Preventing se-paw-ration anxiety in pets and pet parents
GOAL: To identify ways for pet parents to cope with the mental and emotional impacts of leaving man’s best friend
SITUATION: Class project with time-bound business strategy implications for the client
IMPACT: Pitched research and subsequent product idea to the client, transforming their approach to the problem from anxiety-prevention to anxiety-preparation
Client: Bark
Methods: Industry & literature review, Interviews, Observations, Projective Exercise, Typology framework
Duration: 6 weeks
Role: User Researcher
Team: 2 classmates (marketing and product strategy experience)
BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM
This was a client project we did as a part of our Needfinding class at the University of Pennsylvania. The client, Bark, came to us with an un-fur-gettable problem.
Due to the pandemic, pet ownership rose to an all-time high of 70%. However, as people get vaccines and booster-ed, pet parents are starting to go back to the office – having mental and emotional repercussions for both pet parents and their pets. 72% of dog parents who returned to work said they miss their dog while at the office – compared to the 39% who said they missed their partner and 35% who said they missed their children!
ROLE AND CONTRIBUTION
My team and I divided responsibilities based on our varied strengths and previous experience. As the user researcher, I lead the user research and insight analysis phase, supported by my team. From creating the interview discussion guide and projective exercise, to identifying the most appropriate analysis framework (typology framework), and building the storyboard. I supported my team in initial secondary research (literature review, market trend analysis), and product strategy ideation.
Research Question
What are the emotions felt and behaviors displayed by pets and pet parents when faced with separation?
Research goals:
- Understand pet parents’ drivers behind their emotions and behaviors
- Observe how pets and pet parents navigate separation (any specific workarounds?)
- Identify ways to mitigate negative emotions and behaviors in pets and pet parents
PROCESS
9
7
6
8
Pet parent interviews
Observation and projective exercise hours
Home visits
Dog treats given
Research
Participant recruitment
We began with secondary research to understand the landscape of pet ownership. To better dig into the attitudes and behaviors behind the numbers we saw, we wanted to interact with pet parents. Of course, that meant we had to identify who to talk to, so we established our screening criteria. Given the rising prevalence of pet tech, we wanted to ensure our target was comfortable with smart technologies.
Screening criteria
- Within the age group of 25-40
- Bring home <$80,000 in annual salary
- Have daily access to and are comfortable operating ‘smart’ technologies
- Have an imminent back-to-work circumstance (hybrid or fully in-person) within 3-6 months
- Are the Primary caregivers to the dog
Qualitative research
To get a holistic understanding of the problem, we used a combination of interviews, observations, and projective exercises. This allowed us to explore how the meaning and implication of separation differs for each pet parent and their pets, and glean in-situ data about workarounds and emotions involved.
Semi-structured in-depth interviews
Observation
Projective exercise
We wanted to identify the attitudes and approaches to separation while allowing important nuances and contextual factors to emerge.
We wanted to witness reactions to the current process of separation: what are some workarounds that pet parents use to make this experience easier for themselves and their pets?
We aimed to dig deeper into the emotions associated with the separation and gain insight into pet parents’ justifications for it.
⚒️ Challenge: Our first virtual observation exercise was clunky: the participant struggled to juggle their laptop, their pet, and carry out their routine. Therefore, for future virtual observations, we informed the participants in advance – enabling them to create a makeshift setup to place the camera and allowing us to observe them with no physical issues.
Data Analysis and Synthesis
Themes
We built an affinity diagram to extract the main themes and insights.
Across our findings, we saw a recurring emphasis and gap in achieving connection, having check-ins, and being provided with guidance during the separation process.
Typology Framework
We converted our insights into an accurate, clarifying, and actionable typology framework. Our framework focused on the pet parents because our research process found that most of the anxiety pet parents went through was self-inflicted.
We built pet parent archetypes based on emotional triggers, motivations behind using workarounds, and separation management expectations.
We decided to address the “MacGyver-esque” typology because we saw that designing for “the middle” would actually have the largest impact with product adoption spilling over onto both ends as well!
Opportunity
Transforming moments of disruption into moments of empowerment with anxiety-management solutions
PRODUCT RECOMMENDATIONS
Product ideas
We came up with 3 product ideas that addressed our opportunity space in their own unique ways. We anchored these ideas in the three main themes that came up during our research (connection, check-ins, and guidance), while catering to the specific needs of our “MacGyver” pet parent.
Storyboard
We decided to focus on our second idea: emBARK. We created a storyboard to illustrate and highlight its main features from the user’s lens:
- It offers guidance by breaking down an overwhelming goal into small, actionable tasks
- Achieving each task boosts self-confidence and empowers pet parents and their pets
- The in-built camera enables real-time check-ins
- The entire experience facilitates a deeper connection between pet parents and their pets
🚀 Learning: Building the storyboard and the final client presentation really highlighted the importance of telling a story with your research – weaving a narrative that links the insights discovered with the company philosophy and current business landscape to arrive at a fitting, and effective, conclusion.
IMPACT
The client acknowledged and appreciated that we had customized our product to a specific archetype of pet parents, incorporating and extending the their business philosophy of creating products for each unique archetype of pet (e.g., “super chewer” toys built for dogs who play harder).
The client also particularly liked our focus on a product that has long-term scope. emBARK goes beyond the immediate separation-training phase: with home integration it leverages consumer smart-home trends to integrate into daily life.
REFLECTION
What I learnt
- Dark side of archetyping. From a research standpoint, the typology framework worked for us but this process showed me the dark side of creating personas or archetypes based on the wrong criteria – like demographics, making me more intentional with my research choices and cautious of unintended consequences. In this situation, we could have explored a 2×2 framework too.
What went well
- Accomplished a lot with a little. Given our short timeline, I am impressed with our ability to pinpoint a unique opportunity space, refine the scope, and design solutions that influenced the client’s approach. This was made possible by our flexible approach to the process, ability to problem-solve in the moment, and creating a clear schedule of deliverables (and sticking to them!).
- Divide and conquer strategy. We had each team member take accountability for the different stages of the product – playing to our individual strengths while building a safe space for creative discussions and constructive criticism.
Next time…
- Less can be more. From a product standpoint, emBARK does a lot with very little. We could have honed in on the top two features and kept the rest for future iterations. Going forward I’d be more mindful of focusing on just the essentials.
Click here to view our final client presentation!