7A - Testing the Hypothesis

I have a dog. His name is Big Boy and he means the world to me. I want him to be as happy as possible. I walk him several times a day and play with him a lot. However, I can tell that he really misses the companionship of other dogs. I think that there are a lot of people out there, especially in college, who have this issue. That is why I would like to create an app that would allow people with lonely dogs to connect for playdates. A person could enter information about their dog and what they like to do, the sort of activities that they would be interested in doing on playdates like walking or going to the dog park, and some information about themselves. To eliminate some of the stranger danger associated with meeting up with people you found on the internet, this app would use the same security feature as Couchsurfing where you rate the person after you meet them to let others know if they are a cool dude or someone to be avoided.  My target market would be mostly college students because they often only have one dog.

Interview 1: Pattie, 70 year old woman who lives in a small town

Do you have dogs?

I do

How many?

I have a beautiful white poodle that weighs about 44 pounds. She’s two years old.

How is her energy level?

High. She has a high energy level.

Do you feel that your dog(s) are bored or under stimulated?

Ummmm no because she demands a lot of my attention and gets it.

What efforts do you currently take to entertain your dog?

When I get up in the morning she gets to go out then she gets a morning snack. Before I eat my breakfast I play sing sing sing by Louie Armstrong and we sing and dance. When it comes to a special spot where the horns go off we howl like wolves. Then we go out in the backyard and play ball. I also brush her every day. In the evening we go on a long walk.

Explain app

Do you think that you would use this app?

Probably. I know in a small town like I live in you would know a lot of the people. I’ve tried to arrange playdates for my dog before but the dogs I invited over didn’t have as much energy as my dog.

Are there any features I didn’t mention that you would like the app to offer?

Ummm a scale from 1 to 10 on how aggressive the other dog is. My dog has been attacked at the dog park before so this is important to me.

Do you have any concerns about the app?

The only thing I don’t like is rating the other person. I think that could be trouble.

Interview 2: Jerry, UF student who lives off campus

Do you have dogs?

Yes

How many?

I have two.

Tell me about them.

One is a 12 year old chihuahua mix named Sophie. I have had her since I was young.

The other dog is named Rex. He is a 3 year old yellow lab.

Do you feel that your dog(s) are bored or under stimulated?

I think that Sophie is pretty happy with her current level of activity. However I think that Rex is a little bored. He has a lot of energy and Sophie will play with him a little bit but not as much as he would like.

What efforts do you currently take to entertain your dog?

I play with Rex as much as I can. We play frisbee in the field behind my apartment complex pretty often. And we go on a long walk every day.

Explain app

Do you think that you would use this app?

I might. It would probably depend on if people actually used it.

Are there any features I didn’t mention that you would like the app to offer?

It would be cool if there was a feature to let people know when you were going to the dog park so that everyone could coordinate.

Do you have any concerns about the app?

Umm just that it could be a little weird hanging out with people you don’t know from the internet.

Interview 3: Elijah, UF student who lives off campus

Do you have dogs?

Yeah.

How many?

One.

Tell me about him.

He’s a three year old golden doodle that’s full of energy.

Do you feel that your dog(s) are bored or under stimulated?

Yeah he’s bored.

What efforts do you currently take to entertain your dog?

I put on the tv and radio and walk him three times a day.

Explain app

Do you think that you would use this app?

I would use this app since Gray loves other dogs.

Are there any features I didn’t mention that you would like the app to offer?

No.

Do you have any concerns about the app?

The concept is cool, maybe just a fear of mean dogs.

Interview 4: Teresa, college student

Do you have dogs?

Yeah!

How many?

Two.

Tell me about them.

Bella is a bigger dog and she likes to sit in your lap. Then there’s Fin who is still a puppy, he five months, a German shepherd mix.

Do you feel that your dog(s) are bored or under stimulated?

Definitely. They keep digging holes in our backyard. And whenever I leave Fin gets really sad. And Fin isn’t potty trained yet so he has t6o spend a lot of time in a crate.

What efforts do you currently take to entertain your dog?

I let them out frequently and play with them while we are outside. Sometimes Bella plays fetch. They have lots of toys but only Fin plays with them. And I take them for walks.

Explain app

Do you think that you would use this app?

I honestly think I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t actively go and get strangers to play with my dog.

Are there any features I didn’t mention that you would like the app to offer?

No.

Do you have any concerns about the app?

I feel like its way easier to catfish with pictures of dogs.

Interview 5: Erik, college student

Do you have dogs?

Yes.

How many?

One.

Tell me about him.

He is a high energy boston terrier.

Do you feel that your dog(s) are bored or under stimulated?

Umm yes. We don’t have much of a yard.

What efforts do you currently take to entertain your dog?

I dance around with him sometimes. I walk him occasionally.

Explain app

Do you think that you would use this app?

Maybe. It’s a good idea but I’m not sure I’m the right person for it.

Are there any features I didn’t mention that you would like the app to offer?

Not that I can think of.

Do you have any concerns about the app?

I would be worried about meeting random people from the internet.

Summary: Based on the interviews I conducted, I would say that there are definitely people out there who would be interested in this app. More than half of the people I interviewed said that they felt their dog was bored or under stimulated. The biggest concern that people seemed to have with the app idea was a fear of meeting strange people from the internet. Two of my interviews also said they were worried about the other dog being aggressive. I think this opportunity has potential.