Doggistyle :
A concept of a playdate app for dogs
A random brainstorming session with my many dog-loving friends gave me the idea to create a dating app for dogs. With this app, I aim to help dog owners help their dogs find their wolf pack to go on fun adventures with and also help the owner find a group of like-minded pet-loving people.
Promo video
Prompt
Pets at home lack social life and adventure.
Scenario
During the pandemic, being locked up at home had frustrated people all around the globe. Imagine being stuck at home similarly but throughout your life, frustrates you doesn't it? Man's best friend has been in such a situation in most cases all their lives. Looking at pet dogs spending almost all the time alone at home would break anyone's heart. How does a pet dog socialize? Most pet owners look for fun activities to do with their pets but sometimes lack the company of like-minded pet lovers.
Study
I did some preliminary research to find out if an app like this already exists or if there are socializing events dedicated to helping pet owners and their dogs socialize.
News about similar ideas of dating apps for dogs is available on the internet and also some are available on the app store, but from the app reviews, it was found that the apps were found to be not user-friendly and hence rated quite badly. Some apps which made news in 2015-2016 were nowhere to be found on the app stores.
Target audience survey
To better understand the requirement of such an app I conducted a localized survey taking 8 dog-owner friends ages ranging between 23-30 as my participants and asking them qualitative questions. The results are given below.
and a few other questions to understand the activities and requirements of users. It was noticed that there was a need for people to find other groups of like-minded to pet-owners to do fun activities with. Understanding the requirements we ideate the app in the next section.
Ideation
Based on the insights from out initial research we ideate the main features of the app.
A dating app experience
Participants loved the idea of creating a dating app for their pets. They found it to be cute and felt like they would enjoy the process of finding a match and going on play-dates.
Social events
Ability to create events or meet-ups publically on the app. As pet owners seem to always be on the lookout for pet-friendly events, this feature would be a good addition.
Brand Identity
Based on the age group of the target audience, I came up with a quirky name and identity for the app.
Brand Name
Considering the motive behind the app with a hint of quirkiness I chose to name the app Doggistyle.
Brand Personality
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Fun
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Bright
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Energetic
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Quirky
Site flow
Hi-fi Screens
The low-fidelity prototypes were converted into interactive high-fidelity prototypes on Figma.
The landing page shows the logo and a paw print with a human fingerprint infused together to indicate that the user must touch the screen to continue. Users can find the option to log in or register on the next page.
The Registration process is quite simple and standard with phone number verification through OTP.
Users can set up their pet's account with essential information and pictures. They can also choose their interests and select the location and range within which they are searching for matches.
After setting up their pet's profile, users can access potential matches. To indicate that they like the profile they are shown, users can swipe the bone icon toward the profile. This gesture was chosen to mimic the phrase "throw a bone" which means to try one's luck.
After matching with another dog, users can start a conversation and also revisit their profile for more information. Users can now also invite their matches to any event they are attending.
Users can visit the Events page to get a list of events happening at their location. They can request to join the event. Once the request is accepted users get access to their event group discussion group to introduce themselves and coordinate the event.
Usability testing
The 8 participants who participated in the initial study were taken as participants for a usability study for this prototype.
Test group: 8
Age group: 24-30
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Tasks
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Create a profile for your pet
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Try out the match-making process
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Join any event
Findings
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Participants were very excited to find matches for their dogs.
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Participants liked the throw a bone gesture to like a profile.
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Participants found the app to be simple, straightforward, and serve its purpose.
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Participants wanted a way to filter breeds while getting potential matches.
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Participants wanted a way to filter events based on their interests given initially.
Discussions and suggestion
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4 participants suggested using the app for finding a mate for their pet as this is a tedious process in real life.
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3 participants suggested having an online store on the app where users can sell pet products.
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A participant suggested having an emergency online doctor section on the app.
Conclusion
From this study, we understand that there is a necessity for a dating app for pets to improve the quality of lives of our pets and also build the social lives of pet parents with like-minded peers. This app could also push people to try out new activities with the support of their group. All participants from the study said that they definitely see themselves using the app if it is launched.