UX Researcher
Pedigredients
What started as a simple ingredient preview app for dog food evolved into an app that provides a user experience rivaled by none other for dog owners that want to take an active role in the specifics of their pets health and nutrition. The app is created so that dog owners can have an active say in what type of ingredients they provide for their dog by allowing them to easily determine which ingredients are best recommended for their specific dog, find the dog food that had those ingredients, and then order that food for their beloved pet.
Role
UX Designer
UX Researcher
Tasks Included
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.
Tools
Figma, Adobe XD, Google Sheets, Google Docs, Jamboard, Zoom
The Problem & Goal
Problem
Dog owners do not easily have the ability or time readily available to search for ingredients that their specific dog needs along with which food contains those ingredients.
Goal
Design an app that allows dog owners a quick and easy way to search for ingredients/dog food that their dog needs for the lifestyle they want.
My Design Process
User Research
I conducted interviews and created empathy maps to understand the users I am designing for and their needs. A primary user group identified through research was single, busy, and active adults with younger aged dogs.
This user group helped to confirm that with being as active as they are, healthy eating and living is a priority for the user and they wanted to translate this behavior to their pet. They want to provide a healthy diet for their beloved pet so they could be as healthy as their owner. User's identified they wanted to accomplish this task efficiently and in a timely manner.
According to research asking dog owners about their pet's food, conducted by SWNSdigital:
55%
struggle to find a balanced food option for their dog in stores
64%
are likely to adjust their dog’s diet based on their own research or after talking to their vet
61%
said that their dog’s nutritional needs are unique compared to other dogs
68%
are likely to put their dogs on a certain diet based on their own.
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User Pain Points
3
Not Knowing Ingredients
Which ingredient is best for my dog?
What are the benefits and risk of certain ingredients?
Not knowing exactly what ingredients they were putting in their animals with the food they were providing.
It is hard to know exactly which ingredients they should be giving their dogs to help with a active life.
It is hard to know the reason why they should not or at least some of the consequences of having certain ingredients in their dog food
Competitive Audit
After performing a competitive audit(Chewy, Barkbox, Postmates, Instacart) I noticed both Barkbox and Chewy have well designed apps that center around providing the best experience for animals. They seem very user friendly and centered as they display a positive and exciting approach for ways in which to do it. The apps have excellent payment features, which remember users’ payment info, as well as help to specify what they offer to what their users need. Both apps are easily navigable and fun/easy to use.
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Both Postmates and Instacart are easily usable as well but they seem to have more of a “middle-man” vibe. They are ways in which you could order deliveries from local grocers/pet supply stores. It is easily navigable but not centered on the pet user experience.
Growth/Expansion Opportunity
for existing applications
1) Offer recommendations for which ingredients and food for owners to purchase based on their animals health and health objectives
2) Allow for dog owners to upload health records of dogs to get recommendations.
3) Explain common used ingredients for dog health benefits and why.
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Pedigredients was created to address these gaps and allow users to have a more user centered experience that catered to the individual user and the needs of their dog.
Empathy map:
From the interviews I conducted with dog owners, I developed an empathy map to start synthesizing all the user insights. Some common findings from this mapping exercise are:
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-Users want a quick and easy way to search for recommended ingredients for their specific dog.
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-Users are trying to provide a healthy lifestyle for their animal but due to time constraints or difficulty of research they struggle.
Personas
User Journey and Flow
A hypothesized user flow of a typical user journey can be seen below
User Journey
User Flow
Paper Wireframes
Taking the time to draft iterations of each screen of the app on paper, I ensured that the elements that made it to digital wireframes would be well suited to address user pain points. For the home screen, I prioritized a quick and easy input process for users to enter their dogs information to get recommended food ingredients.
Digital Wireframes
As the initial design phase continued, I made sure to base screen designs on feedback and finding from the user research.
Easy navigation was a key user need along with having information that was specific to their dog.
Lo-Fi Prototype & Flow
Welcome visitors to your site with a short, engaging introduction.
Double click to edit and add your own text.
The low fidelity prototype connected the main user flow of entering their dog information to recommending specific food for their dog.
The low fidelity prototype connected the main user flow of entering and searching for ingredients to also buying food that has the ingredients searched for.
Usability Study and Findings
I conducted two rounds of usability studies. Findings from the first study, helped guide the designs and wireframes to mockups along with adding the purchase feature to the app. The second study used a high fidelity prototype and revealed what aspects of the mockups needed refining. Usability Study
Round 1 Findings
1) Customer wanted to order food directly from the app.
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2) Customers wanted their personal data secured.
Round 2 Findings
1) Customers noticed that their specific dog was not a single breed.
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2) Customers found the ingredients search bar distracting.
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3) Customers suggested accounting for dietary restrictions
Study Details
Mock-ups
Early designs tried to make the experience extra customizable but after the usability study, discovered it was to a fault. Users found the ingredient search bar distracting and unnecessary, as well as the breed drop down bar due to the fact that many users don't have "purebreed" dogs. To account for this I removed the ingredient search bar along with the breed drop down bar.
Accessibilty Considerations
Provide access to those that might be vision impaired through adding alt text to images for screen readers.
Use pictures of ingredients to help show the specific ingredient.
Use icons to make navigation easier.
Impact and Next Steps
Impact
The Pedigredients app allows users the ability to take a more active role in the specific ingredients they provide for their dogs. The app makes the process of searching for food containing wanted ingredients with ease and also recommends specific ingredients for users dogs after the dogs information is entered. Over 200 vets from around the United States have offered their expert advice on what should be fed to specific types of dogs based on their age, weight, and activity level to provide the healthiest life.
Next Steps
1
Conduct another usability study to determine if the app is still tailoring to users needs without it being too distracting.
2
Start to explore if the app can be applied to other pet owners for their experience in providing for their beloved pets.
3
Research the process of users being able to customize the dog food with the ingredients they want.