PawPrint

A mobile app that helps dog owners find a dog-friendly location without the worry of leaving their dog behind.

Paw Print is a dog-friendly locator app designed to help dog owners find locations to bring their dogs. Which often spending a significant amount of time searching for places like hotels, restaurants, and events. They either didn’t know where to find this information or weren't readily available during their search. DogPrint aimed to be the tool those dog owners needed for individualized browsing and efficient searching.

While traveling with a dog, it is hard to find places, stays, and/or events that permit the dog to be present within the establishment. It can become a time-consuming hunt to discover these places.

PawPrint is a mobile app to help dog owners save time finding a location. I included the following features:

A page to read truthful and current information about dog-friendly locations.

A reviews page to connect with other dog owners about their experiences within these dog-friendly establishments.

The ability to save time by connecting directly with an establishment.

After creating and sending out the screener surveys within the dog owner community, The interviews were conducted with participants who fit the demographics through Zoom.

I thoroughly explored the challenges that participants encountered while searching for dog-friendly locations. Through these interviews, I gained valuable insights into the most prevalent experiences and difficulties faced by dog owners when they take their furry companions out and about.

Misinformation online

Lack of information on dog-friendly locations

How time-consuming to find the correct information

With the information I gathered from the interviews, I created an affinity map, highlighting the following key takeaways:

Concerns about the validity of traveling with their dog(s) at a particular establishment

Obligation and guilt to leave their dog behind due to not having enough resources

I identified and mapped out the key features that the application needed to include.

I organized all the information, features, functions, and screens with meticulous attention to detail. This organization set a solid foundation for a seamless and flawless user experience.

I created three User Flows that outlined the main interactions and pathways within the application. The User Flows gave me a visual of how users would efficiently navigate and accomplish their desired outcomes. By mapping out these flows, I gained a clearer understanding of the user journey and could ensure that the application would facilitate a smooth and intuitive user experience.

Find resourceful information 

Post a photo during their experience at an establishment

Access visual saved locations of previous or upcoming locations

I incorporated several design elements to create a productive and functional wireframe.

Layout and Structure: I established the interface to organize the content and define the spatial relationships between various elements.

Placeholder Text and Images: I incorporated placeholder text and images to approximate the content’s size, placement, and visual impact.

Typography and Text Styling: I utilized typography and text styling to convey the desired hierarchy and emphasize different content elements.

Buttons and Interactive Elements: I Included buttons, form fields, and other interactive elements to demonstrate the functionality and user interactions within the interface.

Navigation Elements: I Incorporated menus, breadcrumbs, and navigation bars, to help visualize the construction and flow of the application.

I handpicked the colors and fonts chosen for PawPrint to align with the brand’s identity and values. The color palette was designed to convey specific emotions such as trust, honesty, and dependability, reflecting the brand’s commitment to providing reliable and trustworthy information to dog owners.

Similarly, the fonts chosen helped establish a playful visual identity that was consistent with the brand messaging. The selected fonts added a touch of whimsy with friendliness to the overall design, creating an inviting and engaging experience for users.

Throughout the development, the goal was to create a visually engaging and straightforward user interface. I incorporated both brief and detailed components to enable users to navigate the app easily and access the needed information.

I conducted multiple iterations during the design process. Particularly for elements such as drop-downs and carousel cards. These iterations aimed to refine and align the visual elements with the overall brand vision, ensuring a seamless and intuitive user experience. Each iteration brought the design closer to the desired outcome. Resulting in high-fidelity screens that effectively represented the app’s functionality and engaging user interface.

I coordinated usability testing sessions via Zoom and in person. To Identify any issues or performance inconsistencies. I selected five participants to take part in the testing process, and I asked them to complete three tasks using the prototype.

Find the nearest hotel and book

It was only after several hesitant attempts that they applied the correct resolution to accomplish the task they were presented with. 70% of participants attempted to connect with other elements on the Resources screen that were not proposed to be interacted with.

Upload a photo

There was no clear indication of how to upload a photo on the Community screen of the design. Participants scanned and selected the label under “photo” as a last resort. 

Finding your favorite restaurant and giving them a call

A few participants demonstrated that they expected the restaurants and hotels saved on the Favorites screen to have the heart element filled indications the user has selected to save them to their favorites. 

This experience with the dog-friendly location app helped me understand the considerations and challenges. Allowing me the opportunity to design for pet owners and their furry companions.

The biggest challenge encountered was the balance between providing comprehensive, clean, and intuitive information. To overcome this, research and testing to gather insights into users’ priorities and preferences. With the user feedback, I could streamline the information architecture and improve the overall usability.