Dog Training App - UX UI Case Study
Michelle LaPalme
Fido
Hold onto your leashes!
I’m creating Fido in order to help pet parents become more educated on dog body language and dog behavior, in addition to learning how to train their furry companions. A lot of pet parents find it difficult to train their dogs for a multitude of reasons, and personal trainers or classes can be expensive. This app will help dog owners develop a better relationship with their dog through simple and personalized training programs that won’t break the bank.
WHY I CREATED THIS APP
Problem Statement
In 2020, we saw a record-high number of adoptions across the U.S. while people were working from home. Nearly 23 million American households - about 1 in 5 nationwide - adopted a pet during the pandemic.
As people returned to work, there was an increased risk of these “pandemic puppies” being returned to animal shelters, with behavioral concerns being the third highest reason for relinquishment.
The number one reason an animal was surrendered was due to financial constraints. As inflation increases, pet parents cannot afford the treatment or training classes their pet may need in order to solve their behavior problems.
Fido hopes to bridge the gap between pet owner and dog to help reduce the number of animals being surrendered to shelters after the pandemic.
How We Solved the Problem
We included a way to include family members and friends in the app and view their progress, so that everyone can stay on target when training.
We added notification reminders that pet parents can adjust to meet their schedule.
We added educational checkpoints to help parents learn about dog body language and behavior, not just training.
We have feedback from real trainers that can check if the dog’s form and posture are correct.
We added a progress tracker to see where you and your dog are on your training journey together.
Competitive Analysis
I downloaded three apps and compared them using a SWOT analysis method. They are both direct competitors to my dog training app, Fido. Finding out what users struggled with gave me a keen insight into how I could improve upon my own product.
User Surveys
Personas
From the initial research results, I created three personas to help me explore the needs of a larger user base while having target users in mind.
Now that I understand the users better, it’s time to converge and define the user stories, user flows and begin building our wireframes for the app.
User Stories
User Flows
In order to meet the user requirements outlined in the user stories, I created 5 flow diagrams to ensure we can reach our MVP goal for pet parents.
Wireframe Sketches
After some usability testing on my sketches, I realized the endless vertical scrolling was not helpful in keeping track of the training lessons. The design needed more structure.
I also came to the realization that rating your dog’s performance at the end of each lesson was not helpful and wouldn’t be consistent for every person.
Lo-fi Wireframes
I created lo-fi wireframes in Figma based off of my sketches to help me better visualize the direction my app was going in. After that was completed, it was time for some brand development!
UI Design
The color palette we chose was a analogous mix of blues and greens to represent a beautiful blue sky with picturesque green grass that we all imagine our dog to be running on when playing outside.
We wanted the font style to be a bit fun and whimsical for the titles, so we went with Otomanopee One, with a nice sans serif to pair as the regular text type face.
We had a few dogs in mind for the logo, all with a tannish coat to complement the green background it would eventually rest on. In the end, we chose the corgi to be our logo, because we loved her pointy ears sticking up and straight out.
Hi-fi Prototype
Usability Test Results
During our usability tests we found the following would be necessary to change in our app:
More charts instead of stock images on lesson pages for educational value
Dog profile picture at top should take you to dog profile
Change library icon - too confusing with articles icon
Trainer should be underneath dog profile
Message trainer option should be in the chat
Different dog images on schedule - change it to dates of calendar
Instead of yes/no on onboarding quiz, it should be a scale
About page for trainer is needed
Project Summary
Looking back, I learned there is still a lot of research to be done on what would be an effective training plan regimen for pet parents who are teaching themselves through an app.
If I could do anything differently, it would be more research. I wish I had asked more questions along with some different questions to my candidates in the beginning to gain a better perspective of the pain points for pet parents.
All in all, it was a great project to combine my UX/UI skills alongside my knowledge of pets and dog training with my background in dog walking and animal shelter work.
Thank you for reviewing the Fido app!
I really appreciate the time it took you to scroll this far!