a lot of money for and now can’t afford to keep(2023)
View Source
Finding 2
40% of former owners said free or low cost veterinary care would have prevented rehoming(2016)
View Source
Finding 3
37% of shelters stated returns for nuisance behaviors occurred within the first 7 days post-adoption(2023)
View Source
Challenge
Taking how my secondary research highlighted money as a strong stressor for why people rehome their dogs I sought to tackle this problem space even further by asking how?
"
"How might we connect new dog owners to affordable pet care support and ease their parenting difficulties in order to reduce the risk of rehoming?"
Solution
Dawgo, the social network app that empowers dog owners to connect and learn from trainers and each other.
How?
Option for hosts to offer pay-what you can payment methods.
Many networking apps like Luma and Meetup tend to be free, and a lot of value is obtained from just talking to people within the same field or, in this case, dog owners who may share similar experiences.
Part of Dawgo was inspired by Meetup.com and how some organizers who host improv classes will have a pay-what-you-can payment method for participants attending their events. From my experience attending classes, I would notice that people would consistently adhere to this honor system, and the instructor would still be compensated.
After conducting research I thought how this payment method offering could address an affordability concern users had and help facilitate socializing between other dog owners.
Design Process
Discover
Research
Key Insights
Define
Persona
User Stories
Task Selection
Develop
Sketching
Wireframes
Prototyping
User Testing
Deliver
Visual Identity
Marketing
I used the double-diamond design method for my design process because it allowed me take my approach one step at a time and as a result helped to:
Mitigate bias
Adapt to new information from research & interviews
Have a clear focus of user needs and assess their behaviors & attitudes before going into Figma
I conducted 3 Interviews with the criteria being that they were dog owners since I did not have access in my local network to aspiring or inexperienced dog owners. From those interviews I was still able to gather valuable insight.
Notable Quotes
Doug(Phone call)
“Had to take Banjo to the emergency vet because he swallowed a rock... $700.”
Maurice (In-Person)
"I didn't account for how hyper and active she is."
Devon(Phone call)
"I think it really helped when I was little having a dog, and then when I got my own dog, like having that knowledge prior was helpful."
Many dog owners even those with prior experience still come across surprises when taking on a new dog, both joyous and challenging.
Emma recently adopted, a beagle named Pickles. While she is thrilled to start her journey as a proud beagle parent, she is also a busy schoolteacher who is overwhelmed by the amount of information out there for dogs and wants to make sure she can easily find trustworthy resources at an affordable price.
The user stories I created built further empathy between me and the persona/user. It helped me even further visualize who they are and what they want. As a result, this helped me hone in on features I should include in my app.
Chosen Epic: Dog Care & Management
Going through each user story, about 23, and categorizing them into epics, I went ahead and chose this epic since it encapsulated more accurately whole sphere of Emma’s main frustration and goals, while also covering elements of community & support as well.
For this task flow, I wanted to focus in on one particular goal for the user Emma, which would be to attend a teach-your-dog-to-fetch event. The event would not only help Emma teach her dog Pickles how to fetch but would also be an environment for Emma to connect with other dog owners.
Wireframes & User Testing
2 rounds of usability testing with wireframes. I used the name Biscuitteer as a placeholder name for testing.
Usability Testing sample questions
Imagine you’re trying to find an event; how would you do so?
Imagine you are trying to find a fetch event; how would you do so?
Imagine you are only free this week. How would you find an event that fits your schedule?
Overall, there was an emphasis on how they enjoyed the simplicity of the app, but also difficulties with typography and unclearness on the donation part and events weekly screen.
Suggestions to have filter for days and overall average reviews with filter to find 4 star or 5 star reviews were insightful as well
Branding
I did originally have a bias for Biscuiteer, but tried not to get attached to the name. I explored different options, and I noticed how other apps and companies tend to use puns or just simply a name that conveys the usability of the product. i.e Meetup.
Name Options
Biscuiteers
Fatch
Catch
Metch
Shake
Pawtch
Bartch
CEET
LEET
Dawgo
Dawgo won me over because it was a pun on paw and dog but also had an emphasis on going to events with the word GO in it.
Chosen Logo
Takeaways from logo design:
It was meriting too much time trying to figure out how to make a paw look like a W
I noticed if I only put a normal-looking paw in between DA and GO, people would read it as DAGO
I felt comfortable with having this W as my logo for Dawgo since it was clear it was W, but also dog-related.
Competitive Analysis
Facebook Features
groups for dog owners
great way of connecting with others
Areas of concern for Emma
Hard to verify credibility of users giving advice
Meetup.com Features
groups for dog owners
promotes discoverabilty of events & networking
Areas of concern for Emma
Unsure about organizor credibility
Doesn't have a focus on dog resources
Rover Features
Reliable way to get a dog sitter or trainer
Areas of concern for Emma
Expensive costs for trainers
How Dawgo addresses these concerns
Dawgo Features
Pay-what you want- payment system
Review system in place for organizors
An app all about dogs and connecting knowledge & dog owners to each other
Color Injection Iterations & Roadblock
For color injection, I wanted accessibility to come first, but also, as I went along my color injection process, I noticed an opportunity to improve the design functionality, especially as my Figma skills grew during my time on the project.
Even though I had accessibility in mind, I noticed that my design iterations were not meeting that standard and the design layout still felt too simple and barebones.
Given my little Figma experience at the time, I sought advise from teachers and cohort, which ultimately helped lead my design towards a stronger direction.
HI-FI
Homescreen
For Dawgo, I wanted accessible colors, and having that carry throughout the design.
The homepage notifies her of her upcoming events.
The homepage also gives her quick access to her favorite dog groups so she can easily sign up for their events.
Categories
Here on the categories page, Emma can select the type of dog-related event she is seeking.
I wanted to use pictures that could compliment the text so it would be inviting and easy for Emma to find select events such as frisbee or nutrition.
As Emma scrolls for a fetch event, she is able to filter distance and time.
As of now, there is only one event available for teaching her dog how to fetch.
Reviews
Reviews will help Emma feel more comfortable, knowing the organizer has good reviews.
Comments in the reviews help Emma get a more clear image of who the organizer is like before going.
RSVP
Selecting an event broadens event info, such as event overview and recommended items.
Dawgo lets Emma know that other beagle owners have RSVP'd to the event, encouraging Emma to attend the event.
Reminder Page
Here Emma is met with a simple layout, giving Emma the option to set a notification reminder.
The see more events button takes Emma back to event categories so she may explore more events.
Marketing Website
If Dawgo were to launch as a real app, I prototyped & delivered a responsive marketing website to call users to download Dawgo and see how its ease of use and all-in-one dog platform can help users on their dog journey.
Design Impact + Future Thinking
For this case study it was also important for me to consider any possible highs and lows for my solution in order to maintain a realistic and objective mindset towards my solution, and so I thought about certain what-if scenarios.
Learnings
It is important to adapt once new information arrives
Do not get attached to your own design
Next Steps
Play with different color combinations and see if better colors for branding and accessibility may have been missed.
Flush out the app more and and examine how it can be made more appealing and simple yet easy for the user to use.
