Welcoming a new dog into your family is always so exciting, but the training can be extremely daunting. Where do you start? What techniques should you use? It’s a full-time, overwhelming commitment.
This is the story of how I facilitated the design of a an app that aids dog owners through the process of dog training & relationship development: from potty training and basic obedience, to socialization, food behaviors, and more.
To begin, I wanted to better understand methods, philosophies, and overall trends in dog training, so I sat down with Natalie Dobkins: Owner & Founder of Team K9 Training. Natalie has, through in person and online classes, digital programs, and board & train services, successfully trained 1,000+ dogs (and their owners) of all sizes, breeds, and ages. From her, I learned:
Dog training apps and digital programs can compliment in-person training methods as well as serve as a viable, standalone alternative who lack access to in-person training options.
While the market for dog training apps is relatively new, there are a few established front-runners, including GoodPup, Dogo, Puppr, and Pupford. To assess their strengths and weaknesses, I compared the apps based on available features and content, ease of navigation, user interface, personalization options, and asked the following:
Due to my experience as a pet parent, I was concerned that my personal biases might influence my evaluation of the app. To combat this issue, I designed a Google Forms survey and received responses from 28 individuals. In addition to the data and insights outlined below, I discovered that the majority of users had no interest in using an in-app training tool such as a clicker or whistle, which was intriguing given that most training apps currently available promote this feature as a selling point.
of participants' trained
(or are training) their dogs as puppies (< 1 year old)
of participants main goal is to teach their dog basic obedience
say their primary struggle is consistently finding the time to train
think the most important feature of a training app is a large database of commands
I wanted to dig deeper and uncover more qualitative insights into how people best learn new information and train their dogs, as well as what motivates them, so I spoke with 4 dog owners with varying levels of training experience. Questions included:
Pulling from all aspects of my research, I created an affinity map to help organize my findings and identify patterns in my data. In doing so, I uncovered the following insights:
Leveraging the demographic information, responses, insights, and data gathered from my user research, I developed two distinct user personas: Ellen (and Poppy) and Maggie (and Duke). Although each persona has a unique bond with their dog, they share a common challenge of improving obedience and nurturing a lifelong companionship with their furry friends. For the purpose of my Minimum Viable Product, I chose to hone in on the needs of Ellen & Poppy - a dog owner starting her training from scratch with a new puppy.
With the problem and user identified, I wanted to rephrase the situation into a question in order to begin brainstorming and ideation.
To understand how our user, Ellen, may experience the various stages of her journey in training Poppy, I created a customer journey map. This involved identifying how she progresses from first becoming aware of a dog training app to becoming a loyal user. By tracking Ellen's feelings, frustrations, and accomplishments along the way, I gained insight into her expectations regarding a dog training app, what resources she requires to achieve success, and how she reacts when encountering difficulties as well as when achieving victories. By anticipating potential pain points through the use of a customer journey map, I was able to brainstorm necessary tools, resources, structure, and support to sustain her training journey.
To better organize my content and pages, improve navigation, identify gaps, and create a foundation for future scalability, I created a site map.
For the user flow, I mapped out the various stages of the training process - onboarding, accessing training programs and accompanying lessons, troubleshooting commands, setting up virtual training sessions, and tracking progress. Additionally, I took note of the various paths users might take based on their level of experience and specific training requirements. By outlining these details, I gained a better understanding of how to design a seamless user experience that accommodates users of all levels and fulfills their diverse training needs.
Once I had a clear idea of the app's features, functionalities, and overall objectives, I began rough sketching screens to see what design patterns I would use in the final product. Below are the final sketches of the flow from home screen to the "sit" lesson. Once I was satisfied with the overall layout of my sketched screens, I moved on to creating mid-fidelity wireframes of the same flow in Figma.
When I set out to design the branding and UI for Bright Dog, I recognized the importance of striking the right balance between playfulness and trustworthiness. My research showed that dog owners are more receptive to learning and training when they feel at ease and cheerful, but when it comes to making decisions about their pets, they need to feel confident in their expertise. To achieve this balance, I opted for a monochromatic color palette, utilizing varying shades of blue to convey loyalty and reliability. In order to maintain a lively and spirited tone, I incorporated vibrant accents such as bright colors on content cards, playful background 'blobs', and eye-catching badges. To make the training process more relatable and attainable, I integrated authentic images and videos of real dogs and their owners. I also utilized rounded fonts and minimalist line-based icons to further enhance the playful essence of the app.
Finally, the full design was ready! Take a look through the screens designed in Figma for my MVP via the link below.
On to testing! As my initial research indicated that both first time dog owners and owners with a bit more experience would have interest in exploring a dog training app, I needed to recruit users with a variety of experience levels. I recruited 2 dog owners with a puppy that is still training, a long time dog owner who recently adopted a new dog, and someone who is hoping to get their very first puppy in the coming months. I proceeded by having them complete tasks including:
To identify necessary revisions, I took to my trusty white board and mapped out insights gained from the testing process. Clearly my feline companion, Dwight, had grown weary of my incessant focus on our canine counterparts....
Here are a few of the key takeaways:
successfully completed the primary task and sub-tasks, without abandon.
felt the app was professional, but liked that it didn't
"take itself too seriously.”
expressed the need for more clarity regarding payment/free trial options.
struggled to find the scheduling portal from the lesson/command page.
Insight: “The past sessions and homework sections on the home screen keep me further away from the actual content I’m trying to access. I understand that it’s important to see, but I wish it had its own place.”
Solution: I introduced a new primary category in the navigation called "Trainer Hub." This new screen enabled users to easily access all information related to trainers and training sessions without any disruption to their content consumption. Although I included the "Next Trainer Session" card on the Trainer Hub screen, I also recognized the significance of having the appointment reminder prominently displayed on the home screen. Based on user feedback, I decided to retain it on the home screen as well.
Insight: “I wish I could just schedule a session from the lesson/command page. If I have to navigate back home to find the scheduler, I’ve already lost my (and my dog’s) focus.”
“If my trainer thinks I need a training session, can she somehow prompt me to schedule one?”
Solution: To simplify the scheduling process, I integrated a scheduling button directly onto the lesson/command page. I also incorporated an option for users to access the scheduler via the messenger, initiated by a prompt from the trainer.
Finally, I referred to the User Flow I created and connected all of the Bright Dog screens into a high fidelity prototype in Figma. In invited you (and your pup) to explore the final product!
View High Fidelity Prototype
Perform additional testing on the iterations made - did the revisions fix the issues addressed by users?
Expand on some of the proposed features:
