Explore My Work
'The Park'
'The Park' is a doggy playdate app. With a focus on dog owners in cities, 'The Park' aims to provide a platform where users can filter through desired dog criteria and hyperlocal setting. This project presents an approach to solving problems faced by dog owners in dense areas in the same way as dating apps - by giving the user full control of the factors important to them.
Project Overview; TLDR
PROBLEM
How might we pair dogs of similar sizes, play style, age, demeanor and location for dog play dates in cities with dense, dog-friendly buildings and amenities?
SOLUTION
-
Design a new app that allows for dog owners to filter though desired dog compatibility and owner compatibility criteria
-
Design an app that provides emphasis identity verification to create a community of trust
-
Define a brand that reflects ease of use, fun, convenient and reliable
ROLE
UX/UI designer
TOOLS
Figma, Photoshop
CLICK THE PROTOTYPE!
MY PROCESS
EMPATHIZE
Research
INTRODUCTION
When the Coronavirus pandemic hit New York City in early March 2020 a trend emerged: the increase in the ownerships of dogs. As New York City reopened people flocked back into NYC, bringing their dogs with them.
​
The adjustment of smaller spaces and city life has caused many forums to break out; dog owners are looking to other dog owners on how they manage dog energy in the city and the notion of going back into the physical workspace.
​
Through my research, I aimed to find:
-
What (audience) is struggling with dogs?
-
What is the cause of their struggles?
-
How are these people currently making do with dog ownership
-
What are their current solutions?
​
SECONDARY RESEARCH
Millennials were the most likely to adopt during the pandemic, and this demographic aligns with the same people moving back into New York. Millennials, specifically, between the ages of 25 and 35 are returning to the city, bringing their pets with them
​
This internet savvy population has taken to social media, such as Facebook pages and Reddit forums, with queries like “Finding doggie friends” or “ Looking for a dog sitter during work hours” as people have started returning to work. Dog owners in New York City are turning to each other for support and advice on how to keep a dog happy and healthy in a small environment.
​
Potential Competitors:
Dog owners frequently take their puppies to dog parks and have them run out their energy. Many ideas such as doggy daycare have been suggested on Reddit forums, but dog owners find them expensive.
When it comes to apps, there are two main apps that offer dog boarding and dog walking services, ‘Wags’ and ‘Rover’. These have mixed reviews as they are not regulated platforms.
​
There are hyper-local diy solutions that have arisen from this need. A lot of apartment dwellers have created a community of dogs from their local dog park, or building’s amenities by befriending the dog owners to coordinate flexible doggy-play dates. “The advantage: dog owners can see the size, breed, demeanor, and playing style of other dogs decide to befriend those dog owners if compatible with their dog“
​
User Interviews
After identifying the key demographic, their current solutions, and potential competitors of an app or service, I recruited 5 participants for user interviews. The 5 participants had to fall within the demographic found in the secondary research:
-
Must have adopted or bought a dog between the onset of Covid-19 to present day
-
Must have moved to New York City (or adjacent borough) within the duration of Covid-19
-
Must be between the age of 25-35
-
Must be a social media user
-
Must spend upwards of 10 hours a week exercising/playing with their dog
​
These individuals were recruited through word-of-mouth. Each person gave a 30 minute semi-structured interview, which resulted in around 100 problem statements.
Affinity Map
These 100 problem statements were then written on virtual sticky notes and rearranged into a map of similarities and affinities. Grouping together similar comments and concerns furthered my understanding of the city puppy owner 's pains and gains.
“I'm constantly thinking of how I can best teach her [dog] to entertain herself so she can be happy while I'm still trying to be my best self and be happy as well"
DEFINE
Defining the Problems
Once the user statements were organized and incorporated into the persona, Allyson, I went back to the overarching themes that were developed in the affinity map to reword them into three distinct insights. These insights then informed the How Might We (HMW) questions to distill the problem into simple and concise sentences.
“It’s exhausting for a human to match the level of puppy energy”
INSIGHT 1:
Dog owners form a strong emotional connection with their dog and are very attentive to their needs, resulting in perpetual worrying. Because dogs take a lot of mental and physical energy, coordination, and time, both single dog owners and dog owners in relationships depend upon external support systems.
​
-
Owning a dog shapes personal decisions, such a where to live.
​
How might we:
-
Dog owners are very concerned about the comfort of their dog with dog walkers or being home alone
How might we reduce feelings of worry about dogs when the owners go into work?
INSIGHT 2:
While apps are a solid way to find services, dog owners still prefer meeting up in person before entrusting their dog with a stranger. Finding puppy play solutions within the hyper-local, neighborhood community has also become a method of both success and socialization for dog owners.
​
-
Doggy owners use their local community to their advantage to find solutions via word of mouth and social media because it is easier to trust people you share the same space with.
-
Dog owners also worry about their own safety, their dog’s safety, and the safety of their residence when letting a stranger in.
​
​​
How might we:
How might we create a feeling of trust between dog owners and walkers?
“ How do I know they’re doing what I asked them to do”
"Love the community of Manhattan and Jersey city dog lovers because everyone is helping each other out"
How might we:
How might we leverage the hyperlocal community to help with
dog care?
INSIGHT 3:
Dogs also seem to have a personal preference of who they like to play with and dog owners prefer knowing the play environment clean and safe - a downside of doggy day care or forced play groups, where conditions are often crowded and unsanitary.
-
Dog owners set up smaller play groups because they are easier to monitor and the dogs don't get overwhelmed.
-
Dogs prefer playing with compatible dogs - other dogs of similar breed, size, and age.
“Emmy [dog] and Bear [dog] get along well because they have similar demeanors, age, and personalities. And honestly, Bear’s really picky. He only plays with golden retrievers or doodles like him.”
How might we:
How might we pair dogs with similar sizes, play style, and age in dog play dates?
IDEATE
Brainstorming
​
How might we pair dogs with similar sizes, play style, and age in dog play dates?
​
This was the chosen HMW problem questions, from Insight 3, to build a solution upon. I started by writing jusxaposing different elements of location and profile oriented apps - Facebook, Care.com, Hinge, etc - and exisiting dog service apps - Wags and Rover - to create a plethora of new ideas. What emerged was a mix of a the dog service finder apps, and Hinge, a dating app.
​
The solution idea was to create a play date app for dogs that filter by matching criteria and location, giving the dog owner total control of what’s important to them.
User Stories and Site Maps
To get a better idea of how Allyson would navigate through the app, identifying user activities, tasks, stories, and criteria proved to be helpful in organizing the major pages of the app. Once that was developed, establishing the project architecture in conjunction with the site map allowed me to flesh out the key screens needed for users to complete tasks in a certain user flows.
​
User Flows
Two main paths, or red routes, were determined though the mapping process. Red Route 1 evolved into exploring the screens a dog owner navigates through to sign into their dog profile, which would be an important route for all app users. Red Route 2 became illustrating the screens a dog owner would see as they build a profile for themselves and their dog for the first time. Through these user flows, I studied the different buttons, points of devision, and pages Allyson would make to complete these two tasks.
RED ROUTE 1:
Creating a dog profile
Build out!
RED ROUTE 1:
Building a dog profile
LoFi Wireframe Sketches
Explore My Work
'The Park'
A doggy playdate app
With a focus on dog owners in cities, 'The Park' aims to provide a platform where users can filter through desired dog criteria and hyperlocal setting. This project presents an approach to solving problems faced by dog owners in dense areas in the same way as dating apps - by giving the user full control of the factors important to them.
Project Overview; TLDR
PROBLEM
How might we pair dogs of similar sizes, play style, age, demeanor and location for dog play dates in cities with dense, dog-friendly buildings and amenities?
SOLUTION
-
Design a new app that allows for dog owners to filter though desired dog compatibility and owner compatibility criteria
-
Design an app that provides emphasis identity verification to create a community of trust
-
Define a brand that reflects ease of use, fun, convenient and reliable
ROLE:
UX/UI designer
TOOLS:
Figma, Photoshop
MY PROCESS
EMPATHIZE
Research
INTRODUCTION
When the Coronavirus pandemic hit New York City in early March 2020 a trend emerged: the increase in the ownerships of dogs. As New York City reopened people flocked back into NYC, bringing their dogs with them.
​
The adjustment of smaller spaces and city life has caused many forums to break out; dog owners are looking to other dog owners on how they manage dog energy in the city and the notion of going back into the physical workspace.
​
Through my research, I aimed to find:
-
What (audience) is struggling with dogs?
-
What is the cause of their struggles?
-
How are these people currently making do with dog ownership
-
What are their current solutions?
​
SECONDARY RESEARCH
Millennials were the most likely to adopt during the pandemic, and this demographic aligns with the same people moving back into New York. Millennials, specifically, between the ages of 25 and 35 are returning to the city, bringing their pets with them
​
This internet savvy population has taken to social media, such as Facebook pages and Reddit forums, with queries like “Finding doggie friends” or “ Looking for a dog sitter during work hours” as people have started returning to work. Dog owners in New York City are turning to each other for support and advice on how to keep a dog happy and healthy in a small environment.
​
Potential Competitors:
Dog owners frequently take their puppies to dog parks and have them run out their energy. Many ideas such as doggy daycare have been suggested on Reddit forums, but dog owners find them expensive.
When it comes to apps, there are two main apps that offer dog boarding and dog walking services, ‘Wags’ and ‘Rover’. These have mixed reviews as they are not regulated platforms.
​
There are hyper-local diy solutions that have arisen from this need. A lot of apartment dwellers have created a community of dogs from their local dog park, or building’s amenities by befriending the dog owners to coordinate flexible doggy-play dates. “The advantage: dog owners can see the size, breed, demeanor, and playing style of other dogs decide to befriend those dog owners if compatible with their dog“
​
User Interviews
After identifying the key demographic, their current solutions, and potential competitors of an app or service, I recruited 5 participants for user interviews. The 5 participants had to fall within the demographic found in the secondary research:
-
Must have adopted or bought a dog between the onset of Covid-19 to present day
-
Must have moved to New York City (or adjacent borough) within the duration of Covid-19
-
Must be between the age of 25-35
-
Must be a social media user
-
Must spend upwards of 10 hours a week exercising/playing with their dog
​
These individuals were recruited through word-of-mouth. Each person gave a 30 minute semi-structured interview, which resulted in around 100 problem statements.
Affinity Map
These 100 problem statements were then written on virtual sticky notes and rearranged into a map of similarities and affinities. Grouping together similar comments and concerns furthered my understanding of the city puppy owner 's pains and gains.
PAINS:
-
Constantly worrying about puppy at work
-
Expenses that come with doggy day care/dog walking
-
Safety of the puppy/house while leaving them with a dog walker
-
Distrusting the dog walker
-
Focus on comfort/compatibility of puppy
with others in play
PAINS:
-
Constantly worrying about puppy at work
-
Expenses that come with doggy day care/dog walking
-
Safety of the puppy/house while leaving them with a dog walker
-
Distrusting the dog walker
-
Focus on comfort/compatibility of puppy
with others in play
Empathy
Mapping
GAINS:
-
Ability to go into work without worrying about dog
-
Making a support system in the local dog owner community to help each other out
-
Trusting dog walker taking the dog out or entering the house
-
Feeling content that dog has been well exercised and is happy
Persona
“I'm constantly thinking of how I can best teach her [dog] to entertain herself so she can be happy while I'm still trying to be my best self and be happy as well"
DEFINE
Defining the Problems
Once the user statements were organized and incorporated into the persona, Allyson, I went back to the overarching themes that were developed in the affinity map to reword them into three distinct insights. These insights then informed the How Might We (HMW) questions to distill the problem into simple and concise sentences.
INSIGHT 1:
Dog owners form a strong emotional connection with their dog and are very attentive to their needs, resulting in perpetual worrying. Because dogs take a lot of mental and physical energy, coordination, and time, both single dog owners and dog owners in relationships depend upon external support systems.
​
-
Owning a dog shapes personal decisions, such a where to live.
​
How might we:
-
Dog owners are very concerned about the comfort of their dog with dog walkers or being home alone
How might we reduce feelings of worry about dogs when the owners go into work?
“It’s exhausting for a human to match the level of puppy energy”
INSIGHT 2:
While apps are a solid way to find services, dog owners still prefer meeting up in person before entrusting their dog with a stranger. Finding puppy play solutions within the hyper-local, neighborhood community has also become a method of both success and socialization for dog owners.
​
-
Doggy owners use their local community to their advantage to find solutions via word of mouth and social media because it is easier to trust people you share the same space with.
-
Dog owners also worry about their own safety, their dog’s safety, and the safety of their residence when letting a stranger in.
​
​​
How might we:
How might we create a feeling of trust between dog owners and walkers?
“ How do I know they’re doing what I asked them to do”
"Love the community of Manhattan and Jersey city dog lovers because everyone is helping each other out"
How might we:
How might we leverage the hyperlocal community to help with
dog care?
INSIGHT 3:
Dogs also seem to have a personal preference of who they like to play with and dog owners prefer knowing the play environment clean and safe - a downside of doggy day care or forced play groups, where conditions are often crowded and unsanitary.
-
Dog owners set up smaller play groups because they are easier to monitor and the dogs don't get overwhelmed.
-
Dogs prefer playing with compatible dogs - other dogs of similar breed, size, and age.
How might we:
How might we pair dogs with similar sizes, play style, and age in dog play dates?
“Emmy [dog] and Bear [dog] get along well because they have similar demeanors, age, and personalities. And honestly, Bear’s really picky. He only plays with golden retrievers or doodles like him.”
IDEATE
Brainstorming
​
How might we pair dogs with similar sizes, play style, and age in dog play dates?
​
This was the chosen HMW problem questions, from Insight 3, to build a solution upon. I started by writing jusxaposing different elements of location and profile oriented apps - Facebook, Care.com, Hinge, etc - and exisiting dog service apps - Wags and Rover - to create a plethora of new ideas. What emerged was a mix of a the dog service finder apps, and Hinge, a dating app.
​
The solution idea was to create a play date app for dogs that filter by matching criteria and location, giving the dog owner total control of what’s important to them.
User Stories and Site Maps
To get a better idea of how Allyson would navigate through the app, identifying user activities, tasks, stories, and criteria proved to be helpful in organizing the major pages of the app. Once that was developed, establishing the project architecture in conjunction with the site map allowed me to flesh out the key screens needed for users to complete tasks in a certain user flows.
​
User Flows
Two main paths, or red routes, were determined though the mapping process. Red Route 1 evolved into exploring the screens a dog owner navigates through to sign into their dog profile, which would be an important route for all app users. Red Route 2 became illustrating the screens a dog owner would see as they build a profile for themselves and their dog for the first time. Through these user flows, I studied the different buttons, points of devision, and pages Allyson would make to complete these two tasks.
RED ROUTE 1:
Creating a dog profile
Build out!
RED ROUTE 1:
Building a dog profile
Wireframe Sketches
Guerilla Testing
It was time to put the Low Fidelity Wireframe Sketches to test in the a quick round of guerilla testing. I went to a local Cafe in Jersey City, NJ with my sketches to find 5 dog owners that visually fit Allyson's age range. I randomly approached these 5 people with dogs, asked them a couple questions in exchange for a coffee and macaroon, and their answers provided the following overviews:
-
Users would like to know about the dog owner
-
Think about the minimum amount of information a dog owner would like to know without losing interest in creating a profile
-
The idea of the doggy dating app was familiar to users in the chosen age (25-35) and understood the purpose/language of the sketches immediately
-
Users love the idea of a doggy playdate app
PROTOTYPE AND TESTING
Low Fidelity Wireframes
With the insights of the guerilla testing and the wireframe sketches, I created a first round of Low Fidelity Wireframes. These Wireframes were then arranged into a wireflow, to explore edge case scenarios the user might encounter to complete building a dog profile. I used Figma for the Low Fidelity Wireframes and borrowed the "swipe right/swipe left" language of dating apps that had become familiar to 25-35 olds.
​
For edge cases, intuitive colors were introduced that were also ADA compliant - ! and red signified errors, and green signified success.
Example Edge Case
Example Edge Case
Brand Developement
'The Park's mission: In a city overwhelmingly full of people, 'The Park' makes building and trusting a small community easier. I knew from the start I wanted to use orange as a brand color, to convey a sense of energy and fun, as well as reflect the other attributes of the brand, of youth, trust, as care.
IMAGERY INSPIRATION
The images chosen convey real, relatable, and everyday experiences in the life of a dog owner. Happiness, socialization, community, and rest as all shown, as a life a dog owner would aspire to have for their dog.
​
"The Park' conveys these emotions with authenticity and sincerity. There is also a sense of fun and enjoyment.
UI INSPIRATION
The images assembled are very bold, bright, and youthful. The colors across each spread of pages convey a sense of movement. With a mix of real photos and animated elements, the interface is light, fun, and goofy. The color palette is limited to shades of orange, the color of energy, with a color wheel complement of blue for where needed.
UI Design Guide
High Fidelity Mock-Ups
With the low fidelity wireframes, the branding, and the UI design guide all built, these elements were all used to design the high fidelity mockups, using a mix of Figma and Photoshop.
​
The mockups used guiding text, fin graphics, consolidation of information, and improved clarity, all themes gathered from the guerilla testing.
Prototyping and Testing
The following prototype was tested on 5 dog owners, between the ages of 25-35 that lived in NYC. Click to view!
​
I conducted remote usability testing over Zoom, in which the users shared what they were doing and thinking at every screen until they completed the designated tasks. I tested two main key tasks. The first one was to successfully complete making a profile for Coco. The second task was to tell me Brodie's weight, and match with him. All of the users completed the tasks.
​
CLICK!
User Interview Statements and Behaviors
The interview statements and behaviors from the the 5 user interviews were taken and written out, like a transcript. Similar statements were grouped together, in a method similar to the original affinity map, to develop similar themes. This information is presented in a concise manner in the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) diagram.
Out of this SWOT chart, 3 themes were chosen to to be iterated upon.
Iteration
1. DOG VERIFICATION
​
THREAT
WEAKNESS
,
“How do I know I’m not being catfished by a random man who doesn’t have a dog?”
​
Dog owners appreciated the in-app human verification system but were concerned about the confirmation of the dog as well. “It’s easy to google images.”
My idea: Why not implement a similar in-app dog verification system to the human? This idea was implemented in another round of prototyping, which emphasized the verification of both the owner and the dog, to receive a blue check on their profile.
2. DOG PLAY DETAILS
​
THREAT
WEAKNESS
,
,
OPPORTUNITY
“What does he’s friendly ‘sometimes’ mean?”
​
A couple users wanted to know more about Brodie’s play style and in conjunction, wanted to offer more information about their dog’s play style. “Golu is really high energy with dogs and doesn’t care about people”. Dog owners were looking for more demeanor questions.
​
I am cognizant of the MVP - but can definitely add a few play related multiple choice questions and an open-ended bio section. I don't want to deter users from making a bio because they find the process too tedious and long.
3. OWNER DETAILS
​
THREAT
WEAKNESS
,
“It’s not just our dog’s playing but I’ll have to spend time with her [Jess] too”
There were some user’s that didn’t care about Jess, and some that wanted to know more about Jess than just her picture and location.
It was hard to determine if this was crucial information for the MVP or if this can be built later, but for now I can add a “bio” section for the dog and owner and then see in the next round of testing. The bio section is meant to be vague enough for the owner to write more about both themselves and their dog.
Reflection and Next Steps
After my second round of testing, there seemed to be a lot more interest on Jess, or the dog owner. The dog owner's compatibility almost seemed to be the final deciding factor in matching for a playdate. The dog owner's schedule also seemed to be an important deciding factor - for example, do they always go on walks during lunch and are looking for walking buddies?​
​
IF I WERE TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN...
I would create a dual profile - one for the dog and one for the dog owner. It seems that dog owners are looking for more than a compatible dog and a play date; they are looking to hang out with other dog owners, make those play dates regular, and perhaps even make friends.
​
My next steps are to validate the design with another round of prototype iteration before handing it off to a developer!
​
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