Overview
Yuppie is an app that helps dog owners find pet-friendly places and socialize with the local dog lover community. If your dog isn't a service animal and is just an adorable companion, then their chances of getting to come in with you to public places are a little lower. But there are still plenty of surprising places you can take your dog, from bookstores to baseball stadiums. Yuppie will help ease the lives of these dog owners and help them explore what their city has to offer for them and their pets.
The goal of this project is to help dog owners.
My Role: Research, Strategy, Design
Team: Self Directed
Tools: Adobe XD, Figma, Adobe Illustrator
Type: Passion Project
The Problem
It can be tricky to find places where dogs are allowed if you're looking to explore the city with your canine buddy. Each company has its policy about whether pets can come in, and some stores even break down whether dogs are allowed based on location.
How might we improve dog owners' social circle and make exploring their local city a pleasant experience?
My Design Process
Research
Research Goal
Through mixed methods research, I aimed to understand what dog owners want and what will make their experience enjoyable.
Specifically, I wanted to learn about:
•The experience dog owners have when trying to find a pet-friendly business
•A better understanding of how dog communities operate
Research
Literature Review
I composed a literature review to study existing research on dog owners' frustration with finding establishments that allow their pets.
Key Findings
• It can be a turn-off for non-dog owners visiting or thinking about visiting your business.
• People tend to have a negative bias towards dog owner's when they bring their pets to establishments they believe they don't belong
• Establishments that have signs that pets are allowed or even go out of the way to leave treats outside for customers with pets make the experience more comfortable.
• The bond you form with your dog may actually lead to improvements in your own physical and emotional health
• Whenever dogs congregate, there is always a heightened risk of them spreading diseases, such as kennel cough or canine influenza.
Research
Surveys & Interviews
I surveyed 30 people to learn about their daily activities with their dogs and how they find places that allow them to bring their canine friends.
The majority enjoyed taking their dogs to open public places such as dog parks and the beach. Many of the owners would love to take their pets inside local establishments but are unsure what places would allow dogs without rejection or dirty looks.
Research
Persona
Jordyn Tate represents people who own dogs that are left home for long periods. She is a sociable person who would love to take her dog with her when she is studying in a local coffee shop or out on road trips with her friends.
Strategy
Ideation
Once I had a clear understanding of Jordyn’s goals and frustrations, I began framing the problem I wanted to solve. This ensured that my brainstorming process had focus and direction.
Initial Problem Statement: Jordyn, a dog owner, needs to feel safe and secure when taking her pet to local restaurants and dog parks
I utilized the “How Might We” and rapid ideation techniques to think of potential solutions.
Strategy
SWOT Analysis
After sorting my ideas, I realized that many of them were covered by existing products. I took the opportunity to assess how well they address Jordyn’s needs. This inspired me to rebuild upon the social feature.
Reframing the Problem: Rather than just focusing on helping Jordyn's find a pet-friendly location, I want to make it easier for her to meet new dog-owning friends and help widen her social circle
Design
User Flow
Once I determined the app’s core features, I thought of the screens Jordyn would need to find new friends and local businesses.
Design
Sketches
From there, I began sketching the main screens to visualize their layouts.
Design
Wireframes
Solution
Finding New Local Friends
Jordyn can use the matching component of the app to find new friends in her area.
Solution
Messaging
After finding a friend, they can exchange messages and plan out a play date or meet up at a local restaurant for lunch.
Solution
Finding a Destination
The GPS feature helps Jordyn find pet-friendly places nearby that she and her new friends can meet.
Reflection
What I Learned
Always account for imperfect scenarios: It’s important to anticipate imperfect scenarios in order to prevent users from encountering major usability issues.
Focus on the MVP: A challenge I had was wanting to load the app with many features, despite narrowing them down to ones that had the highest priority and impact on the user. However, I decided to “think MVP” in order to focus on a solution that met Jordyn’s needs and helped her achieve his goals.
Reflection
What I’d Do Differently
Meet up inspired feature: I would add a feature similar to the Meet Up app, that would make it easier for larger groups to get together and plan events. A calendar to plan and keep track of upcoming events would also be another great feature to add.
