Introducing Petworth
Petworth is a mobile application that connects pet owners with a trusted network of pet sitters in their neighborhood. Users get matched with up to three trained and recommended sitters at a time, who they can message and arrange a free home visit for first-time bookings.
My role
As part of Dribbble’s Product Design Course, I played the role of product designer to build Petworth from ideation to prototype to usability tests. Throughout this design process, I focused on three key areas:
Tools used: Figma | Adobe Fresco | Google Forms and Meet
Timeline: 3 months
Users need trust
66% of users interviewed in person and through Google Forms cited trust as their top concern when finding a sitter. Other priorities included cost and sitters making a genuine connection with their pets.
Endless scroll
The current leading app services target digital native millennials in urban areas, but they cast a wide net for sitters. This puts users at risk of choice fatigue and leaves out users who may not be as comfortable or willing to spend a lot of time scrolling through options on an app. Prices and service fees vary. Existing apps make it hard to establish that personal connection that pet owners value.
Flow and feel
To reach users who may be tired of too much digital decision-making and engagement, I aimed for a minimalist and forthcoming impression and flow. I mirrored the simple but whimsical identity of existing news outlets and The New Yorker cartoons to regenerate a similar association of trust in Petworth.
Testing and iterating
In navigating the first few prototypes, users found it easy to complete the task of creating an account and booking a sitter. However, the successfully simple flow of the app left out the most important ingredient: a feeling of trust. To highlight this, I created and emphasized screens that described Petworth’s value:
We get that pets are family,
Our sitters are trusted and vetted,
We help you narrow down choices and provide standardized transparent pricing.
In a slight qualification to my initial research assumption, users actually did not like that the app provided an immediate sitter match upon first search. They wanted at least three options before deciding to view a sitter profile, so I added a screen before users moved to the full profile screens.
Looking ahead
These are my pillars to live by: all feedback is good data and there is always room for improvement. If I were to continue working on this app and service, here’s what I would focus on:
Building out in-app and in-person training and educational experiences
Creating an in-app checklist for both sitters and pet owners to prepare for upcoming bookings
Providing in-app dedicated user support for personalized troubleshooting
Adding a review/referral feature for users to easily review and refer their favorite sitters to friends and family in and off the app
