Archie's Organics
Case Study: App Design
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Problem
Dog obesity is the single most significant pet health
issue to date. Dog owners are worried about overfeeding or underfeeding their dogs. They include feeding human food along with dog food, finding it difficult to track calories.
The Goal
Design an app for Archie’s Organics that creates custom exercise and meal plans. Based on the inclusion; and exclusion of specific ingredients with the addition of human food. The nutrition tracking app is easy for users to track their dog's calories and exercise to help their dog(s) stay fit and healthy.
The Product
Archie’s Organics brand creates healthy customized dog
food and treats to meet individual dog's needs and tastes.
Archie’s Organics targets customers who consider their
dogs their children. Including several trips to the dog
park and doggie daycare weekly. They are also concerned
about overfeeding or underfeeding their dogs.
My Role
Creative Director/UX designer designing an app for
Archie's Organics from conception to delivery.
Responsibilities
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low
and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.
Project Duration
May 2021 to July 2021
54%
Of dogs in the United States are overweight or obese.
UNDERSTANDING THE USER (including personas and problem statements)
I conducted interviews, created empathy maps and user personas to understand the users I am designing for and their needs. A primary user group identified through research was; working adults that eat organic, healthy food (avoids processed food as much a possible)
and feel their dogs deserve the same. However, they are worried about overfeeding or underfeeding their dogs.
This user group confirmed initial assumptions about Archie’s Organics customers. However, research revealed that even though they are worried about overfeeding their dogs (some of their dogs are overweight), they have not used nor even searched for apps to track dogs' calories and exercise. Some did not know there was such a thing; others felt it would be incredibly time-consuming to try to keep track of it all with their busy schedules.
USERS PAIN POINTS
1
Time
Working adults are
too busy to track all
their dogs food and
exercise daily
Accessibility
Platforms for pet food brands are only equipped for English
2
Overfeeding
It’s hard to know how many calories their dog is getting because they feed their dog a variety of food and treats including human food
3
Exercise
Doesn’t know how much exercise their dog needs and how many calories are burned during exercise
4
PROBLEM STATEMENT & PERSONA
.png)
Philip
Philip is a successful working adult and dog owner who needs an easy way to track their dogs' calories and exercise because they are worried about overfeeding or underfeeding their dogs, especially on days with lots of playtime and exercise.
“I like to eat organic as much as I can. My dog is my baby so I want him to be eating the same way!”
About
Age: 42
Education: Masters in Political Science
Hometown: Seattle, WA
Family: Single, one dog
Occupation: Head of Product, Amazon
Goals
-
Makes sure their dog(s) live a
very long, happy, healthy, and active life. -
Stay up-to-date on pet nutritional needs at every stage of their dog(s) life.
Frustrations
“The packaging tells you how much to feed your dog by the weight of the dog. But my dog is super active and I’m worried he’s not getting enough or if I’m overfeeding him.”
“Packaging labels are overwhelming and sometimes hard to tell the good vs bad ingredients, I’m not a scientist.”
Philip is a 42-year-old head of product development at Amazon. They have a 3-year-old Golden Retriever named Max. Max is their baby that they love to spoil with several trips to the dog park and doggie daycare weekly.
They are very conscious of the products they feed their dog(s). Food and treats are super high quality, including human food. Philip wants access to trustworthy content. Be able to track calories and dog(s) activities and makes nutritional health choices from that information.
USER JOURNEY MAP
Mapping Philip's user journey revealed how helpful it would be for Archie's Organic brand to create an app where users can successfully manage their dog's diet and exercise to keep them fit and healthy.
PAPER WIREFRAMES
Wireframes
Next, I sketched out paper wireframes for each screen in my app, keeping the user pain points about navigation, browsing, and checkout Drafting iterations of each screen of the app on paper ensured that the elements that made it to digital wireframes would address user pain points. For the meal plan section, I made it clean and easy for the user to view while allowing them to select a day. This allows users to add a meal if they forget to do it on a certain day.
Stars were used to mark the elements of each sketch that would be used in the initial digital wireframes.
DIGITAL WIREFRAMES
I made sure to base screen designs on feedback and findings from the user research as the initial phase continued.
Easy navigation and equipping the app to work with assistive technologies was key and top of mind in the design process.
Users are able to choose the day to add meal plan.
These buttons make it fast and easy for users to select what ingredients
to avoid
Easy access to allow users to add human food to their dogs meal plan
Easy access to navigation that’s screen reader friendly
Easy access to language options
USABILITY STUDY FINDINGS
I conducted two rounds of usability studies. Findings from the first study was insightful on how to streamline and simplify the designs
to make it faster and easier for the user. The second study used a high-fidelity prototype and revealed what aspects of the mockups needed refining.
Round 1 Findings
Users were confused if
certain screens were
part of the dog intake form.
1
The intake form had too
many screens to go back
and forth between.
2
Users were confused
where to add another dog.
3
Round 2 Findings
Users needed an easy way
to view the tracking of all
their dog’s at a glance.
4
Users wanted an easy way
to view ingredients
for food and treats.
5
Users wanted to be able
to search for human food
and exercise to add, not
just scroll.
6
REFINING THE DESIGN
Mockups (round 1)
Early designs and usability studies showed that the intake form had too many screens to go back and forth. Users were also confused about what sections were part of the intake form.
I revised the design allowing users to stay on one screen and scroll up or down. I was able to reduce the number of questions asked to help streamline and make the process faster.
Before usability study
After usability study
Mockups (round 2)
The second usability study revealed frustration with users who have more than one dog and want to review calories and exercise
for the day. Before, they had to go to each of their dog's tracking screens to view.
I created a dashboard, making it easier to review. Also, allowing the user to click on each dog's dashboard and taking them to their tracking screen.
Before usability study 2
Changed wording
based on feedback
from usability study
Added button for easy access to the dashboard
After usability study 2
Dashboard
After usability study
ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS
Added alt text to images
for screen readers to
provide access to users
who are vision impaired
1
Used icons to help
make navigation easier
2
Included several languages
to choose from
3
REFINED DESIGNS
3
I designed the site with
alt text available on each
page for smooth screen reader access
HIGH-FIDELITY PROTOTYPE
The high-fidelity prototype presented a clear user flow for a new user filling out their dog’s intake form, reviewing custom food and exercise recommendations and tracking food and exercise. It also met users need of being able to add human food to the meal plan and calorie tracker.
GOING FORWARD (takeaways)
Impact
The app makes users feel like Archie’s Organics cares about how to meet their users needs.
​
One quote from peer feedback:
“The app has a fun design and is easy for me to track my dog’s calories and exercise. I have been struggling to get my dog to lose weight and I'm positive with this app I will finally be successful.”
​
What I learned
While working on the Archie’s Organics app, I learned
how important it is to test concepts, ideas, and designs throughout the entire process. Usability studies and peer feedback is crucial in creating a successful app.
Next steps
Testing
Conduct another round
of usability studies to
validate whether the pain
points users experienced
during testing have been effectively addressed
1
2
User Research
Conduct more user research
to determined any new
areas of need
Research
Conduct another round of
research with the marketing
team at Archie's Organics
to ensure the app is
alined with their goals