Welcome
FLUFFFY is an online dog care platform. This page is only a product portfolio outline to demo my PM skills and experience. All sensitive data has been filtered. For a completed version, please contact me through email at elvinlikestech@gmail.com .
Challenges
Our dogs are family members who cannot speak. We love them, but we also have other priorities in our lives at certain moments. As a result, we cannot always be with them. We might have to work overtime; We might go on a trip but cannot find trusted people to care for them. Without enough exercise and proper care, our dogs make us worried or become a roadblock when we plan our trips.
Most pet service providers are often small businesses or individuals who are cost-sensitive and do not have enough cash to make technology investments. The traditional ways of accepting new business—phone calls, emails, and in-person visits — are inefficient and hard to set up credibility with potential customers.
The Solution – FLUFFFY
FLUFFFY is the app that connects dog and dog parents with loving pet service providers at local. Dog parents can find their trusted pet service provider and book a service in the time that matters. And the high-quality dog service from local dog service providers ensures our fluffy friends are healthy and happy.
Lean Canvas For Flufffy
Research
For dog owners:
Customer interviews and surveys were sent out to dog owners to understand more insight into dog owners’ challenges. The sampled dog owners covered dog owners with different tenures — new dog owners ( having dog <1yr), middle dog owners ( having dog>1year less than five years) and experienced dog owners ( having dog>5yrs).
The list below shows some questions asked during the interviews.
- Demographic Info
- How long have you had your dog?
- How many times, on average in a year, have you travelled without your dog?
- How often, on average, have you let someone else walk your dog (with and without your presence) in a year?
- What is the biggest concern when your dog is not with you?
- How long do you walk your dog per day on average?
- How often do you see your dog running inside the house or destroying things in your home?
The result showed:
- 92% of respondents had the experience of letting someone they know walk their dog.
- 60% of respondents had concerns that their dogs do not have enough exercise.
- 83% of respondents had experience with dog hotels or having someone taking care of their dogs.
- 47% of respondents travel on-air at least once a year.
- 85% of respondents think dogs’ safety is their most profound concern
For dog service providers:
Customer interviews and surveys were sent out to pet shop owners and pet sitters. The goal was to understand their process to accept/ find new business, the dispute resolution process, the distance between their shop and customer address and their pricing model.
The list below shows some questions asked during the interviews.
- Demographic Info
- How long have you had your business?
- Do you have a website for your service? Can you book an appointment on your website?
- How many times, on average in a year, have you found yourself in a dispute?
- What are some common questions your customers ask?
- How often, on average, have your customer asked for pet services- pet sitting/dog walking/dog grooming /dog training?
- What is the biggest concern when you accept a new business?
- What kind of payment system are you using right now?
- Do you have cameras in your shop? How do you feel if a customer asks for live streaming on his dog? Why?
The result showed:
- 95% of small business respondents had the experience of dog owners being late on their appointment or picking up their dogs late.
- 55% of small business respondents do not have their own website.
- 60% of small business respondents use Excel to log their appointments with their customers.
- 97% of servicer providers mentioned at least one bad experience/ indecent with aggressive dogs.
- 60% of respondents are willing to add a camera for streaming the pet during their stay.
The top three questions customer asked are:
- How much is the service?
- When is the next available time?
- When can I pick up my dog?
Targeted Segmentation:
| Segmentation Level 1 | Segmentation Level 2 | Customer Related characteristics, lifestyle orientation, and goals |
| Dog owners | Young busy professionals | Young busy professionals have unpredicted daily schedules. They have to work overtime or get up early. Although they deeply love their dogs and want their dogs to be healthy and happy, they do not feel comfortable walking their dog when they are exhausted by work. |
| Dog owners | Travellers | Travellers have to travel due to various reasons. The travel plan is defined, and they want their dogs to be taken good care of. The trips have to happen, but they want to find someone who can be trusted. |
| Dog Service Provider | Professional Service Provider | Professional Service Providers are owners of pet daycares, pet hotels and pet salons, or professional dog trainers. They usually run their own business with an initial investment(budget). To attract new customers, they want to keep their reputation by delivering outstanding service. However, they are not willing to invest too much in things like technology. |
| Dog Service Provider | Amateur Dog Sitter | Amateur Dog Sitters are experienced dog owners who love and care for dogs. They do not have a business but are willing to spare their time to earn some income. Most of them are big fans of social media. |
Personas And Customer Journey
Peter Overland
Dog Owner | Busy Consultant
Age:26
Pets: A Dog( Husky)
Personal details:
Income: $100,000
Profile
I am a consultant who often has to work overtime during the week. My husky is very energetic and requires lots of excises. Also, I do not know how to give a dog a bath.
Goals
- Walk my dog twice, at least for 2 hours daily
- Train my dog to have the proper behaviour
Frustrations
- I do not have enough time because I have to work overtime
- The weather condition is not pleasant, but my dog still wants to go out
- I feel anxious when strangers take care of my dog
- I cannot easily find a dog walker to fit my schedule
- My dog sometimes does not behaviour right
Key Drivers
- I have to work overtime very often
- My husky is very energetic and destroys things in the home
- I love my dog and want to make sure he is in a good condition
- Make sure my dog is safe
- Make sure my husky can get enough excise
How I expect to Use the Service
I can search the nearby dogwalkers and make dog walker request. The dog walker will pick up my dog and send my dog when walking is done.
Peter’s Customer Journey
Megan Clark
Dog Owner | Traveller
Age:48
Pets: A Dog( Husky)
Personal details:
Income: $160,000
Marriage status: Married
Profile
I am an account manager who often has to travel nationally. I recently planned my honeymoon somewhere that does not allow pets. My dog is very playful and requires lots of attention.
Goals
- Take good care of my dog while I am on a trip
- Train my dog to have the right behaviour
Frustrations
- I have to leave the city for a few days but cannot bring my dog
- Sometimes no one in my family can take care of the dog
- I feel anxious when strangers take care of my dog
- I cannot check the status of my dog when I am away
Key Drivers
- My job asks me to travel very often
- I love my dog and want to make sure he is in good condition
- I want to focus on my work without worrying about my pet
- Sometimes my family is not available as well
How I expect to Use the Service
I can search for nearby dog hotels and book a room for my dog. The nearby dog walker will pick up my dog and send the dog to the dog hotel. Or I can drop off my dog at the hotel location. When staying at the dog hotel, a dog walker will walk my dog as scheduled in the app.
Megan’s Customer Journey
Frustrations
- I spent too much time scheduling appointments with my customers
- It takes lots of effort to communicate with my customers (i.e.when their pet is ready for pickup)
- It is hard to show our store history and feedback from other customers
Profile
I own my pet shop business in downtown Toronto. My team is small and lean. We provide pet services including grooming, dog sitting and selling foods and toys for pets.
Goals
- Attract more nearby customers and stay connected with existing customers
- Save time on accepting appointments and payments.
John Smith
Service Provider | Pet Shop Owner
Age:32
Pets: A Dog( Boxer)
Marriage status: Married
Mobile App Used: Uber; UberEats; DoorDash
How I expect to Use the Service
I can post my available time slot for my service appointment. Once an order is accepted and completed, I can receive my payment and finish the transaction. Also, I can post and send out my promotion of shop.
Key Drivers
- I want to track my customers’ satisfaction to improve my service
- I want to send out marketing material easily
- I am already very busy but I still want to grow my business
John’s Customer Journey
Frustrations
- I do not have a way to tell everyone nearby that I am available for dog sitting
- I do not feel safe to make payment transactions over email transfer or cash
- I have to spend lots of time scheduling the service
Profile
I am a dog walker who also is a veterinary nurse working part-time in a local Vet Clinic. I love animals and know how to take care of them professionally. I sometimes help my neighbour to sit their pets when they are away.
Goals
- Take good care of more animals.
- Earn more income and spend time with cute dogs
Jesscia Niehorster
Service Provider | Dog Sitter
Age:27
Pets: None
Personal details:
Income: $80,000
How I expect to Use the Service
I can accept service requests through the application and verify the requester’s profile. Once an order is accepted, I can share my location to demonstrate the service is provided as planned. After the service is completed, I can receive my payment from the platform.
Key Drivers
- I want to earn extra income
- I love spending time with animals
- I want to avoid spam when dealing with strangers
Jesscia’s Customer Journey
Prioritization of
Features
by MoSCoW
Must-Have
- Service introduction page
- Book service by Date and Time
- Real-time pet status(location, speed and heart rate) displaying
- On-going service Management
- Confirmation for dog drop off
- Message Notification
- Contact on-site support
- Cashier integration
- Message Center and customer service
Won’t Have
- 3rd party ads
- Web camera on pets harness
Should-Have
- Allow users to modify ongoing service
- Book service with specified dog walkers
- Review/Rank each service
- Account management
- Account login
- Profile info log
Could-Have
- Real-time pet video sharing
- Cashier integration
- Google/Facebook/other 3rd party account integration
- Dog training videos
- Last 20 mins video recording in the pet hotel
- Shuttle bus booking for dog owners
User Stories
Dog Owners
User Stories
- ✓ As a busy professional dog owner, I want to order pet service so that I can focus on my business
- As a busy professional dog owner, I want to order a dog walk service so that I can focus on my business
- As a busy professional dog owner, I want to order a dog homestay so that I can travel
- As a busy professional dog owner, I want to order a dog walk service so that I can focus on my business
- ✓ As a buys professional dog owner, I want to get modify on-going service so that I can better manage both my time and my dog’s time.
- As a buys professional dog owner, I want to get my dog basic training so that my pet behaves nicely to others.
- As a buys professional dog owner, I want to change the pick-up location for my dog so that I can visit somewhere nearby without waiting.
- ✓As a buys professional dog owner, I want to get modify on-going service so that I can better manage both my time and my dog’s time.
- As a buys professional dog owner, I want to get my dog basic training so that my pet behaves nicely to others.
- As a buys professional dog owner, I want to change the pick-up location for my dog so that I can visit somewhere nearby without waiting.
Acceptance Criteria
- ✓ The app should allow users to order the service by service type, date, time and other required input.
- The app should allow users to place an order by walking distance, dog walker, date and time.
- The app should allow users to place an order by date and time and daily schedule for the dog.
- The app should allow users to place an order by training details, trainer name, date , time and rating.
- ✓ The app should allow the user to select on-going service and make the modification.
- The app should allow the user to select on-going dog walker and request a dog training session for his dog.
- The app should allow the user to select on-going dog walker and request a pick-up location change.
- ✓ The app should allow the user to select on-going service and make the modification.
- The app should allow the user to select on-going dog walker and request a dog training session for his dog.
- The app should allow the user to select an ongoing dog walker and request a pick-up location change.
Service Provider Owners
User Stories
- ✓ As a Pet shop owner, I want to accept new orders so that I can get more business from locals.
- As a pet shop owner, I want to show the services we provide so that I can attract people who have the needs.
- As a pet shop owner, I want to show my available time slot so that I can accept new orders without checking my calendar.
Acceptance Criteria
- ✓ The app should allow the user to post the available time slots for each service they provide on app.
- The app should allow the user to modify and display their store services on the store page.
- The app should allow the user to post and update their calendar on the service booking page.
Risks and Mitigations
Schedule Risk: There might be conflict when scheduling/allocating critical engineering resources, leading to product launch delays.
Mitigation: The team will need to follow the Agile principle and give onboarding training on Agile expectations.
Business Risk: There might be fewer customer requests for dog walking and dog hotels than the team expected.
Mitigation: Use a landing page and “The Mechanical Turk” to start the business before investing too much in technology.
Operational Risk: The un-uniform customer volume may cause too much waste for some seasons or days.
Mitigation: Start the business with the smallest size to experience the market. Increase/reduce operation team size using forecasting data.
Technology Risk: The infrastructure of the app might require too much overhead.
Mitigation: The design should start with cloud deployment before owning any infrastructure.
Legal Risk: The privacy concern and pet safety may pose the team a legal risk.
Mitigation: The company will partner with the third part of pet insurance. All privacy rules will need an external legal team review.
RoadMap
| RoadMap Stage | Phase1 | Phase2 | Phase3 | Phase4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Basic Dog Service | Intelligent Dog Care | Major City Expansion | International Expansion |
| Market | One metropolitan | Two cities | Five cities across North America | North America and Europe |
| Key Features | ·Service booking ·Payment system ·Customer reviews · GPS tracking of pets Pet Hotel Room Live Stream Link | ·Review Board ·Pet Hotel Room Live Stream link ·Live Dogwalker streaming ·Record of Pet hotel ·Google/FB login Voice call system | ·Dog video sharing Pet community | Online Pet Shop |
More content is coming to this page…
Like what you see?
Please feel free to contact me through email email elvinlikestech@gmail.com .