Intro

CityPups is an innovative startup that aims to revolutionize the dog adoption process for urban dwellers. Recognizing the unique challenges that come with owning a dog in a bustling city—such as limited living spaces, hectic schedules, and scarce dog-friendly areas—CityPups endeavors to simplify and personalize the search for the perfect canine companion.

Unlike traditional adoption services, CityPups serves as a digital conduit, aggregating data from various local shelters and organizations to match potential adopters with suitable dogs. The company's core philosophy centers around creating harmonious matches that lead to increased adoption rates, happier dog owners, and most importantly, forever homes for man's best friend. This case study explores the design sprint journey of creating a user-centric solution that embodies CityPups' vision.

CHALLENGE

CityPups aims to assist urban dwellers in finding the perfect canine companion by aggregating adoptable dogs from local organizations and shelters. Their challenge lies in navigating the complexities of city living—limited spaces, varying schedules, and transportation—to connect potential owners with suitable pets.

SOLUTION

Personalized Dog-Matching Algorithm: Design an intuitive and efficient website that employs a matching algorithm. The algorithm will assess factors like the user's living space, lifestyle, and preferences to recommend suitable dogs available for adoption.
Dynamic Information Portal: Create an information-rich portal within the website that educates users about dog adoption. This will cover various concerns city dwellers have, from pet regulations in urban areas to local dog-friendly parks and amenities.
Community & Support System: Integrate a community feature where users can interact, share experiences, and offer advice. This could be a forum or integration with social media platforms. This feature aims to assist users post-adoption and create a sense of community among urban dog owners.

Day 1: Research & Insights:

Research & Insights

The research journey took us through the lives of potential pet owners, it becomes evident that the emotional connection potential dog owners seek is intertwined with practical considerations. For instance, Maria's 'love at first sight' approach doesn't bypass the need for subsequent logistical evaluations. Similarly, Ellie's journey highlights a common sentiment: while there's no shortage of dogs to love, there's a distinct gap in understanding how well a dog's needs align with the prospective owner's urban lifestyle. This emphasizes the necessity for a platform that doesn't just showcase dogs but does so with a nuanced understanding of urban life, ensuring that the bond formed is both heartfelt and practically sustainable.

User Journey Map

Key Highlights:

Love at First Sight vs. Practicality: Maria represents users who first get attracted by the physical appearance of the dog, only to later consider logistics like care and housing.
Time Commitment Concerns: Dan's feedback brings into focus the need for clear information about the time and attention a dog will require.
Social Compatibility: Anna emphasizes the importance of the dog's demeanor and personality, particularly how they would fit in an urban social setting with other people and dogs.

Day 2: Ideation, Competitive Analysis & Concept Development:

Competitive Analysis

The day started with a review of existing solutions in the pet adoption space. Several competitors and adjacent industries were studied to understand the common features and unique selling propositions they offer.

Key Insights:

Matching Algorithms: Competing platforms frequently rely on questionnaires but lack the depth needed for urban dwellers with unique needs.
Information Overload: Most platforms provide a plethora of information but often lack actionable steps, creating paralysis by analysis.
Limited Media: Though some platforms offer pictures, very few offer videos, an element that our user interviews deemed important.

Crazy 8s:

Post-competitive analysis, the Crazy 8s method was employed to rapidly sketch eight different ideas for the most critical screens. This exercise helped bring to the fore some of the unique features that could set CityPups apart.

Solution Sketch:

Dog Listing Page: This acts as a visual and informational directory with filters and quick stats, allowing users to easily scan and select dogs based on their unique living conditions.
Dog Profile Page: Serves as an in-depth interactive space for each dog, offering detailed characteristics, multimedia content, and location-based amenities, aimed at facilitating emotional and logistical compatibility between the pet and prospective owner.
Adoption Guide: A comprehensive roadmap for adoption, offering a step-by-step guide, FAQs, and external links to third-party adoption centers, designed to build trust and clarify the adoption process.

Day 3: Storyboarding:

During the design process for CityPups, a deep-dive approach was taken first to understand the unique challenges faced by city dwellers seeking to adopt dogs. Drawing inspiration from research and real-world user personas, the focus was creating a journey that marries emotional connection with practical considerations. Techniques such as Crazy 8s and detailed storyboarding allowed for the rapid generation and visualization of ideas, ensuring the solution was both innovative and user-centric. By constantly aligning with the foundational ethos of CityPups and incorporating feedback loops, the aim was to craft an experience that facilitates dog adoption and ensures a harmonious fit between the pet and its urban environment.

Day 4: Crafting the Vision with a Conceptual Approach:

The Need for a Conceptual Prototype

Given the constraints on time and resources, a conceptual prototype serves as a pragmatic yet effective tool for conveying our vision. This approach allows us to present a vivid snapshot of the intended user experience, focusing on the key pages and elements crucial to CityPups' functionality and success.

Dog Listing Page

This is the portal through which potential adopters will find their future pets. We aim to make it as intuitive and user-friendly as possible. Features like 'Filter by Breed,' 'Sort by Age,' and 'Adoption Status' will be prominent.

Dog Profile Page

Here, we'll display a full suite of details for each individual dog, from its breed and age to temperament and specific needs. Embedded videos and links to similar profiles aim to create an immersive experience.

Prototyping Goals and Learning Objectives:

The primary goal for testing this conceptual prototype is to gauge user engagement and understand their interaction flow.

Clarity: Is the user interface self-explanatory or do users struggle to find what they need?
Engagement: What elements do users interact with the most, and which are ignored?
Feasibility: Is our envisioned design practical and efficient to implement from a back-end perspective?

Reflections on the Prototyping Process:

The prototyping process has been enlightening in terms of defining what's crucial and what's optional. The focus was on maintaining a balance between aesthetics and functionality.

This approach to prototyping should provide the team and stakeholders with a thorough and efficient way to visualize the CityPups platform.

The aim is to proceed to the validation stage with a robust prototype that embodies the CityPups mission and vision, keeping both user experience and business viability in mind.

Day 5: Validation and User Testing:

User Interviews

Five diverse participants were chosen for the interview process to ensure a comprehensive view of user needs and concerns. They were:

A busy professional who wants to adopt a dog but has limited time.
A retiree looking for a companion animal.
A parent whose family has owned dogs before and is looking to adopt another.
A millennial who has never had a pet but is interested in adopting.
An animal welfare advocate who's very familiar with adoption processes.

Conducting the interviews was an enlightening experience, reinforcing the need for empathy in design. Each participant had unique requirements and perspectives. Utilizing a structured yet flexible interview script allowed for the seamless gathering of qualitative data. Users interacted with the conceptual prototypes of the Dog Listing and Dog Profile pages, and their feedback provided valuable insights.

Summary of Findings

Clarity and Interface: Users generally found the Dog Listing Page to be intuitive. However, the 'Adoption Status' filter could be more prominently displayed.
Engagement: The Dog Profile Page received a lot of interactions, particularly the embedded videos. Users expressed interest in more visual content, such as care guides or testimonials from previous adopters.
Feasibility and Additional Features: Users suggested a 'Favorites' feature for easy tracking of interesting profiles. They also raised questions about the post-adoption process, indicating the need for a comprehensive 'Adoption Guide'.
In summary, the conceptual prototype resonated well with the users, but they also pointed out areas that could be optimized for a more satisfying user experience. This feedback will serve as a roadmap for future iterations of the CityPups platform. By understanding these key areas, we can more effectively refine the user experience and ensure that CityPups meets the needs of a diverse user base.

Conclusion and Valuable Insights:

The design sprint for CityPups has been an invaluable journey, exposing both strengths and areas for improvement in our product. The prototype was well-received in general, with specific metrics indicating an 80% ease of navigation on the Dog Listing Page and a 60% high level of engagement on the Dog Profile Page. While these numbers are promising, they also signal the need for refining certain aspects for a more streamlined user experience.

Key Takeaways:

User-Centricity: The sprint emphasized the importance of a user-centric approach. Our diverse interviewee pool helped us recognize a variety of user needs and preferences, laying the foundation for a more inclusive design strategy.
Quality over Quantity: The data and user feedback highlight that features like an 'Adoption Guide' and a 'Save for Later' button aren't just additional tabs but essential elements that could significantly enhance user experience.
Iterative Process: The design sprint has been instrumental in establishing a feedback loop. The prototype will be iteratively improved upon based on the findings, aligning the product closer to user expectations.
Investor Readiness: The sprint also prepared us to present a well-researched, user-validated concept to investors. The strong foundational work increases CityPups' appeal, creating a compelling case for investment.
Time-Efficiency: Using a conceptual prototype allowed us to save time without compromising on the quality of feedback, thus ensuring that the project remains on schedule for its next phases.

By aligning user expectations with business objectives, we are now better positioned to refine CityPups into a platform that not only facilitates pet adoption but does so in a manner that is efficient, enjoyable, and user-friendly. This design sprint has been an instrumental step in that direction, setting the stage for subsequent design and development phases.

CityPups Design Sprint

Revolutionizing Dog Adoption:

A Design Sprint Case Study with CityPups.