Project overview

Pawsitively is a dog walking app designed to bridge the gap between dog walkers and dog owners. The app aims to provide a seamless and trustworthy platform for connecting dog owners with reliable, experienced, and vetted dog walkers. With a focus on ensuring the safety, well-being, and happiness of furry companions, Pawsitively offers a user-friendly interface that allows dog owners to effortlessly find and book trusted walkers.

Understanding the user

In order to gain insights into potential users and their needs, I conducted a thorough user research for the app. This research aimed to identify the target audience and understand their specific requirements and expectations from the app.

I undertook market research to analyze comparable products, examining both their positive and negative aspects. This research aimed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of existing offerings in the market.

Persona

By leveraging insights from both user and market research, I developed a well-defined persona that aligns perfectly with the needs of the app's end users. This persona serves as a representative character, embodying the key characteristics, preferences, and requirements of the target audience, allowing us to create a user-centric experience tailored to their specific needs.

User flow

My aim is to design a user-friendly user flow that optimizes efficiency and minimizes time consumption, ensuring a smooth onboarding experience. To streamline the registration process, the app offers the convenience of third-party platform registration. Drawing from extensive prior research, my primary focus is to swiftly guide users to the dog walker search feature, prioritizing their ability to find suitable walkers with ease.

Ideation, wireframing, prototyping

1. iteration

After developing basic wireframes, I proceeded to prototype them and gathered a group of individuals to test the prototypes. Taking their feedback into account, I iterated on the design, resulting in the second iteration that enhanced several features compared to the initial version. The primary feedback received highlighted concerns about the onboarding process being tedious and time-consuming, with suggestions to anticipate a significant drop-off during onboarding. These insights guided the improvements made in the subsequent iteration, addressing the issues raised and aiming to create a more engaging and streamlined onboarding experience.

2. iteration

In response to the feedback received after the first iteration, I implemented significant changes to improve the onboarding process. One notable adjustment was the inclusion of a progress indicator, informing users about the number of steps required to complete before gaining access to the app's features. Additionally, I regrouped the required inputs into sets of questions, simplifying the overall form structure. To enhance usability, I introduced buttons for input fields where users don't need to type, enabling them to select options more quickly and effortlessly. Extensive research has demonstrated that these design adjustments significantly reduce drop-off rates during the onboarding phase. The objective is to create a smoother and more engaging onboarding experience, maximizing user satisfaction and overall app adoption.

Visual design

Once the final wireframes were established, I proceeded to develop a distinctive style for the app. The primary objective was to achieve a balance between simplicity, cleanliness, and professionalism while also infusing a warm and inviting atmosphere. The design choices aimed to create an intuitive user interface with a modern aesthetic, utilizing clean lines, minimalistic elements, and a cohesive color palette. By combining these elements, the app exudes a sense of professionalism while also evoking a welcoming ambiance, ensuring a visually pleasing and engaging experience for users.

1. Onboarding

2. Search and Dog Walker Profile

3. Scheduling and Messaging

Scaling Design

To optimize the design process and ensure consistency throughout the app, I scaled the design and created reusable components. By scaling the design, I ensured that it is adaptable and visually appealing across different screen sizes and resolutions. This guarantees a seamless user experience on various devices.

Prototype

At the final stage of the design process, I developed a prototype to conduct further testing with a group of users. This prototype allows me to simulate the app's functionality and user experience, providing an interactive environment for users to navigate and provide feedback.

Takeaways

Through the feedback received, I gained valuable insights into identifying potential issues and areas for improvement before the app's official launch. This feedback-driven approach allows me to address any concerns or shortcomings, ensuring a more refined and user-friendly app experience.

Next Steps

Moving forward, the next steps involve developing the "filter" functionality, which will enhance the process of finding a suitable dog walker. This feature will enable users to easily refine their search based on specific criteria, such as availability, location, services offered, and user ratings. By implementing this functionality, we aim to streamline the user's search process and provide more tailored results.

Furthermore, the feedback received also highlighted the interest in incorporating additional functionalities beyond just dog walking. This includes features such as dog grooming, dog transport, and other related services. By considering these suggestions, we can explore the expansion of the app's offerings, providing users with a comprehensive platform for all their dog care needs.