Design Sprint Overview
CityPups is a (fictional) startup dedicated to assisting city dwellers in finding their ideal canine companion. This case study presents a streamlined version of the Google Ventures Design Sprint, adapted for solo completion. The sprint spans for 5 days and is outlined below.
Problem Statement
The lifestyle of densely populated cities presents unique challenges in pet adoption, including limited living spaces, busy commuting schedules, and various city-specific criteria. Unlike traditional adoption agencies or shelters, CityPups operates as a facilitator, guiding users to local organizations and shelters. Their primary objective is to boost adoption rates and find better “forever” homes for dogs. With a focus on enhancing user experience, my goal is to help CityPups match individuals with dogs that fit into their lifestyle and cater to their specific needs in the urban environment.
Solution
I created a web application where dog seekers could take a concise questionnaire that would match them with dogs that catered to their personal and city specific needs. Using the structure of a 5 day design sprint based on design thinking methodology, I put myself in the user's shoes to see where improvements could be made, defined key issues users faced, ideated solutions, prototyped ideas for analysis, and tested the validity of prototypes for efficiency.
My Role
Research synthesis, user experience mapping, visual design, wireframing, prototyping, testing.
Day 1 — Map
User Interview Findings
This step of the process focuses on gathering user insights and identifying pain points within the process. Through research and interviews, CityPups discovered that people living in densely populated cities struggle to find the right dog to adopt due to their unique needs, including:
• Small living spaces
• Commute schedule and transportation methods
• Access to dog friendly outdoor spaces
Affinity Mapping
I created an affinity map to synthesize research and visualize user needs and pain points derived from interviews and research conducted by CityPups. In addition to basic information they expected on a dog’s bio page, multiple interview participants expressed wanting to know a dog’s energy level and temperament due to their small living spaces and city lifestyle. A common theme that came up repeatedly for dog searchers was the time necessary to inquire about a dog because of missing information and the inability to search for dogs in a commutable distance.
Pain Points
• Small living spaces
• Attention level
• Activity needs
• Good in busy neighborhoods
• Time for inquiry
• Distance
How Might We Problem Statements
Having a clear idea of user pain points, I generated “how might we” problem statements that allowed for creative brainstorming and thinking about the problem from multiple perspectives.
• Help the user feel confident in their decision
• Save the user time
• Make inquiring easy
User Experience Map
With user concerns in mind, I created an user experience map of a possible end-to-end experience. The goal is to pair users with their ideal dog and map out the steps the user would need to take to achieve that goal. After mapping out a few potential options, I decided to proceed with a questionnaire solution that pairs users with search results that fit their criteria. I decided this would be the highest impact design decision that would help users the most.
Day 2 — Sketch
Lightning Demo
To get inspired, I conducted a lightning demo where I looked at solutions competitors have produced to solve a problem similar to the one I was trying to solve. I looked at pet-finding websites to gather insight on direct competition and other websites which used questionnaires to guide users to customized results.
Crazy 8s
Reflecting on my map from day 1, I found the questionnaire stage to be the most critical. The questionnaire segment is crucial for understanding user needs and desires in finding their ideal dog. Taking inspiration from the lightning demos, I brainstormed some questionnaire formats.
Solution Sketch
After completing crazy 8s screen sketches, I drew up a solution sketch of the screens that would come prior and after the questionnaire screens.
Day 3 — Decide
Storyboard
Expanding on my solution sketch, I created a storyboard that allowed me to flush out all the questions I wanted to have in my questionnaire and the format that I wanted the various questions to be in. By sketching out the frames on paper, I was also able to manually rearrange the order of the questions and easily take out or add frames. This served as a wireframe for the prototype that I would be building on Day 4.
Day 4 — Prototype
Prototype
Instead of using the suggested software, Keynote, I decided to create my prototype on Figma since I was becoming more comfortable with their interface and had experience conducting usability tests through their prototype feature.
Day 5 — Test
User Testing
After completing the prototype, it was finally time to test and validate my solution. For testing, I recruited 5 individuals who live in cities and have considered adopting a dog. During my test, I wanted to ensure that users were able to:
• Find a dog within their desired proximity
• Feel like they had adequate information about each dog
• Easily inquire about a dog
Testing Results
• Most users found the site to have more functionality and filters compared to other sites they have used.
• Users liked the tags on profile cards indicating special needs or bonded pairs
• Users found the website to be straightforward and easy to navigate
• Some users were confused by the term “pup quiz” as the button to enter the dog matching questionnaire
Conclusion and Takeaways
Given the time restriction of this design sprint, I was anxious at first to how much I could feasibly create in the span of a week. I think that the questionnaire served as a great solution for pairing dog seekers with dogs that would match their needs. I wish that I had more time to make the site fully functioning, but I think I successfully captured the essence of what I was aiming for and was able to solve key user frustrations. Looking back on this project, these are my three main takeaways:
• There are no bad ideas. I think I could have created a broader range of options when doing my Crazy 8s. I did look up some inspiration prior to my sketches, which helped broaden my perspective of what a questionnaire could look like.
• Don't be afraid to make changes. Despite having a storyboard, changes were still made when I started prototyping. At first, I wanted to stick to the script, but trusting my gut and making iterations ultimately created a stronger solution.
• Groundwork first, details later. While creating the prototype, I ended up focusing on the details too early on. As I made changes, it created a lot of extra work that I had to go back and revise. This project was a reminder to myself to have the groundwork set up first, and then go in on details.
