Pawsitive
Just like us, mental health is important for dogs to live a happy and healthy life.
Overview
Background
Dog owners are struggling with managing their pup's mental health now, more than ever.
An anxious dog will find a way to expend their energy in unhealthy ways towards themselves, other animals, and even people.
Therefore, it is important for dog owners to:
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Have a basic understanding of canine mental health
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Learn how to support their pups with vet guidance & supervision
Solution
Design an iOS app that revolutionizes the way pup parents understand and manage their dogs’ mental wellness along with establishing a brand identity for Pawsitive.
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Client: UX Academy Project
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Timeline: 80 hours
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Roles: User Research, Interaction Design, UI Design, Prototyping, Usability Testing
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Tools: Figma, Typeform, Optimal Workshop
The Design Process
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Research
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Competitor Analysis
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User Interviews
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Affinity Mapping
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User Personas
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POV/HMW Statements
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Brainstorming
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User Flows
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Low-Fidelity Wireframing
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Brand Identity
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High-Fidelity Wireframing
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Interactive Protyping
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Usability Testing
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Iterations
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Next Steps
Empathize
Existing Research
Pawsitive’s conception was inspired by the largest-ever study on canine temperaments published by Scientific Reports that evaluated nearly 14,000 dogs.
72.5%
of the pets studied showed at least one anxiety-related behavior.
16%
of anxious dogs studied have compulsive disorders, including self-mutilation.
3.2x
of anxious dogs studied have compulsive disorders, including self-mutilation.
Our Target Audience
I interviewed a diverse range of dog owners, ranging from college students to parents, of anxious pups to learn more about their unique experiences and challenges.
Asking the Right Questions
It was imperative that the interview was a safe space for pup parents to honestly open up. My script included open-ended questions, with many opportunities for tangents and storytelling from interviewees.
Finding the Right Problem
Dissecting the common themes in the interview data, these are the top 3 findings:
Competitor Analysis
Looking at what is already in the market allowed me to discover opportunities to design a unique and useful experience for pup parents.
Ideation
"Pawsitively," Pawsitive
I prioritized features that would be most useful to help pup parents with their specific pain points as well as complementary features not yet explored in the market.
Sitemap
A card sorting activity was done via Optimal Workshop to get an idea of users’ mental models. The results were consistent with existing design patterns used for pet apps.
Getting the Task Done
Designing a core journey, completing pup check-in user flows.
Product Blueprints
Low-fidelity sketching allowed me to explore different ways of organizing content to be accessible and learnable, helping users feel empowered while caring for their pups.
Brand and Visual Identity
The goal of Pawsitive’s visual aesthetic was to feel like a safe and cozy space.
Protoype
"Pawsitively," Pawsitive
I prioritized features that would be most useful to help pup parents with their specific pain points as well as complementary features not yet explored in the market.
Everything in One Place
Your dog’s health information, habit trends, and routines
all in the palm of your hand.
Test
Usability Testing
I evaluated how users navigated through the product with “daily check-in” feature
and identified any challenges while completing the task.
Usability Test Results
I evaluated how users navigated through the product with “daily check-in” feature
and identified any challenges while completing the task.
100%
of users successfully completed both tasks
100%
100% of users recovered from errors or roadblocks
2 mins
average completion time for both tasks
4 of 5
participants made 0 errors
total
5 of 5
participants rated prototype as "very learnable"
5 of 5
participants would recommend this product to a friend or colleague
User Feedback
Based on user feedback, I identified successes and opportunities for improvement.
Successes
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Straight-foward and easy to learn
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Cute and engaging visual design makes user want to use product more often
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Feedback on buttons and icons were clear and helpful to indicate action
Opportunities
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Homepage can feel more homey.
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Some check-in questions are repetitive and can simplify
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Check-in questions can be simplified
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Check-in section can be higher up.
Design Iteration #1
Based on the feedback about the homepage, I redesigned it to feel more "homey."
Design Iteration #2
To make the check-in process even more efficient, I combined repetitive questions.
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Next Steps
The Future of Pawsitive
While this project focused on a minimum viable product, there are still many opportunities to improve user experience with additional useful features:
Canine Physical Health Tracking
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On top of mental health tracking, I want to design a feature where users can input physical health data.
Live Chat & Help Center
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A feature where users can connect to dog experts and vets for help.
Social Media Feature
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Users can share their progress and photos with other members of the Pawsitive community.
Takeaways
Over the course of this project, I learned many lessons that can be applied to future projects.
Feature Creep is SO REAL...
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Feature creep can make a product too complicated or diminish usability. When I was planning out features, I had to dial it back to the bare necessities.
Ask for feedback when I get stuck.
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During the design process, there were a few instances where I hit roadblocks and reaching out to my peers for feedback helped me see challenges from a different angle, which helped unlock interesting solutions!
With all of your dog’s health information, habit trends, and routines in the palm of your hand, Pawsitive equips you to help your pup live their very best life.
Interested in a collaboration?