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Dawg Walks - Case Study
Dawg Walks - Case Study
12.12.24 | Group Nightcrawlers | Ruoqing Cheng, Aidan O'Day, Yasmin Salih, and Bingchan Zhao
What Is Dawg Walks?
What Is Dawg Walks?
DawgWalks is the culminating project of a 10-week design course taught to masters students at University of Washington's School of Human Centered Design and Engineering. While researching the problems that challenged night commuters and new students unfamiliar with their band new home, we found that most had a better experience when they travelled with a companion, but faced social and logistical barriers to finding people to walk with.
What if you could find a real person you could trust going the same direction as you, anytime you wanted?
Over these 10 weeks, we designed a student-matching service that improves fraught and lonely nighttime commutes by organizing students leaving campus at the same time into travel groups called ‘Packs.’
How does it work?
How does it work?
As student signs up at our iPad-powered Kiosk by simply tapping a student ID, or logging in with their school credentials. The onboarding flow gathers just enough personal information to introduce students to one another, and gives users the option to pick from existing Packs, create their own, or configure Automatching service.
Once a student has signed up, the system continues to communicate and guide them via an SMS texting client, which is also designed to allow students to communicate with each other without exchanging their phone number with someone they don't know well.
The system could be adapted to various form factors according to resource availability, from a web-sign up triggered with strategically placed QR posters, to a purpose-built display installed at prominent locations across campus. The system could also be adopted by other organizations that have implicit trust systems but not a lot of cross pollination between members if theyu wanted to foster connection between their employees or encourage more walking and transit usage.
The Problem
The Problem
When moving to a new environment, walking at night can be a major source of anxiety for students, especially when living outside campus. DawgWalks addresses these concerns by increasing both physical saftey and emotional support for students by helping students find trusted people to share their night time commute.
DawgWalks asks....
DawgWalks asks....
“How can we help wary travelers combat anxiety induced by strangers and environmental factors when navigating their night commute?”
“How can we help wary travelers combat anxiety induced by strangers and environmental factors when navigating their night commute?”
Context
Context
DawgWalks is a matching system designed for University of Washington students who commute at night. The product would be located in major buildings across the campus. It is also recommended for students who rely on public transportation to reach their destinations.
The Goal
The Goal
DawgWalks will connect students based on their intended destination and time of departure. The service will also consider each student’s safety preferences, such as gender-specific matches.
Constraints
Constraints
The service operated on hypotheticals and was conceptual rather than actionable. Additionally, it was tested in only one location on campus, the Odegaard Library.
The Process
The Process
Over the 10 weeks we worked on this project, we found ourselves returning consistently to our users with surveys and prototype tests to find direction for our product.
Research Methods
Research Methods
Shadowing: In order to understand our user group, we watched students' behavior habits to understand what solution would fit their needs best
BodyStorming: Experiencing student's commute first hand allows for our team to fully empathize and understand our problem space
User Surveys: Our team wanted to collect as much quantitative data as possible regarding our target audiences’ feelings regarding their current commute and strategies they utilized to feel safe.
Design Goals
Design Goals
Creating Packs: Our product should aim to connect each student with three or more other students based on their destination, time or departure, and specified preference if they chose to restrict.
Freedom to Communicate: Students should be able to communicate within their privatized “Packs”, giving them updates on any status issues or notices they wish to communicate.
Preference Safety: Our design emphasizes comfort and safety. If a student wishes to only commute with those who identify as the same gender as them, then the option should be available.
Features
Features
Auto-matching Packs
Auto-matching Packs
Our team understands students may not have the most consistent schedules. It is exactly why DawgWalks has the option for students to quickly find a match based on their simplistic needs.
Customizable Avatars
Customizable Avatars
Students are able to create and customize their own Husky avatar, where they can showoff their personality and indicate who they are on the kiosk itself.
Specified Packs
Specified Packs
Our team wishes all students to feel safe on their journey home. Some may request for gender-specified Packs, will DawgWalks should honor.
Live Updates and Messaging
Live Updates and Messaging
Every time a student joins a Pack, an automated message is sent to every participating student. Each participant can also communicate through the messaging system, which protects their private phone number from being shared.
Research
Research
When we got together as a group, we discovered a shared passion for transit and mental health. As we discussed problem spaces affecting us and our communities, we decided to try to identify the main pain points in nocturnal navigation. We defined our ambition with a research question to focus our inquiry.
“How might we empower solo travelers to move safely and calmly through the city at night?”
Our team conducted our research using 3 tried and true design thinking methods — shadowing, bodystorming, and user surveys — to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by night commuters and their coping strategies.
Shadowing
Shadowing
Shadowing notes for U-District at 9 PM: Observed late-night commuter behaviors in crowded and isolated settings
Bodystorming
Bodystorming
We chose a poorly lit route in Sodo area at 6:30 PM to simulate the experience of a vulnerable commuter
Survey
Survey
Recruitment posters placed at U-District bus stops
Insights
Insights
After analyzing the collected data, we uncover 4 common pain points for commuters:
Limited perception due to darkness and lack of good light infrastructure
Inconsistent buses and inaccurate information about bus schedules
Isolation and vulnerability, especially among women traveling alone
Anxiety and fear associated with higher presence of “sketchy” strangers
We also asked survey respondents what could most improve their safety and mental well-being during their after-dark commute. Out of 31 respondents, 24 provided responses. Among them, 58% mentioned the presence of a friend or other trusted people, 33% mentioned better lighting, and 12.5% mentioned carrying a weapon. The percentages add up to more than 100% because respondents could mention multiple factors.
The section below shows the survey results for the question, “What are some things that make you feel safer when traveling around the city at night without a car?”
8 of 24 responses that mention walking with companions
6 of 24 responses that mentioned general presence of people
Persona
Persona
Using the data from our research, we channeled our observations into categorized personas that illustrate the different ways our target users navigate the city at night. These are the representatives of the for whom we would be designing a better travel experience.
Primary Persona
Primary Persona
Secondary Persona
Secondary Persona
Design Ideation
Design Ideation
We put our heads together for a week to brainstorm ways we could help Worried Will address his anxiety or enhance his awareness and street smarts so that he could at least travel as confidently as Sharp Lena. Our ideas ranged from weapons, to lights, to threat detecting AR Glasses.
Early Concept
Early Concept
We experimented with physical protective products, emotional support products, and high-end tech solutions for predicting possible scenarios when commuting. Even in early concept, some themes that ended up in our final prototype started to appear in these sketches!
In these four early concept sketches in particular, you can start to see the threads of our Dawg Walks system beginning to emerge!
Buddy Board
Buddy Board
Entertainment Kiosk
Entertainment Kiosk
Safety Bracelet
Safety Bracelet
Physical Card Tracker
Physical Card Tracker
After refining our most promising concepts for a set of AR threat Detection Goggles, An AI Travel buddy that clips to your backpack, and a Buddy Kiosk that could help students find commuting buddies, we settled on pursuit of the Buddy Kiosk because we thought that it had the highest likelihood of engendering a positive and sustainable change for commuters.
Early Concept Kiosk
Early Concept Kiosk
In our early concept of the buddy system, users would sign in with their ID, set a destination and time, and then collect a smart bracelet that would help them find their match. We wanted to play with the idea of using jewelry -- specifically a bracelet -- as an identity indicator.
The functions were simple: Sign up through the kiosk, receive a bracelet, locate your buddy using the matching bracelet, and walk home together.
Refining our Concept
Refining our Concept
Before moving further and defining the precise features of our kiosk, we returned to reference our research and set some requirements regarding what we wanted our solution to address, and how we wanted it to address the problems associated with getting a group of people to trust each other enough to share a commute during a time when they felt especially vulnerable.
Finding Companions
Finding Companions
The design should help students find others who are leaving campus at the same time and heading in the same direction to commute together
Privacy and Reassurance
Privacy and Reassurance
The design should protect students from exposing private information, such as current location or home address
Transparency and Availability
Transparency and Availability
The design should be clear about timing, for both transportation paths and how long partnership matching will take
Tailoring the Experience
Tailoring the Experience
The design should let students filter for travel companions by gender, age, or major to better match their preferences and increase trust
Alternative Options
Alternative Options
The design should provide alternative guidance options in the case a match is not found, so that users aren’t left high and dry
Storyboards
Storyboards
These storyboards captured and highlighted the use case and rational behind the values we defined for our forthcoming solution we designed.
Prototyping, Testing, and Iteration
Prototyping, Testing, and Iteration
Our team began to focus on an emotional aspect of commuting from home. After discussing what designs we favored, we shifted towards the idea of "safety in numbers". With this idea, we wanted to create a service that connected students with each other, building a stronger community within University of Washington.
A look into the Google Forms sheet we used for our kiosk
Forming The Dawg Experience
Forming The Dawg Experience
The main component in this service was to gather how students would interact with this product during their usual busy schedule. We knew we needed something quick and easy to interact with, while giving students the most specified experience they could have to fit their needs. Highlighting the needs, we created a Google Form for Students to fill, and displayed it in class using a cardboard kiosk and an iPad.
What We Learned
What We Learned
Language - Students have stated the language/wording felt confusing, especially regarding their group amount preferences and the method of transportation.
Limiting in Options - Students felt they were limited in terms of their transportation methods. Some stated that their method is not consistent and is completely based on bus/train schedule, weather, mood, and other unpredictable aspects.
Too Straightforward - Google Forms is just a form, the UI is simplistic and does not provide a lot of unique features our team wished to display.
Lack of Clarity - Many students questioned what the survey was trying to achieve. Some requested instructions or some sort of context provided.
To App or not to App
To App or not to App
As our team moved onto a mid-fidelity prototype, we wanted to try integrating a mobile app to the service itself to allow users to chat with their groups, customize a profile, authenticate securely, and stay up to date with their pack timing.
After testing the figma prototypes with users and discussing as a group, we found that people were more likely to feel annoyed at the prospect of downloading an app. So we decided to authenticate with UW IDs, and provide follow-up support through a texting client.
Insights
Insights
Kiosk to phone: Students felt the kiosk was enough to provide the full service. The main aspect students were approving of is the group messaging feature to reach their specified Pack or individual users they have walked with on prior Packs.
Long Onboarding
Students did not like having to type out their information on an iPad, as some felt it was too difficult. This additionally slowed down the onboarding process.
On-Campus Packs
Several students asked for on-campus availability, as there were users who were interested in joining but did not live off-campus
Direct Changes
Direct Changes
Automated Messaging: Students now rely on the kiosk to sign up for Packs or create new ones. Whenever they join or create a Pack, DawgWalks sends an automated message alerting all current participants and everyone can communicate from there.
Student ID Integration, no Typing!
With a tap of their UW student ID, DawgWalks will gather the necessary information to cut down the onboarding time in half. This eliminates all uses of typing.
On-Campus Availability: DawgWalks has added on-campus locations for available destinations, allowing all students to participate with the service.
We worked to refine the prototype by fully offering the service through the kiosk itself, and following up with users through The onboarding process is as simple as it could be in order to prevent long lines while inputting information.
Design Solution - Final Prototype
Design Solution - Final Prototype
Introducing DawgWalks, an interactive digital matching system that connects students walking from campus to any destination around the nearby Seattle area. DawgWalks is an easy-to-use onboarding service, guiding each student to their best preferred Packs based on timing, destination, and preferences. The service additionally emphasizes safety and privacy, as no one in your Pack will gain access to any private information. The prototype below simulates the onboarding experience that we developed to be integrated into a touch interface ranging from an iPad on a stand to a person-sized touch interface that could be mounted to a wall or built into a free-standing Kiosk.
Future Scope
Future Scope
There were several features that our team felt DawgWalks could go further into detail. One question that we weren't able to fully investigate was the form factor of the Kiosk itself. Should it have a display? Should it be freestanding or attached to a wall? Should we eschew the kiosk itself, and instead move to a poster-based qr code system? These questions require more research, and represent a whole range of implementation cost. Especially because of the cost, these questions would best be answered with feedback from the organization interested in building out a system like ours.
Beyond However, if given more resources, our team wishes to incorporate the following...
Dawg Walks App
Dawg Walks App
If the initial implementation of a kiosk or similar matching service were successful, adding the ability for students to manage their Packs and profiles on an app might provide a richer experience for users than relying on a kiosk and texting client.
There could be additional gamification through points, awards, and statistics that would highlight the mental, physical, and social accomplishments that come from participating in group travel.
First look into the mobile app, connecting students to all updates regarding the kiosk and Pack activity
Live Navigation
Live Navigation
Returning back to the mobile integration, our team wishes to add live navigation for students either currently engaged in a Walk, or preparing for their Walk. This will allow for all students to navigate their way through the night streets without feeling lost. Live navigation will additionally provide updates regarding bus and train times.
Light Map
Light Map
Since the lighting condition at night is not always sufficient for people to travel safely, we want to collect lighting information and develop a light map that can be shown simultaneously when user is using the above navigation function. In this case, lighting can be taken into consideration when users are making their traveling decisions.
Adaptability to Other Communities
Adaptability to Other Communities
Our kiosk system is bound to a certain community (i.e. UW), since the verification of users is highly relied on IDs and the kiosks themselves are placed within the community. We want to decouple our service as “plug-and-play” modules, making the features easily adaptable to other communities, hence contributing to larger user groups that go beyond UW students.
The Team
The Team
Acknowledgement
Acknowledgement
The team behind DawgWalks wishes to thank all 518 students for working side by side with us and participating in our tests. We additionally wish to extend our thanks to Daniella Kim and Anna Shang for all the support during the Fall Quarter, and to the anonymous commuters who took the time to help us with our research.
DawgWalks is a concept project made by and for University of Washington students.
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