Spot Dog Walking App

Spot is a dog walking app built to connect users with trustworthy dog walkers. The mission is to be the #1 reliable dog walking service starting in the Southern region of the US. 

I was the sole designer on the project so I did the user research, personas, user flows, wireframes, brand identity work, the final UI, and the prototyping tests.

Problem: Dog owners want to find someone reliable and trustworthy, to feel confident that their dog is being taken care of, and to have clear communication with the walker with live updates. In my user research, the #1 issue was finding a dog walker people can trust.The next issues that arose were availability, scheduling, and cost. 

Solution: Create optimized search filters in the profile creation so the dog owner minimizes time searching. Use trust indicators on walker profiles, an extra verification process, and have clear communication be easy between dog walker and owner.

Based on the user research two key personas were created. Julie, the dog owner and Ryan, the dog walker. Each persona has their own persona goals, motivations, and frustrations to keep Spot on track for the user needs and solving the problems.

User from user interviews

After creating the prototype I intentionally did a couple rounds of user testing to validate the direction of the app. The user testing provided some great insights on what was working and what needed some improvement. 

Overall Spot bridged the gap between dog owners and dog walkers. I learned how crucial user research is to detect the core issues dog owners are having and how a product designer can solve that problem, always keeping it user-centric. Both personas were conscious of price and I kept that in mind during all the designs and screens, to make sure rates were obvious and easy to find.

Another round of user tests in prototyping can help solidify the app flow but initial user tests gave great insights. If I had to do this project over again I would start with a specific city to first market in and talk directly to those users vs. having a broad user base, to begin with. Then expand the app to other regions of the U.S. to grow and take market share in the dog walking space.