Find my Pet - UX Case Study
In order to carry out effective user centered design, we need to know about the users we are designing for. We undertook a project for an app called Find my Pet. Before we were able to design the app, we began with user research, in accordance with standard lean UX principles. We covered some of the points below :
- Is there a need for the system?
- If not, how can you change it so it meets a need?
- Who are the main user groups?
- What day to day activities do they engage in thats related to the product?
- What is the workflow (sequence of activities)?
User Research - Persona Creation
To create an effective and accurate user persona, asking actual users is fundamental. We’ve outlined the main 6 points of consideration.
1
Decide focus question
2
Identify participants
3
Visit participants at home or place of work
4
Interpret observations
5
Create affinity diagram
6
Create persona description
User Research - Questions
What kind of questions did we ask our potential users?
- Have you lost a pet?
- How did you find it?
- How long did it take to find (if you did)
- How many pets do you have?
- How often are they unsupervised outdoors?
- Who takes care of the pet(s) the most?
- Where do you live?
- Do you have children/family?
- What is your profession?
User Research - Affinity Diagram
After undertaking the user research outlined above, we identified a handful of different user groups. Using this information we then created an affinity diagram for what we see as our primary user.
"I want to make sure my cat is safe during the day whilst me and my girlfriend are at work"
Facts
Works as a trainee solicitor
Lives with girlfriend who also works in the city
Lives in ground floor apartment - West London
Earns £45,000
Owns a cat called whiskey
Age 27
Tech Savvy
Behaviours
Lets out whiskey everyday in communal garden
Leaves whiskey alone for majority of day
Has installed RFID chip from the vet
Feeds cat himself as oppose to partner
Pays monthly for pet insurance
Needs & Goals
Wants to makes sure cat is safe at all times
Wants to be notified if cat goes too far away
Wants to be able to alert someone nearby that can find cat if it goes too far away
Wants to see cats location during the day for peace of mind
Wants an intuitive way to monitor cats location
Wants a live location of cat at all times
Primary User Persona
After observing users and collecting our findings we’re able to paint a fairly clear picture of what our primary user is. This user persona is vital in making informed designed decisions, and testing our hypotheses.
Alex Carter
Alex lives in London with his partner, and works long hours at a reputable law firm in the city. He and his partner share a love for their pet cat whiskey, but due to their hectic lifestyle’s often feel like their pet is being neglected. Alex is always up to date with technology and has the latest smartphone and accompanying accessories. He is worried about whiskeys safety so installed an RFID chip and pays a hefty insurance premium for her. Many aspects of Alex’s life are controlled or accessible via his smartphone, which he loves. He’s also been looking for an effective way to monitor whiskey while he’s away
Needs & Goals
- Monitor pets location at all times
- Be notified if pet goes out of specified distance.
- Notify someone local of pets location if out of range.
Red Routes
- Monitor Pets Location
- Set up Collar / App
- Collar Battery Status
- Share Pets Location
- Alert Friend/Family if pet is out of area
- Receive notification if issue
- Set boundary limits
- Enter Pet details/profile
- Navigate to pets location
User Stories
Monitor Pets LocationHarry says "As a cat owner, I want to see a live update of my pets location so I can have peace of mind he is safe while I'm at work"
Share Pets LocationStacey says "As a cat lover, I want to be able to share my cat Larry's location so one of my family members can collect him if he strays too far"
Navigate to Pets LocationAlex says "As someone with minimal knowledge of the local area, I want to be provided with the best route to navigate to my pets location so I don't waste time in bringing him back home."