Hachi Mobile App
Reacting to sensitive social and environmental issues through a digital product
Problem
Dog owners give up dogs because it's hard to rent with them.
82% of landlords won't allow pets in Budapest, but 50% of Hungarians live with pets.
EVERY THIRD phone call a shelter receives is about the owner moving / dying.
Solution
Hachi safely connects dog owners with elderly people who wish for companionship during the day.
Seniors take care of their dog during the day gaining new connections and a helping hand. The dog is not alone, and won't destroy the apartment.
Landlords will begin to see pet owners less as a potential liability
Research and findings
desktop research
social listening
interviews
safari
landlords don't want to rent out to dog owners because they are a liability to them
dogs destroy things because they have separation anxiety
dog owners give up dogs because it's hard/expensive to rent apartments with them
the elderly keep dogs because they are lonely and it gives them purpose
Wireframes
I prefer mapping out my ideas on paper first
Differentiated user groups
Users need to choose between either being a dog owner or a dog host. Creating a detailed profile helps successful matchmaking.
Matchmaking safely
Dog owners filter seniors in a selected radius based on their location, but can only see how many of them are looking for connection in that area.
The dog owners show up on the seniors page with their faces to ensure trust.
Elderly people only show up to those who they have sent a request to.
The matchmaking can be toggled off.
Dog-friendly places
This feature provides a safe meeting place where seniors can meet the owners and dogs they've matched up within the app. I've added extra friction after the match has been made to make sure everybody is safe.
Later this enables elderly to run their errands during the day even if they have a dog with them.
Additional features
Additional features include a home screen which acts as an overview of the following two days.
A planner which can be synced to both users: dog owners and elders aswell.
At last; messages, so users can keep in touch during the day, request photographs and start calls.
Final thoughts
This app enables, but the most meaningful interactions happen to it's users when they are not looking at the screen.
