WaterPup — A Water Tracker for your Pet
I designed and created prototypes for a smart pet water bowl level and an app companion. The bowl was modeled using 3D printing and the companion app was modeled using lo-fi wireframes. The WaterPup system uses a sensor in the water bowl to determine different statistics about the water inside and the pet’s consumption, such as the water level, time since water was last replaced, and times the pet drank water. It can also analyze the consumption data and give the user summaries, trends, and warnings.
Ideation
I began ideating by first identifying my design requirements based on the functionalities I was interested in implementing into the project and the assignment guidelines. The following were the goals for my design:
- Must inform the user about their pet’s water consumption.
- Must use two prototyping techniques
- Must be able to evaluate it based on the desirability, feasibility, and/or usability.
Inspiration
The inspiration for this project comes from my experience with my dog’s drinking habits. My dog drinks a lot of water, and we will often find his bowl empty despite refilling it pretty regularly. My dog will try to communicate his need for water through whining or barking, but since this is how he communicates all needs, it’s hard to tell exactly what he wants. I decided to investigate ways I could know the status of his water bowl.
Project Plan Feedback
I wrote up and submitted a plan detailing my inspiration and water bowl design to my instructors. They advised me to think of other problems the WaterPup could apply to, such as standing water. Thus, I expanded my design requirements to inform the user about broader aspects of water consumption instead of just low water levels.
Sketching
I made very basic sketches of the water bowl design prior to starting work on Onshape. My goal with sketching was primarily to plan out the location of the sensor in the bowl.
I also made basic sketches of the wireframes and a user flow prior to working with Figma. As wireframing involves placements of UI elements and not detailed graphics of proposed visuals, I sketched to get a feel for the user flow and where I wanted to place buttons.
System Features
The following are notable features and rationales of the WaterPup system.
- Water Consumption Recommendation — With the weight, breed, and shape of the dog, the WaterPup can estimate how much water the animal might need a day. This allows users to get a simple estimation customized to their dog if they haven’t gotten a recommendation from the vet.
- Water Level Reader — With the water level reader, the user can see the live level of water in the bowl, and will get a notification when the water level reaches 0%.
- Standing Water Detector — The standing water detector will let the user know when the water hasn’t been replaced in a while. Some pets are picky with how long water has been out, and the water could have bad bacteria if it’s been standing for a long time.
- Trends — The trends give users high-level reports about how their pet is drinking and whether they make their recommended consumption.
- Recent Activity — This provides the user with a detailed look into the drinking habits of their pets, helping the user further analyze their pet’s health.
Water Bowl Prototype
I used the OnShape 3D modeling software to develop the model for the water bowl. I created a cross-section of the shape of the bowl from the center, then revolved the cross-section to create the main bowl. I then added animal ears to the side of the bowl for a fun design element. The prototype was printed at a smaller size than
Notable Design Decisions
The following are key design decisions I made for the interactive prototype:
- Sensor Located in the Middle of the Bowl — There are a few reasons that the water level sensor is in the middle of the bowl instead of on the side. First, the sensor is more visible in the center so users can easily see where it is. Second, I was interested in making the model more interesting as I had made a similar shape for a different project. Finally, the placement with the ears makes it look a bit like an animal nose.
- Smooth Transition to Sensor — I made sure that the sensor did not have sharp edges or corners so that pets wouldn’t harm themselves when drinking.
Interactive Wireframes Prototype
I worked with Figma to create the interactive prototype for the WaterPup App, located here. I prototyped the process for using the WaterPup for the first time, as well as the general features for daily usage of the app. In addition to these wireframes, I prototyped a push notification.
Notable Design Decisions
The following are key design decisions I made for the interactive prototype:
- Feature Button Placement — I decided to have all of the feature buttons(trends, recent activity, etc) be on the dashboard as they are all actions that a user would need quick access to. Also, I thought having a bottom or top bar with complex icons may be too cluttered.
- Dashboard — I included a dashboard so that a user could see key statistics immediately upon opening the app. Just by checking the app, the user immediately knows the level of water, the last time their pet drank water, and the last time they replaced the water.
- Warning Location — I placed the warning banner underneath the title bar so that it is closer to the core information of the app and more likely to be seen.
Difficulties
As I had recent experiences with both 3D printing and wireframing, I was able to avoid a lot of the difficulties I had when I was doing those projects before. However, I still faced some challenges with traffic in the Maker’s Lab and with some niche prototyping program behaviors.
- 3D Printers Busy — As it was final project season for a lot of classes, the machines in the Maker’s Lab were very busy, and I had to come back and check a few times before being able to print my bowl prototype.
- Struggling to Add the Ears to My Model — When adding the ears to the water bowl it was difficult to refine them and edit them. I often had to start the ears over as Onshape would not let me edit the ear sketches after I extruded them, even if I undid the action.
- Figma Prototype Animations — Sometimes the prototype interactions would automatically set themselves to “smart animate”, animating buttons in ways that didn’t make sense. It took me a bit of digging to figure out what was going on.
Testing
I evaluated desirability and usability. The concept was desirability tested and the companion app was usability tested. I wanted to know if the concept is something other people would use and if the accompanying app is usable.
Methods
I conducted testing by following these steps:
- I told the user that I would be asking them about their experiences with giving their pets water. I also told them that that I was interested in their feedback, making sure they knew that there were no right or wrong answers.
- I asked the user about their experience giving water to their pets and their pet’s drinking habits, with questions like: Does your pet drink a lot of water? Do you ever find their water bowl empty? Do you ever forget to fill their water bowl? Have you ever assumed that your pet was trying to get you to fill their water bowl? Have you ever noticed water staying in the bowl for an extended period of time? Do you experience other challenges when giving water to your pets? Would you be interested in an app that could let you know when to refill the water bowl? Would you be interested in detailed information about your pet’s water consumption?
- I then introduced my 3D model and interactive wireframe prototypes. I also guided my user through the interactive prototype, noting when they hesitated or said that they were unsure what to do. I asked them a few questions, like: What would you do once you reached this stage of the process? Does this match your expectations for how this part of the process would look like?
- Following the prototype run-through, I ended the test with these questions: Do you think this app may help you refill your pet’s bowl more frequently? Do you think this would help you understand your pet’s needs?
Analysis
I received critique from user testing and from in-class critique. I also got valuable feedback and insights from pet owners’ experiences giving water to their dogs.
User Insights
- Users Experience Challenges When Giving their Pets Water — In addition to the ones I accounted for in the prototype, users mentioned other types of issues they have with giving their dogs water. This includes: Forgetting to fill their pets’ water bowls. Letting water stand for a few days. Dogs drink water so fast that they get sick. Dogs are picky about particulates (like food) in their water.
- Users are Unsure of What their Pets are Communicating — Users noted that they often can’t tell what their pets are asking for when they whine or beg.
Concept
- Useful Idea — During critique, people mentioned that they have trouble when giving their dog water and would find the product useful.
- Interested in Support Depending on Habits — People mentioned that they would like guidance on how to solve water issues that the app finds.
- Multiple Pets — Users were interested in how the app would be used if there were multiple pets. I had initially thought they would buy multiple bowls, but people noted that they often only have one water bowl for all of their pets.
3D Printed Water Bowl
- Concerns for Difficulty when Pets Consume Water — Some people mentioned that the sensor in the middle of the bowl may be a hazard for pets, or that it may discourage them from drinking water.
Interactive Wireframes
- Dashboard is Effective — People mentioned that the dashboard contains the relevant information they would like to see and that it was easy to access.
- Easy Onboarding and Flow — People noted that the first experience with the app was simple and direct.
Redevelopment
If I could redevelop this product, I would implement feedback from critiques and user insights. I would also alter my creation process.
3D Printed Water Bowl
- Investigate and Relocate Sensor — I would consult with vets about the possible dangers of having the level sensor in the center of the bowl. If it does not pose a health risk, I would do a usability test with dogs to see if their drinking speed is altered or if they are hesitant to drink water. The data from this research would determine the location of the sensor.
- Add Functionality for Multiple Pets — I would develop a feature to include multiple pets in the reading. I have two ideas for this:
- Add a Camera to the Sensor — Adding a camera would allow for it to use a technology similar to FaceID to identify different pets at the water bowl. It would also allow the bowl to take pictures, which may add to the fun of the design.
- Microchip on Collar — The sensor would be able to detect which dog is near to the water bowl using a Microchip in their collar.
- Add a Pet Nose to the Top of the Sensor — For fun, I would lean further into the nose visual idea of the sensor and add a nose shape to the top of the sensor.
Interactive Wireframes
- Broader Dashboard for More Pets — I would add an additional dashboard that is one step before the one already present. This dashboard would include quick information about all of the pets the user has, and the user could click onto each pet’s individual dashboard for more information.
Process
- More Research Prior to Development — I would do further research into the needs of pet owners so I could get a comprehensive understanding of the problem space and make a product that fits.
- Print Ears and Bowl Separately — I had to print the bowl at a smaller size as it wouldn’t fit on the printer at the size I wanted. I could have printed it at the size I needed if I printed the ears and bowl separately.
Figma Prototype
Below is an embedded version of my interactive prototype
Demo Video
Below is the demo video for the WaterPup
