Roles
This is my personal project design. I worked on research, ideation, design, and iteration.
Techniques
Secondary Research, Competitive Audit, User Interview, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing, Interaction Design, Animation Design
Problem
Novice dog owners need to learn about how to raise a dog but have difficulty in finding information they need
Objective
A mobile app with group, Q&A, and article features for dog owners to share experience and learn about dogs
Research
01 As A Dog Owner
I had both frustrating and happy times when raising my dog
As a dog owner myself, the process of raising a puppy can be both enjoyable and painful. I get worried when he gets sick, behaves abnormally or aggressively. I feel anxious when it tries to communicate with me but I can not understand it. He also lights up my life with a warm welcome each day and accompanies me through my hard times.
02 Secondary Research
It’s difficult for first-time dog owners to learn many new things all at once
After reading articles and exploring the forums including Reddit and Quora, I collected some key findings.
Pandemic puppy gets adopted and abandoned again. Many people raise dogs before they prepare well. A large number of dogs get rehomed or abandoned each year.
Dogs can get depressed easily. Dogs may live shorter than they normally should if they are raised or fed improperly.
A little puppy arriving at new home
A dog with depression in shelter
It's hard to be a first-time dog owner with many new things to learn.
The information about raising dogs is spread over, which is difficult for people to collect and filter.
03 Competitive Analysis
To decide on which topic to move forward with, I tried to start from market analysis. I analyzed some main products where users usually get information about dogs, and some apps focusing on a specific area about the dogs.
Where people find specific information of one specific topic
Where people look for general information
Key finding: a lack of relevant, organized information is the key issue
Although there are many products focusing on a specific area, there is no place to see consolidated and organized information.
Most products are not relevant enough so they cannot fulfill the needs.
The quality and variety of information and services are the keys.
04 Dig Deep with User Interviews
To dig deeper into what types of information the users need, I conducted interviews with 4 representative users to understand user needs and their challenges.
User Persona
User Journey Map
User Needs —> Design Focus
2.Ideation
After summarizing the user needs, I put my mission statement and design goals as following
01 Mission Statement
02 Design Goals
🧶1. Provide location-based information
🧶2. Consolidate the most relevant information for easy access
🧶3. Encourage communication, interaction, questions and answers
🧶4. Provide a wide coverage of topics
3. Design
01 Information Architecture
Based on the needs, I designed the information architecture.
02 Key Features
Get relevant information by asking questions, posting in a group, or reading articles
There are 3 main types of information in the design, with Q&A focusing more on coverage of topics, Group focusing more on building a community, and Article emphasizing profession.
Recommend content based on interests and location
I designed 4 main types of interaction for users to get updates on things they care about on time and recommend more relevant information to them.
03 Wireframes
Paper Prototype
04 Usability Testing and Iterations
I invited 3 users to do usability testing and iterated the design accordingly.
Iteration 01: Enable global search with the filter
Iteration 02: Make relevant information more accessible
Iteration 03: Help people find location-based information
Iteration 04: Encourage consumers to be content creators
Key Pages After Iteration
05 Visual Design & Design System
Typography
Mulish: Clean to read, cute and modern
Color Scheme
Yellowish: Warm, Comforting, and Personal
Accessibility Check
Sticker Sheet
06 Delivery
On-Boarding
5 quick questions + interests selection = personalized information
Fitting design goal 2 - consolidate the relevant information
Search
Suggest location-based information
Fitting design goal 1 - provide location-based information,
and design goal 2 - make relevant information more easily accessible
Q&A
Invite replies for quick, good answers.
Fitting design goal 3 - encourage communication among dog owners,
and design goal 4 - cover a wide range of topics
Article
Get professional information by reading articles
Fitting design goal 2 - provide relevant information in a professional and systematic way
Group
Join the squad and share with people who care about the same
Fitting design goal 1, 2 and 4, enabling dog owners to get relevant, location-based information and share it with other people
Post
Ask a question, invite others to reply, or post what interests you in a group
Fit design goal 2 and 3, enable users to ask questions that they are interested in and encourage interaction with other dog owners
4. After-Design
01 How will I measure it as a real product?
Quantitative Data
Active user number
Total number of posts, groups, answers, questions, articles…… posted in a week/month
Average engagement per user(groups, posts……）
……
Qualitative Data
How helpful do you think this app is？
What is the function you find most and least helpful?
……
02 Monetization/Future Business Directions
If there is a good user base, it’s possible to collaborate with:
dog shopping🛒
puppy school🏫
dog healthcare💉
dog services (walk your dog)💁
animal shelter💗
social/community products💬
03 Future Iterations
Based on usability testing feedback and user interview, there are several directions that I will dive deep if the MVP is a success.
Customized dog diary
Customized dog translator
Leaderboard of answers and engagement
Reward system for active users
