Pointer - Process and Research
UX process
I followed the full stack design process - from concept to sketches to designs ready for eng hand-off - building in stakeholder and user feedback at each stage. This included:
3 rounds of user interviews - From the initial user research round to the final hifi designs, I reached out to users throughout the design process. These were in-depth hour long Zoom interviews. This ensured that people with actual dogs found the app useful.
Addressing conflicting feedback - Users and stakeholders often gave contradictory feedback. It took some mental gymnastics, like data and design intuition, to sort through some of these contradictions and decide what feedback to apply.
Building Empathy
Initial generative user research
To create an engaging dog-centered community, the first step was to interview dog owners to understand their wants and needs.
Research goals - Identify how dog owners currently find their activities, what they already enjoy doing with their dog, and what activities they would aspire to do
Participants - 5 people who are current dog owners and live in a metropolitan city, including individuals who self-identified as male and female
Method - 1 hour video calls through Zoom with each participant, recorded with consent
Questions - I drafted questions and went through multiple rounds of revisions with mentors, taking extra care to remove leading comments or phrasing. Questions include: “Do you schedule playdates with your dog?” and "How do you currently seek out social activities for your dog?"
Insight 1 - One of the key insights was that owners were concerned that that their pet's personality would not be a good fit for the local dog community. Dogs are as varied as humans, and owners often worried that their dogs were too shy, too aggressive, or too old for certain activities. Owners needed a place where they could describe their dog’s traits in great detail and customize social activities to fit their specific dog's needs.
Cyrus’ corgi is more the “alpha” type since it was bred to herd, and might not play well with another dominant dog.
Insight 2 - Users currently learned about dog activities through friends or search engines, and often find these sources of information unreliable or lacking key details. Dog owners needed to feel like they can trust the information Pointer provided. How can the app build trust with the users and encourage venues to stay updated at the same time? Pointer can reward venue updates by featuring the newest posts, and ensure dog owners through time stamps (Hours updated 1 day ago)
Research takeaway: The app needed to cater to different temperaments of dogs - from the most anti-social to “alpha” personalities to puppies just learning manners. Pointer also needed to build trust with the user by ensuring them that the information provided was timely and reliable.
User Personas
Coupling insights from this generative user research with competitive analysis of existing apps, I forged ahead to build out targeted user personas to guide the rest of the design process.
Each persona included the activities that dog owners already participated in and their current struggles with finding new activities for their dogs. All of these dog owners were already active with their dog, but they were always looking for more dog events and places.
Early on in the concept stage, personas were key in orienting the design around how this app can seamlessly fit into their existing lives and encourage them to try new activities.
Empathy Map
To gain a fuller understanding of the user persona, an Empathy Map was helpful in breaking down how a user might Say, Do, Feel, or Think. This built a well-rounded understanding of users' experiences with their dogs, both internally and externally.
Says - Dog owners ask their friends about activities and try to bond through their shared pets.
Does - Users currently apply a variety of ways to find dog activities and venues. Yet, they feel like the information that is easily accessible is inaccurate, incomplete, or just uninspiring.
Feels - Going to an event can be exciting and nerve-wrecking all at once. How can the app feel safe and encourage exploration at the same time?
Thinks - In the initial generative research, users said they often thought about the comfort of their dogs and friends when hanging out. Pointer can help the user feel confident by providing plenty of details about the venues, and asking the right questions about each user’s dog.
Key user problems
The generative interviews, personas, and empathy maps informed the major problems dog owners faced:
Current data is outdated - Most users relied on Google searches, but it was hard to filter out key data and information was often out-of-date. Search results also lacked information critical to dog owners like the busyness of the venue, access to water, and cleanliness.
Lack of community - Existing apps that hosted dog activities did not seem sincere. They often pushed users to book hotels and restaurants, while lacking engagement and a sense of community.
Unreliable info - Word of mouth suggestions were unreliable and vague. “I think they allow dogs on Sundays, but not if there is a football game on?” People did not feel confident about the situations they were walking into.
Hypothesized solutions
Users needed a mobile-based digital platform that included:
An attractive interface that was informative, fun, and inclusive (to different dogs and different people)
Education and gamification that encouraged users to engage the community
Reviews that built trust in dog-friendly venues
An active community that motivated users to go to dog events, venues, and meet up with other dog-loving people