VENN

Venn is a dog training app aimed at streamlining the dog training process and strengthening the special bond between dog owners and their dogs. 

This case study highlights the process of creating the concept and building out a prototype using core UX principles.

Using the insight gained during user interviews & secondary research this app was created.

Dog Owners lack personalized and flexible training resources for their dogs.

Lack of training is hindering their ability to strengthen their unique bond with their dog and achieve effective training outcomes.

#PROBLEM

Develop a user-centric dog training app to enhance the special bond between owner and their dog by providing personalized training plans and daily habits. 

#SOLUTION

Encourage a strong bond between owners and their dogs by fostering healthy habits and daily routines.

#GOAL

How might we create a dog training app that enables owners to strengthen their bond with their dog through tailored training plans. 

#GOAL

Studies show that companionship is the No.1 reason why people decide to own a dog

While almost every generation has had an increase in pet ownership, millennials, under 40, married, and childless have increased pet ownership most.

Secondary research showed a clear trend that dog owners consider their dogs as part of their family. The number one reason why people choose to get a dog is for the companionship.

Meet Kayla, she' s a “dog mom” not a dog owner

Kayla and her dog has a special bond

Through research and interviews, the persona Kayla was created, reflecting how owners view their dogs with human traits and unique needs. Owners form deep bonds with their pets, often thinking about and missing them during the workday.

Companionship: caring, comfort and calmness. Users love spending time with their dogs and it can have health benefits 

#INSIGHT 1

Positive reinforcement to encourage dog and keep good daily habits 

#INSIGHT 2

Persona/dog relations - Dog is an extension of the owner

#INSIGHT 3

The account setup involves guiding users through questions to tailor a training path for their dog, considering their dog’s needs based on breed, age, and personality. This information will allow progress tracking and training overview.

Giving users customized dog training based on need

#GOAL 1

Create healthy fun habits for both dog and dog owner

#GOAL 2
#GOAL 3

Give dog owners simple daily tasks

Personalized Dog Training: Engaging and Motivating Users

The goal was to provide personalized dog training. The landing page built a personal connection with users by featuring avatars resembling their dogs while keeping them motivated and informed about their progress.

Serving as both a dashboard and a training hub, the landing page enabled quick access to training and support, helping users build consistent daily habits.

Usability testing shows that more empathy is needed for leading the user to next step

Usability testing was conducted in two stages, refining the app to ensure intuitive navigation and user resonance.

  • Discoverability: Users navigated easily but needed clearer guidance on the next steps.

  • Progress Tracking: Stats were clear, but users needed built-in progress tracking to pick up where they left off seamlessly.

User testing insight:

More empathy for user and clean up navigation issues

Show empathy for the user: Don’t let the user guess where to go, have empathy and make sure it’s clear all steps where user should go next. 

#TAKEWAY 1
#TAKEAWAY 2

Users responded well to the personalized training, and was able to understand the navigation and instructions

Interaction design could be better. Too many backward clicks and navigation for the user. Although the user was able to navigate, observation showed too many times that user navigated wrong or used the backwards button. 

#TAKEAWAY 3

REFLECTIONS

MAKING INFORMED DECISIONS

This was my first project using UX principles. What I have learned in this project was the importance of making informed decisions. Using the user research in the early stage to shape every decision through this project.

It is important to keep the persona in mind throughout the project and not just through the ideation process. This helped simplify the user flow and site map and shaped the UI.

USER FLOW

In creating an app from ideation to prototype, the user flow was critical and should have played a bigger part in the planning. During user testing users were able to navigate, however, users ended up using the back button multiple times instead of a simple step.

Paying more attention to the flow throughout the process, the actions and decisions the user needed to take would have kept the navigation more simple.

The next steps would be to do an audit of user flow and find easier ways for users to navigate seamlessly through the app.