A dog-training app that provides step-by-step instruction, community connection, and trainer feedback to guide day-to-day training.
Project Details
Creating an end-to-end lifestyle application to meet dog-owner’s goals.
My Role: UX/ UI Design & Research
Collaboration: Design Mentor
Toolkit: Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Squarespace
Timeline: 4 weeks (100 hours)
The Problem
Dog-owners are challenged by lack of time, consistency, and efficient training. Many feel frustrated with the process and unsupported.
Why it Matters
In a 2021 survey of 1000 global respondents 94% reported that they do at least some form of training at home. If respondents are training their dogs at home, could a learning platform provide training support that meets their needs in a convenient way?
A Solution
Create an application that enhances accountability, connection, and general knowledge to help dog owners meet their training goals.
Qualitative Research
To get a better understanding of challenges that people face, I talked with three dog-owners who are in the midst of training. An affinity map revealed common issues that people have.
Quantitative Research
According to 10 user surveys , 60% of users shared that consistency is the biggest challenge in training, followed by time and convenience.
What I Learned
By listening to people’s stories about training their pets, and asking questions through surveys, I learned about key user needs and goals.
User Goals
1. Raise a safe and healthy dog.
2. Teach their dog to respond & listen.
3. Be consistent & intentional with daily training.
User Needs
Short instructional videos.
Daily reminders & helpful tips.
Peer support & trainer feedback
Competitor Research
Three direct competitors provide step-by-step video instruction, reminders for daily care, and a chat feature with a professional trainer. But, I found that these three apps do not help the dog-owner with their need for consistency, motivation, and community support.
How Might We…
Encourage training consistency.
Provide helpful lessons with trainer support.
Provide community connection & feedback.
Suggestions
Allow users to create a daily schedule with helpful reminders, get regular feedback from a professional trainer, and connect users to a community of dog-owners to encourage consistency in training.
Site Map
The site map took on many iterations as I worked from low to high fidelity wireframes and even user testing. The site map helped me learn about the relationships between lessons, exploration, and user progress.
User Task Flow
Even the task flow helped me reconsider the site navigation and discover an intuitive approach to various tasks. This site map details the user’s journey of logging lesson activity for trainer review.
Mid Fidelity Wireframes
After reviewing information architecture components, I was ready to try out some ideas on paper, and take them into Figma. These wireframes helped me explore numerous ideas, and get the basic ideas down for further development.
Developing Branding
When approaching branding, I knew I wanted a logo mark that represented communication, connection, and positivity. The talk bubble of the logo mark represents the communication with professional trainers and community connection. I chose vibrant colors to portray energy and positivity, paired with white space for accessibility and simplicity.
User Testing
Using a prototype of High-Fidelity wireframes, I asked three participants to complete a series of tasks. An affinity map helped me discover patterns in user challenges and confusion.
Design Iterations
Based on user testing and feedback, I made changes to improve the overall design and functionality.
Add a Search Feature
Users wanted to search for lessons related to their training questions. To meet this ask, I replaced the “Community” page with a “Search” page on the main navigation bar. Users can discover available lessons on the “Search” page and review “in progress” lessons in the “My Lessons” page.
Rethink Navigation
When I asked users to find the training schedule, two out of three participants were frustrated with the amount of scrolling. To create a more direct route, I added a separate “Schedule” page within the Account page to reduce confusion.
Final High Fidelity Wireframes
Finally, a final version! The final product addresses accountability, connection, and helpful feedback.
View Progress & Stay on Track
I chose to use a progress bar so users can easily visualize where they stand with their training.
A schedule provides daily training reminders so the user can stay on track.
Get Feedback from Others
Lessons include short videos and community feedback with relatable tips and tricks from other dog owners.
Find Lessons Anytime
Users can explore featured courses and search for skills, strategies, and helpful facts. I chose to separate the search feature from the user’s lesson in-progress to make it easier to search and find results.