The Culture of Pets in Savannah

THE CULTURE OF PETS IN SAVANNAH I D U S

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M E T H O D S

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C O N T E X T U A L

R E S E A R C H

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K W E L A

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W I N T E R

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CONTENTS SCOPE OF WORK

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OUR TEAM

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UNDERSTANDING ETHNOGRAPHY

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MIND MAPPING

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SECONDARY RESEARCH

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Key Facts

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Publication Research

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Popular Media Scan

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Trends Matrix

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Offering Activity - Culture Map

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Research Plan

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PRIMARY RESEARCH

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Stakeholders Map

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Research Participant Map

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Cultural Probe

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Observation

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Survey Questionnaire

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First Friday Art March

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Ethnographic Interviews

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Poems Framework

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AFFINITY MAPPING

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IDEA VISUALIZATION

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INSIGHTS

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REFINED CONCEPTS

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FINAL PRESENTATION

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REFERENCES

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SCOPE OF WORK The goal of the project was to conduct extensive contextual research based on applied ethnographic research in order to understand the culture of pets in Savannah. The aim was to use different tools and methods used in design research to understand pets holistically by collecting data , synthesizing information, analyzing, and framing isights that can redefine the future of pets in Savannah.

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OUR TEAM

Palaash Chaudhary

Shaoyuan Xu

Shreya Dhawan

M.A Industrial Design

M.A Industrial Design

M.F.A Service Design

Owner of a Pomeranian-Labrador

Owner of a cat back home in China. His

Owner of two dogs back home in India.

hybrid male dog back home in India.

cat is named Poo. He loves playing

Has a male black pug named Muffy and

He named his dog Brunoo. Brunoo is a

with her and misses her here. He

a male golden labrador named Scooby.

very calm and friendly dog. Palaash

opted to work on this project outof

She has grown up with dogs all

got him 7 years back. His love for dogs

curiosity. He wanted to know more

through her life. She takes deep

made him take up this topic for

about the different kinds of pets that

interest in what her dogs like and

ethnography study.

exist here and how to take care of

dislike and wanted to know more

them.

about the dog industry here in the US.

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UNDERSTANDING ETHNOGRAPHY Ethnographic Research aims at a specific and real understanding of the project theme, its validity and solutions by observing, recording and interacting with the stakeholders and end users in their natural settings.

The researcher pays attention to the context, artifacts, and environments of the subjects in addition to their interactions with each other.

It is a powerful tool that gives you raw and unfiltered data in your research, rather than the highly refined and often inaccurate data that is the result of traditional research methods, like interviews outside of the subject’s natural environment.In many ways, it works as user testing, except that you are conducting it throughout your process as opposed to only at the end.

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a cluster of ideas relating

SS INE US

This area emerged as

OWN ER S

B

P HI This cluster emerged as a collective ideas of activities related to the

ownership side of the pets from feeding to dealing with pet deaths.

to the existing businesses in the pet industry, from grooming to training to

PURP OS E

adoption.

This area emerged as a

cluster of ideas relating to the existing businesses in the pet industry, from grooming to training to adoption.

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MIND MAP Started the project by an initial brainstorming session within the team to identify the mindsets of each team member and their understanding of the Pet industry and the environment. This step helped us look at the project from a broader perspective and to give a direction to the start of out ten week ethnographic research

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SECONDARY RESEARCH

Involves the summary, collation and sysnthesis of existing research. It is a form of market research that is already compiled and organized for us. In our secondary research, we focused on looking at the key facts about the pet industry, read through publications, and took up a popular media scan.

In the second round, we created a trends matrix and offering culture-activity map and finally concluded the secondary research by the research plan

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KEY FACTS To gather key information from credible sources to create a good fact based rational for our project topic. It acted as a starting point indication where and how to go find additional information. Key facts help us determine the pet industry as a whole giving us an overall idea of the numbers game. Helps in further research as well. To find out the key facts relating to our project, we looked through various government websites, databases and other online resources to get data highlighting the big fat numbers of the pet industry in Savannah.t

DATA ABOUT WHERE PEOPLE GET THEIR PETS FROM

DATA ABOUT HOW MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF DOGS ARE BORN EVERY YEAR AND WHERE THEY END UP

DATA ABOUT WHAT KIND OF PETS EXIST IN SAVANNAH AND IN WHAT NUMBERS

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PUBLICATION RESEARCH In Publications Research, we find out what is being written and published about aspects of the pet industry. It helps us build credible foundation and organizes information for easy access. It helped us reveal patterns. We searched through topics relevant to the pet industry as well as sources of authoritative publications.Through this research, we found a series of documented observations and facts being spoken about and researched in the industry. We got a good sense of how thought leaders and industry professionals are thinking about our topic of study. Moreover, we developed a comprehensive list of relevant readings for our subject that can go into our growing reference library.

EFFECT OF MUSIC UNDERSTANDING HOW DIFFERENT TYPES OF MUSIC GENERATES DIFFERENT REACTIONS

FACTS ABOUT PET OWNERSHIP AND CARETAKING DIFFERENT OWNERSHIP ENVIRONMENTS HAVE DIFFERENT PET BEHAVIOUR

IMPORTANCE OF PETS IN OWNERS LIFES AND HOW IT AFFECTS THEIR LIFESTYLE WHAT DO THEIR PETS MEAN TO THEM

PET HEALTH BENEFIT - HOW TO PROPERLY TAKE CARE OF YOUR PET

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POPULAR MEDIA SCAN Popular media scan helped us in understanding the key cultural phenomena through a broad look at what is published and broadcasted in popular media. It provided a better direction and shape to the project. We searched through kickstarter and a couple of other media websites to find out about the various trends. We looked at diverse content ranging from news outlets, research papers from experts and bloggers perspective to develop on a model for innovation. It helped us define the areas of further research and an opportunity are for innovation. It further made it easier for us to analyze the various trends through the trends matrix.

THERE ARE TWO ADVANCEMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY AND DEVICES LEADING TO NEW INNOVATIONS EVERYDAY

CATEGORIES OF DEVICES IN THE MARKET DEVICES SERVING A SPECIFIC PURPOSE OR DEVICES THAT HANDLE VARIOUS PURPOSES

WHAT IS HOT AND WHAT IS NOT AMONGST OWNERS, TRAINERS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS

BUT RELATIVELY LESS SPECIALIZED

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TRENDS MATRIX Representing how trends and forces of change affect technology, market, people, culture and business and how changes in one affect the other.Trends Matrix helped us map the changes over time creating an overview of the past, present and the future scenario of the pet industry and ownership. Out of this exercise, we got a matrix with an organized set of trends and insights about the patterns and possible diections. This matrix offers an at-a glance understanding of how trends impact our project.It also helped us realize that we needed to go back to some of ourprevious secondary research methods like popular media scan and publications research in order to identify and map out the trends in the pet industry

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OFFERING-ACTIVITY-CULTURE MAP Exploring innovation opportunities by shifting focus on offerings, activities and culture. By expanding our thinking in such a manner, it opens up the opportunity space at the onset of the project. This method helped us think about an innovationnot just as an offering with improved functions and features but as something that connects with people, what they do, and how they live. By expanding thinking from offerings to activities to cultural context,it opened up the opportunity space at the onset of this project.

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UNDERSTANDING THE PET CULTURE OF SAVANNAH Research Questions

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What do I need to know?

Why do I need to know this?

What kind of data will answer this question?

Where can I find the data?

What type of research methods will I use?

Who do I contact for access?

How will I share then info[type of diagram/visual]

1. Where can we start the research?

Everything about pets we know like different owners, different pets

To get a basic understanding of the research project. It provides a starting point.

Secondary data collected through various mediums

Newspapers, brochures, reports, websites( govt)

Mind mapping as initial brainstorming

Team members sit and brainstorm together

Mind map

2.We want to get some credible information

Credible information. If the facts and data gatherd is true

Because credible information can give us reliable data to move to next level research

Numbers data from govt-sites about facts and figures

Government websites, research made by other prof in the same field.

Key facts.

Exploring through reliable websites and previous reports.

Scanning methods

Local police govt organization stakeholders

Data charts and feat sheets

3.Is there any cutting-edge technology for pets?

Some famous tech blog, tech web or megazines about various tech advancements in industry

Cutting-edge techology can tell us the emerging area where this change is happening of the pets

Pictures, links, articles, tech-blogs,websit e, megazines, newspapers

Technology blogs, websites, magazine, online posts, blogs and websites, kickstarters.

Popular media scan, publication research, popular media research.

Tech bloggers, pet owners, vets

In the form of a visual table and key points citation

4.What’s the trend of the pets industry formerly, currently and in the future

Some trends of pets industry, basic behavior of pets, how pets and owner bond

To capture the change and how it has gorvon over time

A research into the past, apresent and predicted futere.

Online websites.

Trend Matrix

Team members

Chart

5.Is there a kind culture behind the pet industry?

Activities of owners and pets, stakeholders

To study patterns for further analysis

Primary research

Will have to conduct first hand research

Offering-activityculture map

Team members can conduct another brainstorming session this time with previous data.

Visual chart

6.What are the most important people in the pets industry?

Stakeholders who influence changes in culture of industry

To understand where the chnange is coming from

Primary research, user research

We will have to conduct observation 8 interviews

Observation shadowing interview POEMS framwork

Contact vets, groomers, trainers

Video, picture, insights

RESEARCH PLAN Research plan consists of making a schedule and plan for researching the innovations context. This method helped us develop a general plan and schedule for what we want to research about the pet industry and how it will be accomplished. It gave us clarity about the degree of rigor and clarity to our exploratory activities at the beginning of the primary research. Working on with these early on as a team builds a shared understanding about the context to be studied and helps manage time and resources effectively.

The key components we discussed are research teams, our activities, dates, duration, resources, methods, milestones and deliverables.

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PRIMARY RESEARCH Primary research is new research, carried out to answer specific issues or questions. It can involve questionnaires, surveys or interviews with individuals or small groups. This method helps us to generate new findings that could have been missed out in the secondary research. It is an area specific research carried out in a particular setting which let’s us inspect an environment to a completely different level.

We, as a team, decided to narrow down our research to focussing solely on dogs and the dog industry. There were several reasons as to why this shift took place. We were a small team of three and the pet industry was too big to cover in just ten weeks. Secondly, we figured through our secondary research that dogs were the most owned social animals in Savannah due to its open spaces and green parks. Dues to these reasons, it was very difficult to carry out extensive primary research on the pet industry as a whole covering all sorts of pets that people own. The dog industry had the most overlapping data to play with and easier to address to in the given time.

The decision was made collectively and carried forward in context to the dog industry henceforth.

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STAKEHOLDERS MAP Identifying the key constituents who might have a stake in the research outcomes and creating a map that serves this purpose, as a visual reference point in planning for research activities. Using the map to guide communication with the appropriate stakeholders throughout the development process .Intent : To figure out who the most important stakeholders are for further research. Identifying stakeholders is a good way to start the Primary Research. What we achieved : Relationships within the industry and the targeted stakeholders.

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RESEARCH PARTICIPANT MAP An overview of all the people involved in the project topic, based on their roles and activities. A 2 x 2 map was created to plot the participants based on the two most important aspects of the project – level of interaction with the pet and availability of resources.

Intent : Identifying the important links to the dog industry by mapping the participants of the research on a 2x2. What we achieved : Seven participants we want to focus our primary research on the basis of the level of interaction against the number of available resources. Next steps involved contacting these participants.

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CULTURAL PROBE I: ANALYSIS

How to train your pets 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Videos

Professional Trainers Male

No training

Female

How do you know that your pet is unhappy/stressed?

Dog AdopƟon 18 16

30

14

25

12 10

20

8

15

6 4

10

2

5

0 Yes

No Male

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Self-training

Comments from “Yes”: Give me that angle!

Female

0 Acts lazy

Starts barking

comments: Paces around, checking everyone Starts bothering family members

Isolate themselves Run out of the house

CULTURAL PROBE I Cultural probes (or design probes) is a technique used to inspire ideas in a design process. It serves as a means of gathering inspirational data about people's lives, values and thoughts.

Probe 1 Location : Gulfstream center for Design Intent : To gather primary research data without intervention What we achieved : Data highlighting dog owners and their demographics, dog behavior and adoption conditions.

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I would like to but I don’t want to leave him at home.

I feel like an ass but yup.

I sincerely want to as well, but SCAD take us so many time.

CULTURAL PROBE II: DESIGN ELEMENTS

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Poops pees everywhere in the house

CULTURAL PROBE II Probe 2 Location : Gulfstream Ceneter For Design Intent : To gather details of the levels of various behavioral attributes of the dog in relation to their age with an interactive probe. To design better informative probes than the first set by learning from the drawbacks.

What we achieved : Probe one gave us area for further research. Connecting the dots by studying each of the dog's behavior

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CULTURAL PROBE II: ANALYSIS

Each line represents each dog Female puppies are more friendly than Male puppies 35

Extreme Behaviour

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CULTURAL PROBE III: RESULTS

" loving life"

" to snuggle with them"

" the unlimited compassion they

"

have no matter what their story is

" They have feelings too that can be hurt just like humans" “They love you more than your toys" 37

CULTURAL PROBE III Probe 3 Location : Forsyth Park Intent : To gather self-reported data from the dog owners at Forsyth Park What we achieved : What dog owners learn from their dogs What we learnt : Never put up any probe in a public space without prior permission because the probe was stolen after being left unattended for a few hours.

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TREAT-FOR-TRICK OBSERVATION Using observation during all parts of the research process to gain insight into behavior, interaction and relationship dynamics between pets and their owners.

We carried out our observations in two steps, one where we would randomly observe dog owners in public spaces and second where we would make the owners bribe their dogs to do tricks in reward for a treat.

This observation was scuccessfully carried out in Forsyth Park a couple of times during the peak hours when there were maximum number of observants.

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ADDITIONAL SUPPORT MATERIALS The use of support material such as business cards and posters, created a visually engaging method for the participants to approach the process in a more accessible way. We designed these support materials in order to reach out to a wider population. It helped us address the population of owners beyond just our niche college area. We posted on various online forums where we thought dog owners would respond to. We got in touch with a couple of them and took the research forward my making them a part of our ongoing research.

Hello.

THE CULTURE OF PETS IN SAVANNAH.

We are conducting contextual research as a part of our project on the pet community in Savannah.

Let’s Collaborate!

You are an important part of this community and we would love it if you could share your thoughts with us.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Palaash Chaudhary (843) 304 1886 palaashchaudhary@gmail.com

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SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE Quick, short questionnaires take on a ”broad and shallow” approach, providing a general understanding of pets and their owners. We constructed an in depth questionnaire in order to gather extensive data about the different aspects of a dog’s as well as the owner’s lives. This was an attempt to generate more data sets that would help us in framing our insights in a better way. We got over 100 responses for our survey monkey questionnaire that we floated around through online channels.

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Survey phase 1

Key Facts

Survey phase 1

Key Facts

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SURVEY ANALYSIS Publications Research

Survey phase 1

Key Facts

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Survey phase 2

Key Facts

People preferred to get their pet from another shelter , breeder and friends/family

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SURVEY ANALYSIS

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FIRST FRIDAT ART MARCH: CULTURAL PROBE IV First friday art march is the art festival that takes place every first friday of a moth. It has people in large numbers stepping out in the streets to enjot the spirit of this fest. We aimed at installing an intervention out at places where we thought the maximum crowd would go. It was a successful probe by the team.

Intent : To Put up a final stage cultural probe/intervention at the First Friday Art March What did we achieve : Interesting answers indicating how a pet improves their social life?

Responses by male respondents

Responses by female respondents

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ETHNOGRAPHIC INTERVIEWS Ethnographic interviews, as the name suggests was a very important step of this project. It required us to reach out to our various stakeholders in order to gain in-depth knowledge about the pet industry.

The research participants we identified during the previous research step helped us in preparing a list of suitable candidates. We then went ahead with approaching these particpants by fixing an interview date and time.

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INTERVIEW : GARY || BARK BUSTERS || DOG TRAINERS

We had a disabled dog for training but he never bothered us either.

We go back for training every year.

They teach new things each time.

I don’t like the dog food made by the pet stores. They are just fillers that dogs don’t need.

If they eat what we eat, its difficult to maintain their weights.

He was born with a 3 legs, he thought that’s how it’s supposed to be.

You can use sounds to train them ; make them used to noises like - thunderstorms so they are not nervous anymore.

We use what dogs use ; body language and voice control.

Sound training should be started really early with dogs.

We don’t even use treats ; the dog should not be bribed.

Dogs can do the same things even when they lose two of their legs.

INTERVIEW : BRETT || FIN|| DOG OWNER

Lived with both parents from the starting

Family friend 1st time owner

Tried to get details about parents and the owner

Trying to hide the truth when purchasing

Owner not transparent with new owners

Initially it looked like a sad puppy Giving medication through different means

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Vets - Lack of nutrition and basic medication

Owners not willing to breed Sometimes trained with actions , not voice

Owners lack of knowledge about puppy and internet surfing

Vets – expensive Students cannot afford

INTERVIEW : KOURTNEY|| DOG GROOMER

Groomer needs help to hold animal sometimes

Majorly older people visit.

They try to establish trust with the dog before grooming.

By different activities

Dogs give messages like growling or fast movement of head Stopping the tail

Dremil tool for sensitive dogs ( nail trimming)

Some dogs were easy to handle without the owners .

New environment changes dog behavior

Some dogs are scared of the noise From the tools and make it a difficult job

Pets more relaxed afterwards

De-shredding Medicated shampoos Important for dogs , once in a while

Time taking process Drying cleaning combing ,nail trimming Medicated shower.

INTERVIEW : CLAUDIA || TRAIN THIS DOG || DOG TRAINER

Shadowing : Interview : Video Ethnography

Group classes are better because they interact with other dogs.

If a dog doesn’t like smelly food, then they are nervous (demonstration)

Reward them for everything you want them to do ; with treats or by calling them by a special word.

Dogs only tricks and train in specific environments

Most dogs who come for training have temper issues.

Physical cues are stronger than verbal uses.

Safety, Food and Sex are the primary reinforcements for a dog.

Eventually reward with toys instead of tricks ; you don’t want your dogs to be unhealthy.

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INTERVIEW : BONNIE || DOG OWNER || SCAD FACULTY

Really need robot vacuum to clean the house

Object Doggie door to let dog in

Let dog access cheap furniture but can access to expensive ones

Tennis balls are favorite toys

Really need robot vacuum to clean the house

Prefer dry food because they are better for teeth, but dogs prefer wet

Can’t access to jewelry

Give them left-over on occasion

People

Neighborhood kids like Moose because he is cute

Take dogs to vet annually

Message

Have a dog since young

Moose break his anal blend is stress signal

Moose is her first dog after college

Cats to earn their affection, dogs is happy when they see you

Bonnie have more communication to dogs than cats

Never kissing dogs because of the stinky mouse

The dogs following Bonnie when she walking to the treats

Service

Had a DNA test when they bought them

Dog day-care have outdoor time and indoor time

Took them to dental to clean their mouse to change their smell

Important Insight Environment

Walk them at dogs park

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Sleep with dogs at bedroom

she need an appropriate dog to have in the apartment so she choose Moose

Feed dogs human food

Sleep with dogs in bed

Two dogs both shed very bad

INTERVIEW : ANA TURNER || DOG OWNER || SCAD FACULTY Object

Important Insight

Environment Watch DOG WHISPER to train their dogs

Prefer dry food She brought her dog a treadmill and they like it

Eat fruits everyday but no human food

Dogs less important than children, but also very very important

Let dog access the whole house

People A friend take her favourite dog

Service

Her dog hurts neighbours dog

Train dogs by herself

Message When their dogs are puppys, she go home every 2 hours

Get 3 dogs from human society Go to the pet store because of nail trim

Don’t need groomers because of the short hair

Go to vets every half year

Don’t celebrate birthday

Always chew the wall, but she don’t mind

Can get info from poops

Dog may chew everything they see

INTERVIEW : PEI LI || SCAD STUDENT Object Prefer dry food because they are easy to store

People

Important Insight

Environment Will not give cat human food because it’s not healthy to cat

There is a litterbox in the house for cat poops

Didn’t allow the cat to access the whole house But after a week, she can go everywhere

Take cat as stress buster, and family member

Message Neighbor have two big dogs, but don’t allow cat to interact with them , because worrying about being hurt

Feed human food ones and get sick

Service

Cat use litterbox every time Like playing with strings, such as shoe ties Never slept with her or kiss her

See the vets every 2 month

Get vaccination annually

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PEOPLE

OBJECTS

ENVIRONMENTS

MESSAGES

SERVICES

Owners

Dog Collars

Grooming Centers

Actions

Skill Training

Vets

Leash

Foster Homes

Sounds

Health

Groomers

Dog Toys

Boarding Centers

Behavior Signals

Entertainment

Trainers

Dog Food

Hospitals

Verbal Training

Transportation

Nurses

Bed

Parks

Hand Gestures

Funeral

Technicians

Cage

Home

Unusual First Time Signals

Grooming

Caretakers

Shock Collars

Pet Stores

Local Police

Training Devices

Breeding Centers

Dog Car Drivers

Other Tech Devices

Training Centers Restaurants Vehicles

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POEMS FRAMEWORK This framework is conducted during field observations as a tool to contextualize elements, specifically, people, objects, environments, messages and services, within a particular environment. This framework is an important part of the primary research and helps us map out the various elements of the field visit. It keeps us attentive and makes sure we are covering as much in our visit as required.

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AFFINITY DIAGRAM I Affinity diagramming or rather affinitizing was done post all the data collection. All the data points were scribbled on the yellow post-its from all the research done so far. It was interesting to see that we generated almost over 300 data points. In the following stages, we were required to cluster them together into small or big clusters according to their likeness. No pre-decided clusters were formed and the data points were just put together without much forcing. This round was done three times and all three rounds generated different results.

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Bringing issues and insights across all stakeholders together into a wall-sized, hierarchical diagram.

Blue Labels : generated insights in the first person as if the user is talking to us Pink Labels : characterize the blue labels under them; also written in first person Green Labels : The highest level of a affinity label, these summarize the Pink labels under them 61

AFFINITY DIAGRAM II After three rounds of affinitizing and generating the results from it, we tried out another way of affinity mapping. This time we mapped out the data points into blue, pink and green post-its, each standing for a different meaning in the diagramming method. All the results were collated for idea visualizations in the next step.

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AFFINITY MAPPING Building Better Relationships Taking my dog out meeting new people help both him/her and me

Rewarding dogs when they do something right will help me build a relationship

I take my dog to interact in group classes at outdoor and indoor environment

I like to reward my dog when he/she does something right

My dog doesn’t help me socialize

I give a special toy to my dog

Learning from my dog will teach good quality behavior to my child My child learns from my pet and viceversa

Innovations in Industry I think the dog industry has a lot of potential to grow bigger than and better

Some of the exciting devices scare my dogs and are harmful

I think that the pet tech, grooming care takers, social media, and kickstarter are a growing business in the pet industry I don’t prefer dog collars with tech as they are bulky

I think owners are buying more fitbits and tech devices for monitor and train their dog

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Better health innovations will help my dog react better to clinics I really appreciate the urine test It was difficult to give medicine to dogs, but flavored medicines helps a lot

AFFINITY MAPPING Training methods for varied population

I want to train dogs for the disabled population

I want to train my dog with the best possible training methods

I want my dog to identify and respond to music

My small dog are more difficult to train I have seen many places with dogs for disabled population! Does this actually work?

I started giving basic obedience training at early stages through videos

Many sound activities help me to train my dog and calm it a bit more

I should replace treats with toys and train them body language voice control I don’t prefer dog collars with tech as they are bulky My dog have some quirks but I’m willing to train it My professionallytrained dog still have some quirks

I have rarely seen dogs trained by professional

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AFFINITY MAPPING Adoption made easy

Importance of dog behavior

I want to adopt a dog from a credible source

I wonder how I can control and modulate my dog’s behavior

I, as a girl, willing to adopt a dog, it is very expensive, and school is also a problem

My dogs give message when they feel weird

I prefer more male dogs than female dogs

My neighbors complain that my dog barks all the time

I got 3 dogs from humane society

My dog shows many unusual sign like not interesting, aggressiveness,wield tail movement, when their is something wrong

I didn’t think pet shops are reliable for buying a new pet

My dog gives out stress signals so I try to calm her down by play some music Sometimes my dog snores as its nose is dry so I try to check its paws for body temp

Health Issues And Solutions

I want to have a way to way to deal with my injured dog

I like my vet take good care of my dog

I want my dog to remain clean and nice smelling

I found an injured pet what should I do now?

I leave my dog to vets and come back, when grooming and check up is done

I want my dog to smell nice at all times I want to get rid of bad breath of dog

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AFFINITY MAPPING Building better living for dogs

Can my disabled dog live a better and peaceful life?

I love being a dog owner and I want my dog to be with me at all time

Its a bit difficult to care n train dogs withdisabilities but I still use the same process

I adopted this pet because it require less care My dog is my child its a part of our family I adopted my pet so that I can relief my stress!

My dog and I go out to Forsyth to meet new people I have more people coming home I would like to have dogs/ puppies at public spaces and offices as stress busters

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IDEA VISUALIZATION Generating ideas was the next step towards the project. We started our idea visualization sessions by sketching and brainstorming sessions on paper. We then went ahead with shortlisting the ideas thaat made sense and could materialize into a concept later. We digitalized our ideas and then made a concept or an idea wall with our 50 potential ideas.

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DOG PICTIONARY Dog Pictionary- A brainstorming game we invented after going through our insights. We picked out on all the words related to the dog industry that we could think of and created cards on them. We then asked people to pick out on two cards and create a scenario with the dog included in with those two words. We got some really nice ideas to work upon and we used this method as a way to have another brain working on the project. Being only three in the group, we thought it would be good to have extra brains working with us through this game. Aso, it can be a very interesting game to play with the stakeholders.

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INSIGHTS ANALYSIS The insights generated from the affinity mapping was then given names. The insights were then researched on again and the dots were connected back toall the previously done research. We generated six main insights out of the second round of affinity mapping.

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INSIGHT 1: “Adopt, Adopt and Adopt” Key Findings Adoptions were not reliable from pet stores School was one of the major reasons for low adoptions in Savannah Dogs were usually left alone at home which increased negative behavioral changes in dogs There were not appropriate day care facilities for dogs – existing ones were far and expensive

How might we …

Make adoptions more reliable?

Encourage more dog adoptions?

Help students take better care of their dogs?

Build better dog caring facilities

I want to adopt a dog from a credible source

I, as a girl, willing to adopt a dog, it is very expensive, and school is also a problem

I didn’t think pet shops are reliable for buying a new pet

Opportunity : There is an opportunity to make adoption easier and more reliable for owners. Facilities post -adoption also have an increasing opportunity for development.

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INSIGHT 2: “Innovation Is The Key To...”

Key Findings New products were scary for the dogs Dogs had a tendency to get nervous and scared very quick in presence of alien devices and people Owners were reluctant to try new devices in the market Dogs would get scared at the thought of going to health clinics Existing devices had a lot of usage and comfort issues

How might we …

Create better business opportunities in the dog industry?

Make devices less scary for dogs Encourage owners to look new developments with a more open outlook?

Have better innovations in the health industry?

Better health innovations will help my dog react to clinics better Some of the exciting devices scare my dogs and are harmful

I think the dog industry can grow bigger and better It was difficult to give medicine to dogs, but flavored medicines helps a lot

I don’t prefer dog collars with tech as they are bulky

Opportunity : There is a huge opportunity for the dog industry to become bigger and better in terms of business opportunities.

Healthcare industry is a prime industry. Monitoring devices are on a growing rise which creates all the more business.

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INSIGHT 3: “We Are a Happy Family” Key Findings Dogs are really loved by their owners Dogs can be good teachers to children Owners care for their dogs as much as they care for their kids Owners want to build quality relationships with their dogs and want to enhance mutual learning opportunities

How might we …

Enhance mutual learning specially child learning from dogs?

Build better relationships between the owners and the dogs?

Appreciate the dog’s existence in the owner’s lives?

Learn social skills from the dogs?

My dog is my family member. Taking my dog out meeting new people help both him/her and me I take my dog to interact in group classes at outdoor and indoor environment

I like to reward my dog when he/she does something right

Learning from my dog will teach good quality behavior to my child

My child learns from my pet and viceversa

Opportunity : There is an opportunity to build better relationships between owners and dogs. There is a lot of learning that can come from dogs and we can employ these opportunities to build on personal and social skills.

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INSIGHT 4: “Behaviour Is Important” Key Findings Dogs show clear as well as very unusual behavioral signals.

Dogs get nervous, scared and stressed just like humans.

It is important for trainers, groomers and vets to identify behavioral signals in order to deal with them appropriately.

Owners want their dogs to be well behaved at all times.

Signals are important. Owners always try and find out why their dog is behaving in a particular way.

How might we …

Understand the dog’s various behavioral signals?

Change and provide comfort to a nervous, feared or stressed dog?

Improve a dog’s basic behavior?

Make it easier for groomers, vets and trainers to deal with moody dogs?

I wonder how I can control and modulate my dog’s behavior My dog gives out stress signals so I try to calm her down by play some music Sometimes my dog snores as its nose is dry so I try to check its paws for body temp

My dog shows many unusual sign like not interesting, aggressiveness,wield tail movement, when their is something wrong

Opportunity : There is an opportunity to identity and modulate a dog’s mood and hence their behavior in order to make it easier for the owners, as well as the vets, groomers and trainers to deal with them.

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INSIGHT 5: “Health Is Primary” Key Findings Owners want their dog to smell at all times Most owners complain of bad breath of dogs Pet injuries are a very common phenomena Owners don’t have proper first aid kits for their dogs for any emergencies or injuries

How might we …

Reduce the smell of dogs?

Keep owners ready and well equipped for emergencies?

Keep dog’s healthier?

Make life better for an injured/disabled dog?

I want my dog to remain clean and nice smelling

I want to get rid of bad breath of dog

I want to have a way to way to deal with my injured dog

I found an injured pet what should I do now?

I want my dog to smell nice at all times

Opportunity : There is an opportunity to develop on the betterment of health of the dog and encourage healthy petting. Owners can be well informed and equipped for emergency situations.

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INSIGHT 6: “Training Is Next To Godliness” Key Findings Small dogs are difficult to train Owners try and find inexpensive ways to train their dogs – most indulge in self training for that very reason Training is different from basic obedience training Disabled population is in great need of trained dogs

How might we …

Train dogs for the disabled population?

Offer cheaper and inexpensive ways to train dogs?

Employ best training methods suitable for a dog Encourage training to all owners?

I want to train dogs for the disabled population

I have seen many places with dogs for disabled population!

I want to train my dog with the best possible training methods I started giving basic obedience training at early stages through videos

I should replace treats with toys and train thembody language and voice control

Opportunity : There is an opportunity to discover and develop on better training techniques for dogs. Training for specific populations and varieties of owners.

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Create groups and chat with other owners and individuals.

Look through the available options in your area and put a request.

Saves costs of expensive dog day care centers

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Create a profile. Register as an owner,lover or caretaker.

Leave your dog care worries at home

Enjoy dog therapy during stressful times

Make new friends

Check out the various events in your area. Learn more about these events

REFINED CONCEPTS I Insights: Adoption is difficult because of school timings and caretaking problems. People adopt pets because they are a form of stress buster.

Concept : An App that brings all the dog owners and lovers together in a community of mutual caretaking business.

DOG OWNERS

I have a date! Can someone please take Jumpy for a walk in the evening?

I will be in class from 2-5 pm.

I need someone to take care of Cindy

I am free this quarter. I want to do something productive with my time.

CONNECT Have your dog’s Home away from Home

I love dogs! I wish I could just go play with them all day long.

Match profiles with other owners, lovers or caretakers. Find the perfect caretaker for your dog.

DOG LOVERS

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REFINED CONCEPTS II Insights: Dogs need to eat nutritious food at all times. Long hours at public places affect the eating habits of dogs which makes them unhealthy. Owners like to take their dogs everywhere with them.

Concept: Installing dog food vending machines in public places to help prevent owners to feed them with human food which is not healthy for the dog. Enable the owners to stay outdoors for longer hours.

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REFINED CONCEPTS III Insights: Dog owners want better designed products in the market that eases out their dog tasks.

Concept: Poopscoop - to help owners pick up and dispose off dog poop in an efficient way

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FINAL PRESENTATION For our final presentation, we decided to host an event named Doggie Paw-ty at the Forsyth Park in Savannah. The location, date and time was chosen in a way to atract the maximum number of dog owners. We marketed our event through social media and put up posters in and around public places in Savannah. We designed special invitations to be sent out and called our stakeholders to the event. It was an hour long event in which we displpayed our insights and concepts. We had a lot of dog owners come in with their dogs for a good time. We got plenty of valuable feedback and learnings from the presentation. In a nutshell, it was a great experience to work on the culture of pets, eventually dogs in Savannah.

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SOHO GOTHIC PRO - THIN

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