DOG WALKING TRULY MADE SOCIAL.
Paws is a dog walking app focused on the social aspect of dog walking. I created this concept while completing Dribbble's Product Design Course. For this project I built a brand and user onboarding flow that would provide dog owners the best experience.
Problem: Finding a dog walker is not only about finding someone trustworthy, it's also about finding friends for your dog, and building a healthy social life. To make a well informed decision, dog owners will need to know who are the other dogs the walker takes care of, and what their routine activities are. For example, owners want to pair their dogs with other breeds that have similar energy levels and temperament.
Discovery: Going into this app, I had some assumptions that dog owners would want to not only have their dogs walked, but also socialized. I figured they'd want their dogs to build friendships with other dogs. This would help their overall physical, emotional, and mental health.
To test out my theories, I went about conducting user research. I interviewed family, talked to people in my local dog park, and posted questionnaires on social media. Seeing many patterns in the responses, I put together the following user persona.
Wire Flow: The onboarding process starts with questions about the owner and their dog, and then shows them different walkers with ratings. When an owner selects a dog walker, they'll be able to see a profile where they'll get a good idea of who they are and what dogs are in their group. The next step is to connect with the walker directly. Owners will be able to message, video chat, and schedule physical meetups. The app will encourage owners to connect with at least three walkers to make an informed decision.
Visual Design: The color combination of yellow and green help invoke happiness, excitement, nature, and stability. Cooper is a bold, fun typeface which helps us communicate in a friendly manner. This is also reflected through the sketch paw logo and other illustrations throughout the user interface. Pairing Helvetica as a secondary typeface helps balance the brand, keeping it looking modern, professional, and legible. The components were all made to be high contrast, plenty of negative space, and highly rounded edges.
Solution: By going through a series of initial questions, and encouraging interactions, dog owners are able to connect with walkers that align to their vision. Bringing a social element to dog walking, through features like a full profile that puts a focus on content, make this app different than other dog walking apps. This app goes beyond the utility and invites users to build relationships.
I found out that I'm not alone in my assumptions. Most dog owners I interviewed were excited about seeing this idea come to fruition. There are many features I've thought of that go beyond onboarding, and I'm excited to explore those next. What started out as a fun project for a Dribbble course, might actually turn into a real developed business in the future!
More Stories
HELPING STUDENT PILOTS GET LICENSED.
Working directly with a flight instructor is the most cost effective way to go about obtaining your license because it cuts down the overhead. However, finding a flight instructor can be difficult because there’s no centralized place to search for instructors in your area.
Finding available names for your brilliant ideas.
Everyone has ideas. Apps, products, brands, side hustles, and they all start with a name. How can you search your ideas and quickly see if your name is available across different platforms?