PetNumbers Design Challenge
PetNumbers is a start-up that wants to democratize information about pets, They are planning to build its first digital product: a SaaS that helps pet lovers and pet haters understand more about pets through geospatial analysis.
Problem to Solve
There is no one source of truth for pet lovers an pet haters to uncover pet insights (“pet location intelligence”) in a easy-to-use and convenient way.
Project Goals
Users should have access to an accurate information about pet population and pet-ownership in a location they are interested in, so they can decide, where to live, play and work taking this factor into account.
Project Constraints
The client has provided a list of required features, but is also open to add new features based on competitive analysis or user research:
- It should be a digital product, web/desktop-based
- It should be a Single Page Application (SPA)
- It should collect data from through an API from a public source
- It should be map-based
- Users should be able to navigate this map
- Users should be able to see and understand statistics about the areas they are browsing
- Low-budget
Intended Target Users
- Young Pet Lovers
- Young Pet Haters
Validated Assumptions
✅ PetNumbers has conducted market research and identified the gap in the market
✅ Geospatial and pet statistics data is publicly available (dog collar GPS data, pet businesses’ locations, vet services, shelters, large breeds and small breeds stats, pet ownership stats, …)
✅ Users are interested in data mostly on cat and dog presence in the given location
✅ Pet owners sneak their pets into locations, where pets are not supposed to be present
✅ Service animals are allowed to enter any space by law
✅ Public transportation doesn’t need to be considered as a location
✅ Pet haters can’t find pet-free locations simply by a Google search
✅ Data on indoor movements of pets is not available
Approach and Methodology
I have chosen to approach this particular assignment in the following phases by choosing these methods:
Discover : Stakeholder interviews / Guerilla interviews / Social listening / Secondary research / Competitive Analysis
Synthesize : Personas / Scenarios / User flows / Feature List
Ideate & Prototype : Moodboard / Paper Sketching / Wireframing / Prototyping
Test : Usability testing
Discover
I have chosen primarily “lean” user research methods, which I considered less risky when a project needs to be delivered on a tight time-line and budget.
These methods helped me validate my initial assumptions, uncover patterns and identify features for a possible solution. I have conducted stakeholder interviews, guerilla interviews, social listening and secondary research to understand geospatial intelligence market focused on pet space. I haven’t found any direct competitors, so I have looked into possible indirect and supplemental competitors as well as how users are currently working around the problem.
Synthesize
One of the most curious things I have learned from my research was that users, who need to evaluate pet intelligence data about their target location have very little options available. The market has also recently shifted heavily to favor pet-owners and is booming, especially when it comes to Millennials, who are the largest pet-owner demographic. Though resources for pet-owners might be plentiful, the information is quite scattered and not at all exhaustive.
On the other hand, users who are not particularly fond of pets have nowhere to turn to, which makes them feel marginalized and frustrated. For example, when they query Google for “pet-free” locations, the query usually results in a list of “pet-friendly locations” instead.
There is no one single resource for neither of these users to find pet-related location intelligence, which would be presented in an accessible, easy-to-use and visual way.
As the outcome of the synthesis phase I have produced proto-personas, use-cases, user flow and a feature list.
Personas
Based on the initial research and guerilla interviews, I have indentified three proto-personas to design for:
“The Pet Owner”
I am a hardcore dog lover. I’m an adult male and I squeal when I see dogs about town.

Goals:
- Keep his dog happy and healthy
- Socialize with other dog-owners, find activities and playdates for his pup
- Live in a pet-friendly building and neighborhood
Pains:
- Having to rely on a word of mouth to discover pet-friendly locations in his neighborhood
- Finding out that venue is not pet-friendly after he has already arrived
- Not having an easy way to discover which neighborhood is better equipped with vet and grooming services
Scenario: When looking to relocate with pets to new locations, users want to have a complete picture of availability of pet services and number of pet-friendly locations in the area, so that they can make an informed decision.
“The Pet Hater”
There’s now a cultural assumption that everyone must love dogs. They are everywhere now, allowed in places that used to belong exclusively to humans.

Goals:
- Wants to have a clear and understandable overview of pet population in the area, so that is easier to avoid them
- Not having to feel like a psycho when mentioning her dislike of pets to other people
- Not having to deal with obnoxious and irresponsible pet-owners
Pains:
- Difficult to avoid the social stigma of not liking pets
- There is no guarantee that a location will be pet-free
- Having to deal with off-leash dogs
Scenario: When planning a walk or a leisurely day outdoors users want to be able to see if a location is frequented by dogs, so that they can avoid having off-leash dogs jumping and slobbering all over them .
“The Pet Allergic”
I love cats , but I can’t live where they live. I would have to take allergy meds all the time.

Goals:
- Find living arrangements that allows for living without having to deal with pet allergy symptoms
- Avoid indoor venues, which can have cats roaming around
- Be confident that his apartment complex suddenly won’t decide to allow pets
Pains:
- Dealing with severe pet allergy
- Irresponsible pet owners
- Not being to able to identify if an apartment had cats living in previously
Scenario: When searching for an apartment users need to identify apartments with a strict no pets allowed policy, so that they can avoid any potential allergic reaction triggers.
Feature List
Based on the competitive analysis (indirect competitors, supplemental and conventions in location intelligence apps), requirements and user needs I have arrived to a prioritized must-have feature list (MOSCOW):
- Interactive map users can navigate
- Map overlays
- Dog foot traffic
- Local area pet statistics
- Visualization of areas based of pet-friendliness
- Filter location categories — homes, businesses, public institutions, pet care services and parks
- Full-screen map option
- Building pet details
- Visual indicators for location types
User Flows
Based on the list of requirements I have created a user flow, which I then used for prototyping first wireframes on paper.

Ideate and Prototype

To begin sketching I have created a moodboard of available digital products, which are serving different facets of user needs based on user research. Mostly, I have collated other map-based tools to identify UI patterns, which should also shorten the learning curve for first-time users and simplify the on-boarding process.

From initial sketches on paper, I have transitioned to creating wireframes in Sketch, Figma and Invision.
Paper Sketches

Initial Wireframes

Testing
Once I have finished my initial wireframes, I have conducted usability testing sessions.
The wireframe tested well for map being a main focus in the screen and a visualization of local area Pet Stats presented by the bottom panel, which they have found useful for contextual information.
Users reported that there is a need to have the bottom pane and filter search accessible in the full-screen map view as well, which I have iterated on.
Final Wireframes

I have also recorded feature ideas based on user feedback for future iterations such as:
- User reviews of pet policies in businesses (restaurants, public institutions)
- More specific location categories (types of homes)
Next Steps
- Create Style Guide
- Design high-fidelity UI based on wireframes using style guide
- (Conduct usability evaluation)
- Create epics, user stories and use cases for development
- (Submit for feedback to development)
- Create final prototype based on feedback from development
- Finish building and launch for alfa and beta testing
- Analyze user feedback, iterate and release
- Deploy marketing strategy to convert more users
- Make sure to provide product support and troubleshooting guides
- Monitor data and customer feedback, plan for future releases
Edge Cases
This iteration doesn’t consider edge cases such as service and emotional support animals, which have access to all private and public space by law. It also doesn’t consider pet-owners, who are sneaking their pets into buildings and locations, which don’t allow pets.
Future Releases
- Future releases will consider pet businesses as an additional persona.
- Microinteractions to add delight to the UI
- New data sources will be added, which will allow for identifying new geospatial opportunities (pet crime such as dog bites, stray pets locations)
- Make the web application responsive — for future use on mobile phones or tablets
- Use real-time data to produce a 3D street-level model, so that users can see pet movements in a greater detail. Possible use case are missing pets and strays.
- Visual indicators to differentiate pet types
- Finding and comparing locations according to user’s criteria
Thank you for reading!
I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback.