Link iOS App Design
Link is a smart collar that syncs with an app on your phone to track your dog’s location and monitor their activity. Following the acquisition of the company in 2018 by DiscoverTec, I was hired as DiscoverTec’s lead UX/UI designer.
MY ROLE
My role has included in-depth user research, product testing, and UX/UI design of the iOS and Android Link AKC app and LinkAKC.com ecommerce website. I have helped steer the direction of our feature releases based on extensive user research.
Check out my designs - they’re live!
USER RESEARCH
On a mission to gather more information about our customers, I joined the DiscoverTec team at the American Family Pet Expo in Costa Mesa, California. There were 50,000 attendees over the course of three days. We learned the primary reason people purchase Link is to keep their dog safe. Common phrases we heard from dog owners were “I’m a paranoid pet parent” and “My dog is an escape artist”. Women aged 55+ were the primary buyer and decision maker in the purchasing process.
What We Learned
The data below was collected by speaking with dog owners that visited our booth, and documenting their estimated demographics and key points made in the conversation. Each conversation was similar to a short-form interview. These notes were then sorted and categorized.
User research - part 2
Summary
The research team used information learned from the Pet Expo to formulate survey questions. The survey was sent to a panel of pet parents across the U.S. The panel was vetted and purchased through Survey Monkey. There were a total of 180 responses.
Theories to test
1. Dog Ownership is difficult and we have an opportunity to make it easier
2. Owners care about their dog’s health but don’t always know how to address health concerns.
3. Not many people know about Link or smart collars in general
Goals
The purpose of the survey was to uncover business opportunities for Link by finding out what challenges people encounter most often with their dogs and gain a better understanding of how dog owners perceive the Link brand.
Analyzing Data
The survey responses were collected from open-ended questions and placed on sticky notes. They were then sorted and categorized.
Key Takeaway:
We have an opportunity to build features around training, exercise tracking, and helping pet parents manage vet bills.
User Research - Part 3
Summary
The UX research team put on their running shoes and tested 6 Link devices and 1 Whistle device. We simulated three real-life scenarios that pet parents may encounter when their dog runs away. The purpose of the experiment was to determine the accuracy and speed of the GPS tracking feature while documenting the user experience.
Test Results
The overall average time to receive an “Away” notification is 4-12 minutes. The overall average time to get a location update is from 3-15 minutes.
USER EXPERIENCE IMPROVEMENTS & STRATEGY
Summary
There are two initiatives to fix the GPS tracking feature in Link. The first is the design of the app to improve the overall user experience. The second is categorizing any technical issues encountered during testing of the GPS feature.
Improvements to Design of the App
1. Giving user updates when searching for dog
2. Connecting the Paw Prints
3. Making the directions feature more intuitive
4. Track my dog twice - fix this
5. Improve Map - static bar for hybrid/satellite
USER RESEARCH - PART 4
Competitive Analysis
Link Problems (Based on 180 Amazon Reviews)
I prepared this report based on 180 Amazon Reviews (combination of every 2 star review, every 3 star review, and verified 1 star reviews). I categorized each complaint in an excel spreadsheet and these are the trends that emerged.
Battery Life
· The number one complaint across the reviews was battery life.
· 58% of people with negative reviews complained about battery life.
· They expected to get at least 3 days of battery (Link advertises 3.5 days of battery life) most people could only go for 1 day or in several cases 6-8 hours before the battery died.
GPS Issues
· 56% of people complained about the GPS. There were two main issues with the GPS:
o GPS failed to update (31%)
o Inaccurate location for their dog (25%)
· Either the collar was stuck searching for the location for more than 15 minutes or when it finally reported the location it was inaccurate and the dog owner ended up finding their dog the old fashioned way – driving around looking for their dog.
False Notifications
· 20% of people received a flood of false notifications (False “Away”, false “home”) which caused lack of trust in the accuracy and reliability of the device.
Too Bulky
· 14% of customers complained that the collar was too big/bulky for their dog. This complaint came from a combination of owners that have both small and large dog breeds.
Link Problems (Based on Customer Service Tickets)
The LinkAKC customer service team documents interactions with customers when they call in with problems. Below are some of the main issues customers encountered July 2018 to present day.
Designing the New Experience
The first step was to enhance the onboarding process. The previous app had a clunky form with 10 fields to create a dog profile. It became clear that the users needed room to breathe and have fun with setting up their dog profile. I extended the form into a few easy steps. There is one area of focus per screen.
Our customers were also confused about how the Link device actually worked so I used a “How it Works” approach to educate users throughout the onboarding flow.
Onboarding was an easy win compared to the false notifications and GPS fixes that needed to be tackled. While the hardware continued to improve, it was my job to manage the user’s expectations. Our tracking was taking around 6-7 minutes. My goal was to get that number down below 2 minutes. I designed screens that gave the users updates as we located their lost dog to give them peace of mind.
We are continuing to make improvements to the app. Our tracking is down to 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
ECOMMERCE WEBSITE
I designed the new LinkAKC website. Check out the live website (currently in production): www.linkakc.com
