Paws is a dating app designed for people who love their dogs, and are looking for a way to connect with those who find their 4 legged friends as important as they do.
My Part
This case study is a conceptual idea and the final product of the 6b UI/UX course final presentation. This product was my first complete design process, from concept through research to a final design offer. This year (2022), I took part in a digital marketing course during my MBA and my group took this product as our final assignment. The results are shown in the end of the case study.
Design Process
Discover
User Research User Interviews Competitive Analysis
Define
User Personas User Journey Map
Ideate
User Flow Brain Storming
Design
Wireframe Hi-Fi Designs Prototype
Test
Feedback Conclusion Future Conceps
Overview
People and dogs have formed great relationships for many years and for different reasons. Today, people adopt dogs for companionship, love, and friendship. While dating apps in the market offer the highly addictive game of "swiping till your fingers fall off" experience, Paws offers an alternative for those who just want to meet people for a casual date in the dog park or a walk down the city's streets. No paws attached.
Research
After I decided what is the pain point I wanted to solve, I defined the product’s users and competitors. Following is a summary of my findings.
App Users
Users of dating apps are divided almost equally between men and women.
Dog Owners
A research in the US reveals that 7 out of 10 men and 6 out of 10 women between the ages of 18-44 own a dog.
Survey
I conducted a survey with potential users to gather more information about their relationship with dating apps, what they are looking for in a partner, and their daily interaction with their dog. These are some of my findings.
Of dog owners post pictures of themselves and their dogs on dating apps.
Of dog owners prefer their date to love dogs as much as they do.
Of dog owners walk their dogs twice a day.
Apps in Market
Dating apps in the market are targeting different kinds of users. None specifically target single dog owners.
Persona
Paws users are single, dog-loving/dog people looking for love and companionship. Let’s get to know them.
User Journey Map
Where are our users are now, and what are we hoping they become (but in video edit representation).
Jobs to be Done
High-quality messaging system with added values.
Both human and dog profiles.
Striving for casual meeting possibilities.
Easy and simple app navigation.
Eliminate "quick pass" options.
Help humans and dogs find a forever home.
Design & Prototypes
I started the design process by creating a simplified user flow and wireframe that answers the basic dating app needs.
App Features & Interface
Sign-In
Easy sign-in process. New users can sign in using their socials, so they can easily use their photo gallery inside the app.
Onboarding First-Time Use
Access to notifications as well as location tracking can be used to find dog parks in the user’s area for a safe meeting spot.
My Dog & I User Profile
Users fill in both profiles. It was designed to be brief and specific, easy to fill with more emphasis on visual images and videos rather than a full life story.
video is priceless.
Users are encouraged to upload videos as well as pictures. I believe that if A picture is worth a thousand words then a video is just out of this world.
Animation-Delight
I designed animations throughout the app to lighten annoying parts like filling the profiles. It gives some visual cute feedback.
Browsing For Love
While browsing for matches the user can check both the owners’ and the dogs’ profiles for maximum matches.
NO Right or Left - Central Match
It has been the subject of ridicule, memes, and jokes- swiping rapidly between profiles. To battle the phenomenon, I designed a double thumb swipe. The action- a slower one, encourages the user to really check out the profiles. swipe inwards, thumb to thumb To decline a match and to approve you swipe outwards.
Messaging
When two profiles match and start a conversation, it is found in the convo tab. Paws’ motto is "you have to go out with your dog, and you want to find love- why don’t you do them both, at the same time". It takes off the edge of the date.
Messaging Features
Themessaging feature is designed to allow its users to have a full conversation like they will do on any messaging app, avoiding sharing their phone numbers. With that in mind, I recognize the need to be able to share photos as well as voice messages. additionally, there is a map feature that allows users to find the midpoint between both locations. It will also suggest the closest dog park for both users (as shown below).
First Move
Once the user approves a match, they are obligated to send a message to the other person (not gender specific). In that way, we achieve true will for communication and eliminate, by design, all the unwanted trolls.
Editing Profile LIVE
Users can edit their profile on the "real" profile layout, instantly getting the full vision of how they are perceived by others. The user can switch between his profile and their dog's one to edit.
Digital marketing
As mentioned above, I took this product as a digital marketing course subject during my MBA program. We were asked to design a basic landing page using Wix to convey the basic marketing needs and what AB testing would we do. Additionally, we researched the best marketing avenues.
App Landing Page
Link to the full research and paper at the end.
A/B Testing
We focus our testing on the website hero section and checked the effects of the image chosen. solo dog image vs a single person with a dog vs asuccessful couple with their two dogs.
As part of the assignment, we chose Instagram as the most effective social media for our demographic (mostly millennials using Instagram the most) and mimicked what a page, supporting the app, can look like.
Ads
Our straightforward approach is targeting our main demographic audience appealing to single people, men, and women in our age group that are looking for dating/relationships. We figured that dogs are loved by most, and even if you don’t own a dog, it will be a nice revelation to know that the app can help the user find a date+ a dog.
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