This project was done during the course Interaction Design Project. The task was to explore and design concepts for Smart Homes as part of an Interaction Design project. The project focuses on making smart homes sustainable, adaptable, inclusive, and user-friendly while addressing concerns like privacy, security, and accessibility. The group chose to work with an IoT solution for a smart home targeting a specific group.
It was early decided within the group to work with the target group dogs and dog owners. In the initial design phase, similar concepts and products for leaving dogs home alone were reviewed to gain an understanding of what is currently missing on the market.
Three interviews were conducted with dog experts. The goal was to gather information about dogs behavior, health, and common problems. One interview was conducted with a dog owner to gather ideas and wishes to meet as well as problems.
A survey was conducted to get insights from dog owners perspective. The goal was to gather information about common challenges, separation anxiety, and stress.
The qualitative and quantitative data were compiled into an affinity diagram, where similar themes were grouped together, with the purpose to identify problem areas. The biggest problem areas were used to decided on functions and content for the app.
To explore what type of solution that would solve the problem areas, a brainstorming session was made, where the group used Crazy 8 to find many solutions in an effective way. Wireframes were made in Figma to decide on the overall layout of all pages and components of the app. Colors and typeface were decided and an interactive prototype of the app in Figma was created, based on the wireframes.
PawPal is an innovative tool designed to enhance dog well-being by monitoring behavioral patterns, activity levels, and stress indicators. By integrating sensors in a smart harness, PawPal wirelessly transfers real-time data to a mobile app, providing dog owners with comprehensive insights into their pet’s health and behavior. Inspired by studies on HR and HRV in animals, PawPal uses these indicators to track physical activity, emotional reactivity, and stress, all essential for addressing separation anxiety and other common issues. Through features such as location mapping, stress detection, and behavioral guidance, PawPal aims to strengthen the bond between pets and owners.
During this project we worked with human centered design were we did a survey with 500 recipients. It became clear that it takes time to analyze data and to bring it into the design. When having so much data and different opinions it was important to not listen to it all, but to create a balanced design with the important components.
