Pawd is built for pet owners to help keep track of daily tasks, appointments, and health records for their pets. The app allows for users to create a “Paw Pod” where groups of users can view tasks and data for pets that live in a multi-caretaker environment.
THE PROBLEM
I have two cats who are taken care of by multiple family members. With all the family members having different schedules, sometimes it becomes unclear whether the cats have been fed.SOLUTION
My solution to this was to create a collaborative app where users could create a list of daily tasks that needed to be completed in order to take care of their pets. In this app, users would be able to create a group and assign tasks for members to complete and everyone would be able to see when tasks have been checked off.
PROCESS
competitive analysis:
Before diving into my audience and building wireframes, I looked at what apps already existed that accomplished similar goals. In addition to apps, I also analyzed an analog pet chore chart. My main takeaway was that I wanted to create an app that was more than just a checklist and combine some of the other features from the apps that I had analyzed.
audience research:
I conducted 3 interviews and sent out a survey to potential users. After concluding my audience research I was able to create an inventory list for the app. Additionally from my research, I learned that since majority of pets live in households where they are taken care of multiple people, communication is vital but often difficult to navigate.
user testing:
Once I built out the app, I created a task list with 14 tasks for 5 users to complete. As users went through the task list, I observed their struggles and reactions. After completing the tasks, I gave the users a survey to complete. Based on feedback from the survey and my observations, I was able to reevaluate my app and make changes to improve usability. I learned that many people struggled to understand additional functionality like a swipe or double tap, so I added indicators like arrows to indicate functionality.
TAKEAWAY
By defining a problem I had in my own life, I was able to develop a solution that was practical for many others who struggle with taking care of their pets. My long term goal for this project is to create an app that makes user’s lives easier and allow for more efficient communication between members of a group. The process allowed me to engage in research on a hyper specific target audience and tailor my solution to this group.