The Challenge
Bringing home a new puppy is exciting, but it also introduces dozens of new responsibilities. First-time owners must remember feeding times, potty breaks, walks, naps, and training sessions while learning their puppy's behavior.
Many rely on notes, phone reminders, or memory, making it difficult to stay consistent. Missed routines can delay training, create stress, and leave owners wondering if they're doing enough.
The challenge was to design an MVP that simplifies puppy care into one intuitive mobile experience.
Many rely on notes, phone reminders, or memory, making it difficult to stay consistent. Missed routines can delay training, create stress, and leave owners wondering if they're doing enough.
The challenge was to design an MVP that simplifies puppy care into one intuitive mobile experience.
Design Goal
Help new puppy owners stay organized, build healthy routines, and feel more confident through simple daily tracking.
Research
To better understand the problem, I conducted secondary research focused on the most common challenges experienced by first-time puppy owners.
The research explored:
- House training
- Feeding schedules
- Sleep management
- Exercise routines
-Training consistency
From the research, four recurring pain points emerged:
- Owners struggled to remember recurring daily tasks.
- Information was scattered across multiple apps and notes.
- Inconsistent routines slowed training progress.
- New owners wanted reassurance they were caring for their puppy correctly.
The research explored:
- House training
- Feeding schedules
- Sleep management
- Exercise routines
-Training consistency
From the research, four recurring pain points emerged:
- Owners struggled to remember recurring daily tasks.
- Information was scattered across multiple apps and notes.
- Inconsistent routines slowed training progress.
- New owners wanted reassurance they were caring for their puppy correctly.
Research synthesis identifying common behavioral challenges
Key Insights
The research revealed that the problem wasn't simply remembering tasks—it was maintaining consistency over time.
Owners needed:
- Quick logging
- Clear routines
- Gentle reminders
- Daily progress visibility
- Less mental effort
- Clear routines
- Gentle reminders
- Daily progress visibility
- Less mental effort
Defining the MVP
I translated research findings into product requirements by prioritizing the features that solved the biggest user problems.
Core Features
- Potty Tracker
- Feeding Schedule
- Exercise Log
- Sleep Tracker
- Daily Dashboard
- Smart Reminders
- Feeding Schedule
- Exercise Log
- Sleep Tracker
- Daily Dashboard
- Smart Reminders
Log a exercise event
Log a potty event
Mapping a typical day in the life of a new puppy owner.
Information Architecture
Since owners interact with the app multiple times throughout the day, navigation needed to be effortless.
I organized the experience around the activities users perform most often instead of traditional app sections.
The result was a simple navigation structure centered on:
- Dashboard
- Log Activity
- Schedule
- Progress
I organized the experience around the activities users perform most often instead of traditional app sections.
The result was a simple navigation structure centered on:
- Dashboard
- Log Activity
- Schedule
- Progress
Wireframing
Low-fidelity wireframes helped explore different dashboard layouts and determine the fastest way for users to log daily activities.
The design focused on minimizing taps while keeping important information visible.
The design focused on minimizing taps while keeping important information visible.
Potty and Exercise Low Fidelity
Onboarding Low Fidelity
Designing the Experience
Once the structure was validated, I developed high-fidelity interfaces emphasizing clarity, consistency, and ease of use.
Key design decisions included:
Key design decisions included:
Dashboard
Provides an overview of the puppy's daily routine.
Quick Log
Allows users to record activities in seconds.
Timeline
Shows completed activities throughout the day.
Reminders
Encourages consistent routines without overwhelming notifications.
Potty and Exercise High Fidelity
Onboarding High Fidelity
Prototype
Interactive prototypes simulated the primary user flows to evaluate navigation and usability.
Users completed common tasks such as:
- Logging an exercise
Users completed common tasks such as:
- Logging an exercise
- Recording a potty break
- Checking today's schedule
- Viewing progress
Imagery
Include prototype GIFs or screen sequences with arrows showing the interaction flow.
Usability Testing
Testing focused on understanding how quickly users could complete common tasks.
Findings
✅ Dashboard was easy to understand.
✅ Logging activities felt fast.
⚠ Some users overlooked reminder settings.
⚠ Activity history required stronger visual hierarchy.
These insights informed several design iterations.
Final Solution
The final MVP provides a centralized experience for managing puppy care.
Users can:
- Record exercise
- Track potty breaks
- Log meals
- Monitor sleep
- Receive reminders
- Review daily progress
- Record exercise
- Track potty breaks
- Log meals
- Monitor sleep
- Receive reminders
- Review daily progress
The design reduces cognitive load while encouraging consistent routines during the critical early months of puppy ownership.
User Interface
Includes logo, color theme and typography.
Results
Although this was an MVP concept, the design successfully addressed the primary user problems identified during research.
Impact
✔ Simplified daily puppy care
✔ Reduced cognitive load
✔ Encouraged routine building
✔ Increased owner confidence
Imagery
Instead of only text, use a metrics or impact graphic.
For example:
🧠 Reduced Mental Load
📅 Consistent Daily Routines
🐶 Healthier Puppy Habits
❤️ More Confident Owners
Reflection
This project reinforced that successful UX isn't about adding more features—it's about reducing complexity. By focusing on the everyday behaviors of first-time puppy owners, I designed an MVP that supports consistency, builds confidence, and makes puppy care feel more manageable.