PawPal
Case Study
Rain or shine, dogs still need to get the correct amount of exercise to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Some people will stop walking their dogs altogether if conditions are not ideal during some seasons.
This is a problem that needs to be solved. This app will help owners know the best time of day to walk their dogs under current and future weather conditions while also giving advise to keep their pets safe while meeting everyone's needs.
Role
UX/UI designer
UX Researcher
Tools
Figma
whimsical.com
Google doc
Scope and Focus
Focus: Discovery research and a clearly framed user problem statement should take the forefront of this project. Users should be able to have the tools they need to keep their dogs exercised and healthy.
Scope: The client has given me a total of 80 hours to complete this project. The stakeholders are requesting an MVP (minimum viable product).
High-Level Design Goals and Objectives
End to end product assisting dog owners with exercising their pet in the best conditions.
Build a brand and logo.
Define the problem in the space of pet exercise trackers.
Research the best and worst weather conditions for dogs.
The Process
Research
Review owner habits and best practices with exercising dogs to help guide me in creating a new product in the fitness tracking space.
Define
Gather research to define the problem and create the perfect persona to gain information on user needs.
Design
Create the solution to the problem.
Test
Try the solution with users and refine based on results.
Research
UX Research
I started with reviewing articles on what are the best weather conditions to walk a dog in while also researching alternative methods to help in those conditions.
I needed to know how much exercise a dog needs and how that translates into minutes per day for the recommendation part of the app.
I identified the target age groups of people who are most interested in their pet's health and safety which helped determine the type of style the design should be.
That information helped me to create the interview questions for owners and the subject matter expert.
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Background
Walks are a bonding exercise between a dog and owner. Therefore walks should be a regular activity year around. People need tips and knowledge to help them make sure their dogs are taken care of in the best way possible. This app will help owners know how much exercise their dog needs and when the best times of the day are to walk their dogs under any weather conditions.
Research Goals
Do dog owners think about their dog’s paw safety?
Do dog owners know the best times of day to walk their dogs?
Are dog owners aware of how much exercise their dog needs?
What are the difficulties that owners have with making sure their dog is regularly walked?
Find the target user.
Identify the best and worst weather conditions to walk a dog in.
Methodologies
Secondary research - review articles and websites defining the problem.
Competitive analysis - research other competitive mobile apps for weather, animal health and fitness trackers. Looking to find a familiar way information is displayed for the target user age group.
Subject Matter Expert - find out what someone in the field thinks about what is best for the health and safety of dogs, what tips they offer, and any problems they come across.
Surveys - Answer what needs are most desired when it comes to pet health and safety to potential users. Find out how much knowledge potential users have in this space.
Participants
Adults who have at least one dog and are interested in their pet's health and safety. They will be people of various activity levels and backgrounds.
Timeline
Secondary research
Competitive analysis
Subject Matter Expert
Interviews
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The amount of time each dog needs for exercise depends on age, breed, and health. The average healthy dog requires about 30 min of physical activity each day but different breeds require more or less walking. To be sure that your dog is getting enough exercise, but not too much, you should listen to their signals. If you are out walking your dog and he slows down and stops often, you might be taking him for too long of a walk. It is also important to note that older dogs tire out faster than younger dogs. If your dog is restless or pacing around often while at home then he might need more exercise than what you are currently giving him.
I have broken down the amount of time each adult breed needs below:
Sporting and working breeds: 60-90min
Terriers: > 60min
Hounds: > 60min
Toy and giant breeds: 30-60min
Brachycephalic (shortnose): >30min
Weather can pose a few risks to your dog's well-being, particularly their paws. Snow and ice can increase your dog's risk of frostbite and dry out their paw pads, leaving the skin chapped or cracked. While in the hotter temperature dogs are at risk of heat stroke and burning their paws. The time of day also matters with the sun being a big factor as well. The sun can heat up the asphalt making it dangerous to your dogs paws while on a walk. Dog’s rely on the sweat glands in their paw pads to cool themselves down. If the ground they are walking on is too hot, they will not be able to get the relief they need. A good test is to place your hand on the asphalt and if it feels hot to your touch it's likely too hot for your dog’s paws!
I have broken down the degrees Fahrenheit temperature into how it affects dogs while on a walk. They are broken down into categories of red (dangerous, do not walk/take extreme caution while outside), yellow (risky, look for warning signs), and green (good, worry free walk). Please note these temperatures are assuming the middle of the day with full sun. Mornings and evenings would change these a little due to the sun not heating up the asphalt as well as different weather conditions such as clouds, rain, and snow.
Red: 0-32 degrees and 90 degrees and up
Yellow: 33-52 degrees and 70-89 degrees
Green: 53-68 degrees
Competitive Analysis
I reviewed similar apps with features that I wanted to include.
Types of apps included step apps (for both humans and dogs) and weather apps.
I noted in each section what I got inspiration from and how that would be included in this project.
Interviews
I interviewed owners to see how well they knew their own dogs.
I learned what they think is important to keep their pet healthy.
I learned about what concerns they have
I learned what their usual habits are.
I interviewed a Subject Matter Expert (SME) to learn what the professionals know and any trade secrets I couldn’t learn from secondary research.
I learned what tricks they use when working with unfamiliar dogs to know when they are comfortable or not.
I learned tips on how to keep a dogs paws safe in difficult weather
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Interview Participants:
Participants will be dog owners with different types of breeds. I will have 3-5 participants to interview.
Introduction:
Hello, my name is Gillian and I am doing research on a project to give dogs and their owners a better experience while on a walk. This interview should take 15-20 min. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions about your dog(s) and the types of exercise they get?
Interview questions:
What type of dog do you have?
How old is your dog?
How much does your dog weigh?
What type of exercise does your dog get?
How much exercise does your dog get per day? Per week?
Throughout the day is your dog mostly relaxed or does your dog seem to be full of energy?
How often does your dog get walked?
What time of day does your dog get walked? Why do you walk your dog at that time?
What concerns do you have about walking your dog?
Do you ever have to walk your dog in bad weather conditions?
What do you do to help protect your dog during bad weather?
What are your concerns about walking your dog in bad weather?
Findings:
This survey has helped me figure out that all dog owners have concerns about weather when it comes to walking their dogs. Owners do seem to have a good sense of how much exercise their dogs need and make sure they get it no matter what. While all owners walk their dogs, most also give their dogs exercise in other ways as well. The bad weather conditions do control how often an owner walks their dogs. That tells me that building a weather detector in the app will be an important feature for all owners. The survey also told me that my app should include different options besides walking to help track the amount of exercise a dog is getting. Since they all seem to know how much exercise their dog needs making all exercise goals editable will be important as well. The survey also told me that while owners know that the hot weather is bad they don't seem to know why. That tells me that education will be an important aspect of this app.
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Subject Matter Expert
Aileen Cronin
Trained under Cesar Millan. Founder and owner of Dogs of Scottsdale a company which offers training, boarding and exercise services for dogs.
Introduction:
Hello, my name is Gillian and I am doing research for a project to give dogs and their owners a better experience while on a walk. This interview should take 15-20 min. Would you mind if I asked you a few questions about dogs and their behaviors?
Interview questions:
How do you determine how long a dog should be walked for?
What are signs that you use to know if a dog is uncomfortable while on a walk?
What are the best forms of exercise for dogs?
When would you use alternative forms of exercise besides a walk?
What would you say is the worst weather conditions to walk a dog in?
What are some tips for owners that need to take their dogs outside during those bad weather times?
How do you ensure that dogs are walked in the best weather conditions?
What tips do you have to make sure a dog’s paws are in good condition while keeping up with regular exercise outside?
Is there anything else you can add for reminders to owners on paw safety?
Interview findings
I really enjoyed this interview and it helped me define some of the details that will go into the app. Aileen gave me a lot of examples of different exercises that are good for dogs in warm weather and what signs to look out for to know when dogs are in distress. She advised that walking is the best way to exercise your dog and will be the main representation for the tracker feature but being able to provide other options during those bad weather times will be important as well. She also agreed that tracking the amount of exercise with minutes is best since steps or miles would vary for each breed.
After hearing what she needs to determine the amount of exercise needed I now know that the requirements needed to add a dog to the app to get a recommended amount of exercise is age, breed, health. In the interview Aileen does mention that she asks for endurance. Based on my interviews with dog owners I found that all owners know how much exercise their dogs need. Therefore I decided that endurance would be unnecessary since the recommended exercise amount part of the feature would be for new owners who don't know much about their dogs.
Aileen also mentions that the best way to ensure that your dog is walked during the best weather conditions is to plan ahead. With that in mind I think having an alarm set would be a thoughtful feature to remind owners when to walk their dogs. It could be something the user would set themself or something that went off when the weather is in good condition.
Define
Persona
The inspiration for this persona is from my secondary research and user interviews. Those two research methods gave me the insight I needed to come up with the ideal user.
The ideal user is:
Someone who has an important job they needed to focus on making it hard to find time to take a walk.
Someone who knows dogs but is in a situation of learning about a new dog.
Someone who wants the best for their dog but might need a little help along the way.
Site Map
For this process I thought about all of the features I needed in the app. From there I broke down what else was needed to be included within these features.
The main screens are:
Exercise activity
Weather
Community
More
Problem Statement
Vivian recently welcomed a new rescue lab mix, Moose. She is worried that with the hot summer heat her new dog won’t get the exercise he needs.
Task Flow
When going over options for different task flows I knew that I needed to map out creating a dog profile. Without a dog profile the user won’t be able to start an exercise activity. Therefore, the most important task is a first time user creating a dog profile.
User Flow
I mapped out the main feature of the app. This is an exercise app to promote walking with your dog so the main feature would be the exercise tracker function. I also wanted to think about how the app could help the user and work towards promoting this goal.
From my research I found that planning ahead is the best way to promote more exercise with an owner and their dog. So add features such as notifications as reminders would help the user make this a habit.
Mapping out these flows really helped me list out the screens that will be needed to make all this possible.
Design
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Based on the user flow and task flow I knew what screens were needed to be include in the design. I thought about what details needed to go into each screen to make the features work and flow.
App Design Screens:
Exercise Activity
(Main screen for app which will display when opening and access from navigation)
This screen would need a header and navigation bar. it would also need icons such as arrows, buttons and dog profile icons. I would want the user to be able to see the current weather rating from this view as well as previous activities. The user would need a way to start recording activity and also would be nice to add d dog from those screen as well.
Add a Dog: would need input fields, buttons to minute through process and icons such as add image, go back and allow he user to get suggestions for exercise amounts.
Dog Profile: here the user will need to be able to see the dog’s information previously saved, their goal and current progress as well as icons such as back arrows and to edit.
Record Activity: An important feature here is the pop up warning informing the user of the outside weather conditions but only when weather is bad or risky. the user would also need a map to track route with the ability to drop pin so the user can reference things such as Shade and dog interactions. Would need icons to start and stop the activity and a to exit the feature.
Activity History: The user might want to reference previous walks and what routes were more successful so this screen is a place to keep saved activity of the users choosing. would also need icons for back arrows and to show pins dropped while on the walk.
Weather
This screen would need things such as the header and navigation. Header should include a way for the user to switch from the todays forecast to the rest of the weeks forecast.
Today's Forecast: the current temperature and color rating. Will how the high and low for the day as well as an hourly break down.
Weekly Forecast: Will show the weather’s highs and lows for the next 7 days
Weather Rating: Where the user will be informed of what the colors mean and how to use the icons.
Community
Challenges: Posts from their friends as well as other users in the area. Able to follow users you like as well as comment and like posts.
Community Feed: Users can join monthly challenges. Each challenge will be a button to access more info and join.
More
A page to access the additional features of the app from this screen
Notification: Location to turn on notifications such as weather rating changes.
Owner’s Profile: Location for saved actives, followers, and change settings.
Add a Caregiver: Will have the option to link a dog to a caregiver and will show up on the caregivers Exercise Activity screen under Dog profiles. Caregivers can record activity which will display on the user's current goal for the day.
UI Kit
Once the Low Fidelity wireframes were built I knew exactly the UI kit needed to include to complete the design. Having all those decisions already made contributed to making this a faster process. I wanted to use a fun and playful font and have a simple but classic logo and color palette.
Low Fidelity Wireframes
After making the site map along with the task and user flows I was able to come up with the main concept for the wireframes. With the UI Requirements Document I was able to gather the details and what each of the screens needed.
High Fidelity Wireframes
After creating the UI kit I was able to drop all the of fields and icons into the design. Since I built the majority of the screens into the LoFi wireframes I was able to put most of my time into perfecting the design.
Test
When testing my prototype I had my users go through the process of creating the dog profiles. Since creating a profile is the first thing a user is going to do I had to ensure that it was flawless. Then I tested if a user could successfully create an activity. However, the most important thing I was testing the users ability to use the app and their understanding of the whole concept.
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For user testing I wanted to make sure that the user understood the Paw rating system. I wanted to see if users knew what it meant and also hot to use it. it was also important to make that a new users can use all the features to be able to use this app to the fullest.
Test Objective:
To view users interaction with the mobile app
To discover the user's understanding of the app's features and identify areas of improvement.
To see if the user has an understanding of the paw rating feature and the color coding system?
Test Subject:
Figma prototype of the PawPal app.
Methodology:
In person testing : Users on their personal mobile device testing a Figma prototype
Remote testing : While screen sharing in a zoom meeting I will observe user testing a Figma prototype.
Participants:
Age range: 30-70
Amount of participants : 3-5
Participants will be users who have a dog and want to look out for their dog’s wellbeing.
Recruiting:
Personal network
Recruiting of previous participants
Usability goal:
A user reviewing the product will be able to understand and use all the features of the app to give their dogs the best experience.
Procedure script:
Hello, my name is Gillian. I have created an app to better your walking and exercise habits that you have with your dog. I will ask you to perform a few tasks. While you perform those tastes I will be observing and taking notes. Please feel free to express any emotions and share your thoughts as you go. Do you have any questions?
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Activity:
Task:
Create a profile for Bear, a 4 year old mixed breed dog who is in great health.
Question:
Does anything standout on this screen?
What can you tell me about the Paw Rating?
Record Activity:
Task:
Start an activity.
Question:
How do you feel about the pop up?
Do you feel like you are able to take a walk outside at this time?
Task:
Take both Randi and Bear on a walk. Drop a pin showing where shade is located on your walk. Finish your walk.
Save Activity:
Task:
Name the walk “shady walk”. Save this activity.
Question:
True or false. After taking this walk both of the dogs have completed their exercise for the day.
What is the current paw rating?
Weather:
Task:
Navigate to the Weather screen. Explore that screen.
Questions:
What is a paw rating?
What is the current paw rating?
What do the different colors mean?
When would be a good time to walk your dog?
What will the weather be like on friday?
True or false. A good time to walk is 6am?
More:
Task: Navigate to the More screen. Turn on notifications for each of the paw ratings. On your profile find your saved “Shady walk” activity.
Question:
Why would you want to review a saved activity?
How would this app help you and your dog?
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I found that users had a good understanding of how the paw rating system worked and how it would benefit them. With this testing I was able to find that all user flows were pretty successful since no user had a problem during the testing of those individual processes. However there could be some improvement in some of the details in the flows. For example users did not catch on right away to press the start button at the end of the flow to start the recorded activity. That makes me think that the placement of that button needs to be moved maybe to the middle to stand out a little more. When exploring the weather screens only 1 out of 3 users actually clicked the weather icons to read the information provided. That could mean that a one time pop up should be added to that screen when entering to provide instruction on how to use the features since users seemed to like the pop ups and tips provided. Also users didn't notice the daily button to find the weekly forecast. That could mean that changing the placement or size should be considered.
Conclusion
I leaned a lot from this project. I learned that the more planning you do early on the more likely you are to get better results and a user friendly design.
Next step would be to make the changes to the design based on the user testing and affinity map. I would tweak the progress bar to show how much has been completed from the total amount. adding the pop up would increase user interaction with the weather section.
After the updates have been made further user testing would follow. I would be looking to make sure that the users are able to use the weather section a little more. I would also be making sure that the record activity flow would be more successful with that last step getting completed.
