By Allie Stivland

Summary

Josh&Maggie is a conceptual app that I designed to explore gaps in the pet care market and alternative methods to build trust with pet owners. I focused on the concept of community building as a means to gain trust in addition to more standard trust-building methods like reviews.

Main problem: Many pet owners do not trust dog walking apps.

Solution(s): Build community, utilize alternative trust-building methods like live video feeds.

Methods

I researched pet owners in two categories: those that are currently using some type of paid pet care service and those that were not. I conducted user research though direct interviews and pouring through social media comments on social media (Instagram and TikTok).

Comments on a TikTok post about a bad dog boarding experience.

Findings

1. Pet owners value trust above all else.
2. Many pet owners that do not use pet service apps are doing so due to lack of trust.
3. Many pet owners that do not use pet service apps rely on their community of friends and family members for their pet boarding and walking.
4. Community builds trust.
5. Pet owners want increased visibility (via live photo streams or video cameras) of their pets while they are away.
6. Pet owners value quality over quantity when it comes to their pets.