PlayPaws

PlayPaws

Team

Grace Dong

Michela d’Amico

Qinyu Wang

Mark Ma

Xinying Li

Grace Dong

Michela d’Amico

Qinyu Wang

Mark Ma

Xinying Li

roles
roles

Conducted industry and competitor research on the pet toy industry

Conducted exploratory testing with 2 participants

Product managed by creating deadlines and updating project progress

Created 3D model of Ball-Bot toy

Project description

Project description

Project description

This case study is a course project for University of Toronto’s Master’s level Fundamental of UX course

The core goal of this project is to:

Help people’s cats and dogs that need enrichment play with toys that are fun and challenging to achieve the pets' best physical and mental self.

The problem: 

Pets are under-stimulated when they are home alone for a long time.


The solution

Creating an app for an imaginary interactive toy that can keep pets happy and engaged

Phase 1: Discovery

Phase 1: Discovery

Phase 1: Discovery

Meet Kiki, my furry friend.

Meet Kiki, my furry friend.

Like all pet owners, I’ve always wanted Kiki to be happy, healthy, and engaged.

But I noticed that she's been feeling sad as I'm away from home to go to school and work. Finding toys that truly challenge and entertain her while I'm gone also wasn’t as easy as it seemed.​

This sparked an idea:

how might I help other pet owners ensure their furry friends thrive physically and mentally?

It turns out my whole team has been having the same frustrations.

We wanted to make sure that our solution could address all these problems. We also wanted to know what kind of product will be needed by the user. To answer these questions, we get our researcher hats on.  

Phase 2: Definition

The pet industry is a booming market, with a growing trend.

90% of pet owners view their pets as their family member and are willing to spend money to improve their physical and mental health.

Two clear trends emerged


  1. Limited Longevity: Pets quickly grow bored with repetitive interactions.

  2. Lack of Multi-Functionality: Most products focus on either physical or mental stimulation—not both.

We looked at some of our competitors:

FitBark

Great for tracking health, but it’s purely observational—there’s no interactive element to keep pets actively engaged.​

Wickedbone by Cheerble

An innovative interactive toy, but its pre-set features feel limiting, and it requires pet parents to activate it manually.

Paticipant demographics
Inclusion criteria + recruitment screener
Top 3 questions

User Interviews

User Interviews

The research revealed our opportunities:

  • What if we combined interactive play with customizable features that adapt to a pet’s preferences?

  • What if we integrated health tracking, so pet parents could ensure their furry companions stay active and healthy while having fun?

This insight became our North Star: to design a product that keeps pets happy, healthy, and engaged not just today, but for the long haul.

The research revealed our opportunities:

  • What if we combined interactive play with customizable features that adapt to a pet’s preferences?

  • What if we integrated health tracking, so pet parents could ensure their furry companions stay active and healthy while having fun?

This insight became our North Star: to design a product that keeps pets happy, healthy, and engaged not just today, but for the long haul.

Paticipant demographics
Inclusion criteria + recruitment screener
Top 3 questions
Paticipant demographics
Top 3 questions
Inclusion criteria + recruitment screener

Solution

Solution

Solution

The resulting AI-powered scheduling app offers a seamless user experience, allowing individuals and businesses to effortlessly manage their schedules.

The resulting AI-powered scheduling app offers a seamless user experience, allowing individuals and businesses to effortlessly manage their schedules.

Intelligent Scheduling

Intelligent Scheduling

AI algorithms analyze user preferences, availability, and priorities to generate optimized schedules.

AI algorithms analyze user preferences, availability, and priorities to generate optimized schedules.

Calendar Integration

Calendar Integration

Seamless integration with popular calendar platforms such as Google Calendar and Outlook, ensuring synchronized scheduling across devices.

Seamless integration with popular calendar platforms such as Google Calendar and Outlook, ensuring synchronized scheduling across devices.

Personalization

Personalization

Customizable settings allow users to tailor scheduling preferences and priorities to their unique needs.

Customizable settings allow users to tailor scheduling preferences and priorities to their unique needs.

Results

Results

Results

Here, the outcomes and achievements of the project are highlighted, including user feedback, adoption rates, and industry recognition.

Increased Efficiency

Users report significant time savings and improved productivity through optimized scheduling recommendations.

Positive User Feedback

High user satisfaction ratings and positive reviews highlight the app's intuitive interface and powerful AI capabilities.

Growing User Base

The app quickly gained traction among individuals and businesses worldwide, with a steady increase in user adoption and engagement.

Find me on other channels

Find me on other channels