PROBLEM

66% of Americans are proud dog owners. Among this group, about 40% don't regularly walk their furry companions, despite the well-established advantages for both mental and physical health. Walking not only enhances the dog's
well-being with 86% of dog walkers and their pets reporting improved moods afterward but it also deepens their connection. Unfortunately, existing apps often focus on quantitative data for the dog or the owner, leading to confusion and lack of motivation.

PROPOSED SOLUTION

Our mobile app and smart tag for dogs directly address this challenge with an all-in-one app designed to create a daily walking routine for both you and your beloved canine companion. Wagwell crafts customized walking plans and then links the quantitative data to an engaging narrative story. Increasing the owner's connection to the dog as well as motivating daily walks. Wagwell integrates a state-of-the-art tracking tag that monitors your dog's daily activity, providing insights into their physical needs and real-time location, and also syncs with your smartwatch to monitor your movements.

DESIGN PROCESS

DISCOVER

Secondary Research: To learn about the broader context of the problem we identified we conducted secondary research. Our investigation of Woiszuki revealed a significant body of literature highlighting the powerful impact of narratives on beliefs and behaviors. This discovery shaped our strategy, leading us to utilize narrative storytelling to engage users more effectively. Subsequently, we delved into analyzing our competitors, namely Whistle and Fitbark. Our assessment involved identifying their strengths and areas where we could set ourselves apart. While Whistle primarily focused on providing health statistics and veterinary assistance rather than fitness, Fitbark offered quantitative data synced with owners' fitness devices to track their dog's activity and location.

DEFINE

Task Analysis: From our secondary research, we were able to outline key tasks and the activities that users have to complete to solve the problem, or achieve the goal. The task flow diagram provided us with a bird’s eye view of the problem, enabling us to focus on the design for the tasks and the activities that support our goals.

Technology: To address the problem of how to track the information, we choose to incorporate the use of:

IDEATE

User flow: Through several iterations, we designed the ideal steps users would follow to complete a common task with the proposed solution. As shown in the user flow diagram below.

Sketches: After finalizing our user flow, we sketched out concepts and explored various aspects of user interactions by visualizing them.

LOW-FI PROTOTYPE & TEST

Wireframes: We interactively developed the wireframes.

Evaluation: The initial version of the wireframes was reviewed by 3 peer UX designers, each evaluator received a clear overview of the problem statement, proposed solution user flow diagram, and wireframes to help them understand the context. We got feedback on how to set up the plan tab with a different approach to the gathered information. We also got feedback for the progress tab with the diagram flow and past walks. These findings were then incorporated into the final version of the wireframes as shown in the figures below.

HI-FI PROTOTYPE & TEST

Interactive Prototype: The wireframes were then further developed into an interactive prototype.

Heuristic Evaluation: A new set of 3 peer UX designers conducted a heuristic evaluation of the first version of the hi-fi prototype. Based on the feedback we received from the evaluation, several comments were made regarding the consistency of aesthetics, such as the "start walk" button. Visibility issues were also noted concerning the system status, such as buttons during the walk-logging process and feedback while connecting devices. Additionally, users pointed out the absence of a tutorial to guide them through the app after signing up. These findings were then incorporated into the final version of the prototype as shown in the figures below.

LANDING PAGE

Finally, we developed a landing page to promote our system.