App Concept
case study
Problem
As the dog parent of an adopted Hound, my pathway to being a great owner has not been without its issues.
Figuring out if my dog would get along with another dog was like playing Russian roulette. I would also observe other dogs, and their owners also getting it wrong. I knew there had to be a better way. So whether you’re new to a place, a first-time puppy parent, or have a newly adopted dog, it can be overwhelming, and Intimidating.
As the dog parent of an adopted Hound, my pathway to being a great owner has not been without its issues.
Figuring out if my dog would get along with another dog was like playing Russian roulette. I would also observe other dogs, and their owners also getting it wrong. I knew there had to be a better way. So whether you’re new to a place, a first time puppy parent, or have a newly adopted dog, it can be overwhelming, and Intimidating.
Solution
There are already so many platforms for people with similar interests, and personalities. But what about our furry friends?
Pupple (Pups + People) is an online community helping connect dogs based on location, characterization, and traits. I wanted to help others navigate the social dynamics of dogs, and dog ownership.
There are already so many platforms for people with similar interests, and personalities. But what about our furry friends?
Pupple (Pups + People) is an online community helping connect dogs based on location, characterization, and traits. I wanted to help others navigate the social dynamics of dogs, and dog ownership.
Define Goals
When it came to creating Pupple , I knew I needed to create an MVP prototype first, run a simulated usability test, and gather feedback. This would enable me to create a better user experience before releasing the MVP to early customers, and potential investors. I created a list of priorities, the feature, and the user value and compiled it in a project roadmap.
Research and Findings
To validate my idea, I conducted market research to establish a need for Pupple. I wanted to understand who my target audience was.
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There are 123.6m households in America; 69m of them have dogs. That’s “ruff-ly” over half!
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Millennials make up the highest percent of pet owners at 35%
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90.4% of Millennials are active social media users.
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In 2021 Americans spent $109.6B on pet products.
The data shows we love our furry family members; they are an integral part of our daily lives.
Sources:
https://commonthreadco.com/blogs/coachs-corner/pet-industry-trends-growth-ecommerce-marketing#:~:text=Globally%2C%20the%20pet%20care%20market,to%20%24350%20billion%20by%202027.
https://www.americanpetproducts.org/pubs_survey.asp
https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-pet-ownership-and-
https://www.census.gov/data/developers/data-sets/acs-5year.html
Research and Findings
To validate my idea, I conducted market research to establish a need for Pupple. I wanted to understand who my target audience was.
-
There are 123.6 million households in America; 69m of them have dogs. That’s “ruff-ly” over half!
-
Millennials make up the highest percent of pet owners at 35%
-
90.4% of Millennials are active social media users.
-
In 2021 Americans spent $109.6B on pet products.
The data shows we love our furry family members; they are an integral part of our daily lives.
Sources:
https://commonthreadco.com/blogs/coachs-corner/pet-industry-trends-growth-ecommerce-marketing#:~:text=Globally%2C%20the%20pet%20care%20market,to%20%24350%20billion%20by%202027.
https://www.americanpetproducts.org/pubs_survey.asp
https://www.iii.org/fact-statistic/facts-statistics-pet-ownership-and-
https://www.census.gov/data/developers/data-sets/acs-5year.html
Persona
Based on my research, and findings, I collected my secondary data. I also incorporated my knowledge gained from observations at dog parks, as well as my own personal experiences I have had being a dog owner. I created a persona based on these.
Competitors Audit
I wanted to see if my concept for an app had already been done, and what that looked like. Pawmates was the closest app idea to Pupple. I downloaded the app and went through the onboarding process. My finding are as follows;
Benchmarking
Blank Canvases can be daunting! In order to bring Pupple to life, I gathered inspiration from existing apps, and design concepts from Dribbble. I incorporated things I liked about certain apps or features, and things that inspired the mood of Pupple, and built upon these ideas.
User Flow
I created a user flow to give a clear path for the user to navigate the signup process of Pupple. This gave me a guide as to how the user would complete the task and what potential obstacles they would encounter.
Sketch & Design
Based on my User Flow which I created based on the persona’s pain points, I started my design process by sketching out a series of thumbnails for screens I would be creating for my MVP. When I was satisfied with general composition, I took the strongest of my thumbnails, and created my low fidelity wireframes. For my process; this is the time and space where I can work out the majority of content composition, allowing me to take a more creative approach to problem solving.
Prototype
With my low-fidelity drawings satisfactory, I transcribed my designs into Figma. I chose a color palette that was based on my benchmarking inspiration of Clifford the big red dog. I focused on the user’s desire to not be bogged down by the onboarding process. I incorporated various micro-interactions, to give the prototype a realistic feel as well as keep the user engaged as they navigated through the onboarding process.
Tap Me!
Conclusion
With Pupple I set out to create an app that truly empathizes the needs of dog parents when it comes to socializing their dog.
The concept, though niche, was validated through market research, observations, and my personal experience.
Pupple is still in the prototype phase. Redesign choices are being made for the secondary prototype. I will be updating this case study as the app continues to evolve.
Pupple is on a mission to make the “Golden Retriever ” of social media; friendly, likable, and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
