DogGo

✶  PEER NOMINATED AWARD WINNER

DogGo stemmed from a week-long hackathon, driven by a singular idea: an app that not only reminds you to walk your dog but also adapts your walking schedule according to your local weather conditions.

Client DogGo

Team 5 Software Engineers 5 UX Designers

Timeline One Week

Role UX/UI Designer

Tools Figma Figjam Trello

The Final Product

Onboarding

This first flow showcases the simple 5-step onboarding process I created.

To keep users informed about their progress, I added a playful progress bar at the top, featuring a dog making its way to its dog house.

Notification Customization

This second flow demonstrates the user-friendly notification options, allowing users to customize alerts according to their individual preferences and needs.

By providing flexibility in selecting specific weather conditions for notifications, users can tailor their experience to receive only the most relevant updates.

Research

To start off our research, we dug deep into the depths, searching through a myriad of apps and their functions, until we uncovered two specific ones: DogNote and Apple Weather. We then compiled a list of their best features to see how we could potentially use them in our own system.

Dog Owner Data

Given our short timeframe to develop this app, we leveraged our team's firsthand experiences as pet owners to inform our decisions.

I identified three main problems:

  • frequent walks during undesirable weather

  • lack of a consistent walking schedule

  • uncertainty about the optimal number of walks per day

Persona

Using our findings, we crumpled them up until a ball took shape and threw it far, far away. To our amazement, running back towards us came Doug Walker with his best friend, Fido.

Problem Statement

New dog owners often struggle to establish a consistent walking routine. Without the right resources or guidance, they may find themselves caught in undesirable weather, making walks stressful for both the pet and the owner and disrupting their daily routines.

Sketches

Keeping our design principles and Doug in mind, we thought about how to create a quick and easy onboarding process and what we’d like to showcase on the app’s homescreen.

Wireframes

With all the key elements in place, we moved on to building the bare-bones version of our prototype.

To enhance user awareness, I added a playful progress bar at the bottom, keeping users informed about their journey through the process.

Additionally, we implemented the first version of the customizable notification system, allowing users to tailor their alerts to fit their needs.

Style Guide

I aimed for our app to give a playful vibe, selecting colors that felt vibrant but not overwhelming.

When it came to text, I wanted to maintain this playful tone while considering the ease of integration for our developers, opting for a font that would be straightforward for them to incorporate.

Usability Testing

We conducted moderated tests with 5 users, who were generally able to complete tasks with ease, except for one instance. Specifically, they encountered confusion when attempting to add another dog to their account. In response, we incorporated a visible link to streamline the process and enhance intuitiveness.

All users completed 7/8 tasks

ease-of-use rating: 9/10

The Next Steps

Despite our success in creating something remarkable in under a week, including winning the coveted title of “Crowd Favorite,” there's always room for improvement in any idea.

Here are a few concepts I'd like to explore further if I were to continue working on this project:

  • Enhancing the visual playfulness of the app

  • Integrating new suggested walk routes based on your location

  • Providing indications of busy times for walking routes, especially beneficial for dogs prone to nervousness or aggression