Problem
Dog parents living in urban areas are constantly worrying about their pups getting lost. They decided it's time to try something new, and bought the Bark smart collar. Design a smart collar onboarding experience for new Bark users.
Research
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
A strong focus on individual features...
We reviewed other competitors in the smart dog collar industry and found that most had a focus on their GPS tracking as well as backyard geofencing. Fi and Findster Duo+ offered the most features that dog parents would find appealing when looking for a collar that will promote safety and fitness.
Why should users choose Bark?
The team took a look at the competitors and their user flows for the onboarding with the goal of having a basic understanding of the typical setup for a smart collar. There seemed to be a lack of community, which is very important to dog parents, and that could drive users to purchase the Bark collar over the competitors. From our initial sketches, there was a theme of safety, health, and fun. Due to the time constraints of the hackathon, we decided to keep our focus on safety and health.
Safety
Health
Fun
UX WRITING
Developing trust through the Bark Voice
Each member took Friday evening to create their initial sketches. It was evident from reviewing my sketches that UX writing was something that I found important, so it felt quite natural for me to take on the role of UX writer for the project. We wanted the copy to be clear, concise, but also feel like a natural conversation with a person.
UX HACKATHON | DECEMBER 2020
Bark
A week before the UX Result Hackathon, I went to a meetup to find a team, wanting to work with people outside of General Assembly. Our team included a UX Designer with an Industrial Design background and a Visual Designer in their final year of undergrad. From the start, we all clicked and worked well together.
We created an onboarding process for Leverage, who was building an app for a smart dog collar. Since the product was still in development, we had to imagine how it might work. Our main focus was on designing a user-friendly experience that reflected the brand's voice from the start.
Hackathon Presentation
Reflection
Our team finished as a finalist in the UX Result Hackathon, although we didn't win, I am so thankful for the opportunity. I didn't go into the hackathon thinking that one of my main responsibilities would be writing, but it was a pleasant surprise.
The variety of roles and seniority was extremely helpful in our group. We all valued each other's thoughts and opinions and found it easy to work through the process by implementing a voting system. We all were quite tired at the end, but it was worth it.