Uber for Dogs: How to Stop & Think for Design

These days it’s all too easy to get exactly what you want. There’s no shortage of people eager to please, and now machines want to as well (all while telling you you’re a pretty, pretty genius). But as many cautionary fables would remind you, what you want isn’t always what you need.

At silverorange we are happy to help you bring your ideas to reality, but we’d hate to waste your time and money by building something that isn’t what you need. That’s why we take the time to stop and think to make sure we—and you—have the right solution.

The Problem Shapes the Solution

When starting on a request for a product, feature, or even a small change, I start with the problem. It may seem obvious, but even if an idea is crystal clear to the client, breaking it down into its simplest form—a problem to be solved—can make sure we’re on the right track.

For example, say a client came to us with an idea for Uber for Dogs, a ride hailing app that transports pooches from one place to another. Great! But I’m not going to launch straight into whipping something up in Figma. Like any designer, I’ve got lots and lots of questions. Firstly…

What problem are you trying to solve?

This question can seem rudimentary, but a client may not always have a straight-forward answer. It could’ve been a number of things that inspired them—an issue they personally faced, a gap spotted in the market, or multiple things all at once. But having a concise concept can only help clarify the product’s direction.

Once you identify the problem, this will be the core ethos of the product, and all features should be in service of solving it. And that’s not to say there will only be one problem to solve, but—especially in the early stages—you don’t want to get bogged down chasing too many solutions. If there are multiple problems, we’ll want to prioritize them to ensure the primary problem is solved first—and best.

In our Uber for Dogs example, the primary problem could be something like:

People short on time need a better way to transport their dog to doggy daycare

So, we’ve got our problem—we’re done, right? Not quite. While we have the core problem to build the product around, there’s plenty more that goes into solving it.

Why does the problem need to be solved?

A ‘better way’ sounds good in theory, but making it ‘better’ is vague at best. What does ‘better’ even mean? How are the existing solutions not working? What will this new product change?

The Why of the problem should reflect the existing pain points so your new solution can address at least some of them. For Uber for Dogs, those pain points may be:

• Transport adds to commute time
• Regular ride-hailing apps are unreliable for pets
• Drop-off at daycare is always super busy
• What about carpooling? Repairs? Illness?

Knowing the why of your feature or product will make sure you're solving the problems your competitors do not, and will help set concrete goals for design and development.

Who needs the problem to be solved?

Who your users are obviously affects how we approach design. An app for kids will be very different than an app used by adults—but even that can be too broad an audience. Details like age, location, and background will all impact design.

Who are the people who will benefit from this product or feature? If you did it right, the type of people might already appear in your problem.

People short on time need a better way to transport their dog to doggy daycare

Of course, that’s only a small piece of the picture. What’s their economic status? Work schedule? Mobility and health? Technical skill? Depending on your target users, questions could get even more specific.

• What’s their level of literacy?
• Will they be covered in blood?
• How many dogs do they own?

That’s why research is important. If the product is new, market research will help you learn more about the people you’re trying to reach and the other products you’re competing against. If your product is already available, you can ask your existing user base questions before implementing a new feature. We can then take that research and make it a little more persona-able (sorry) by creating personas to use as guides for the project.

The Solution

Now we know what the problem is, why we’re solving it, and who we’re solving it for… How does one bring it to life?

Well, that’s where we come in. At silverorange, we have experience in building unique and elegant solutions for web and mobile, but we’re also great at shaping ideas into usable, accessible, and sustainable products. If you're interested in something like that, say hi! (Okay, that’s enough of that, but you know where to find us if you need us.)

Only once we have the right questions can we start answering them. The solution might be pretty close to what was first envisioned, or it could develop into something else entirely. For our fictional Uber for Dogs client, the problem they actually needed to be solved was more in line with a Doggy Daycare Bus Service.

	Uber for Dogs	Doggy Daycare Bus
Managed by	Individual	Business Owner
# of Drivers Needed	Many	Fewer
Cost per User	$$$	$
Types of Dog	Driver’s discretion	Any
Safety	Vehicle dependent	Specialized vehicle

Either way, we’ve taken the time to figure out which was the right solution—and which solution was right for you.