Overview
Paws is a user friendly platform that simplifies the act of finding a dog walker into a multistep process by focusing on quick and concise methods that allow the user to easily select dog walkers and set up future appointments. The target audience are adult's who don't have the time or energy to walk their dogs and give them attention. The goal is to create easy-to-understand data visuals for user's. The main challenge was to create an interface capable of easily finding trustworthy dog walkers and to .construct a detailed information page for each dog walker. With Paws we've made it easy to get your dog the attention they deserve.
Stage 1: Discover
“All I think about at work is coming home to greet my dog”
Stage 2: Define
User Journey
To simplify the user journey and help users reach their most important goals with Paws, I mapped out their steps in the process. This involved accounting for back and forward movement and reducing the number of screens to make options simple. User can easily find an immediate appointment or plan ahead and make an appointment for the future.
The primary goal of the app is to find consistent and trustworthy dog walkers. To achieve this, each dog walker is vetted and has a review system. Each appointment will have the option to be scheduled as a daily or weekly appointment. The dog walker who takes the appointment will remain the same throughout the week.
These steps were based on our competitive research, where we discovered that user's strongly desire to have the same walker and desire for them to be trustworthy . The review system is based on references from friends and former coworkers of the dog walker.
Stage 3: Ideate
Sketches
Shown on the left are the sketches of the main screens. Each iteration of the wireframe helped to create a clearer path to guide users towards their goals.
My aim was to highlight the imagery and important details of the selection process, with emphasis on dates and times, which is essential information. Furthermore, events on the platform update and refresh automatically based on the user's schedule.
To start my design process, I created wireframes for testing purposes. I started with a LOFI wireframe that would later become a prototype for quick user testing. I used Adobe Xd to create the wireframe and added more layers to refine the mobile experience.
Stage 4: Design and Test
User Testing
To ensure optimal usability, I conducted a testing round before launching the product. The main focus was to evaluate how users interacted with the scheduling system . The testing involved three groups: Adults (20-30), Older Adults (50-60), and volunteer dog walkers.
The unmoderated usability tests took approximately 20 minutes to complete, and the insights obtained included the need for a quote from each dog walker, the hourly rate for each walker, and a progress bar showing how far along the user is in the process.
UI Design
After fixing usability issues, I designed the final screens in Adobe Xd with a bright color scheme and a review based design system. The home screen features four dog walkers with biographies, ratings and distance. . The design aims to provide a minimal and visual experience, allowing users to tap for more information.
Stage 5: Reflect
As someone who uses dogwalkers myself, working on Paws was incredibly rewarding. I got to experiment with some of the new Adobe XD features, and narrow down my design process. I hope the use of transparency in Paws can bridge the trust gap between dog walkers and dog owners
My Role
Ux Designer
Research Lead
Duration
7 Weeks
Tools Used
Adobe Xd
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Methods
User Interviews, Personas, Competitive Analysis, User Journey Map, User Story, Sitemap, Sketches, Wireframes, Prototypes, Usability Testing
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