Overview
Bark & Stir is a passion project I developed as part of the BrainStation UX Design Certificate program, inspired by a desire to bring healthier, home-cooked meals to pets. I focused on the growing need for alternatives to overly processed dog food, often stripped of nutrients and filled with unnecessary additives. Through research, I defined the problem space, crafted a “How Might We” statement, persona and established a strong value proposition. These insights informed the development of a user flow, sitemap, and wireframes to guide the product experience.
Research Summary
Dog owners want to feed their pets healthier meals but face key challenges: 95% of home-cooked dog food lacks essential nutrients, and many feel overwhelmed by the time, planning, and knowledge required. They’re concerned about nutritional balance, skeptical of commercial kibble, and unsure where to start. There’s a clear need for a simple, guided solution that makes healthy home-cooking easy and trustworthy.
Solution
App empower busy dog owners to confidently prepare healthy, balanced meals at home with ease. With expert-backed, veterinarian-approved recipes provide trusted guidance using quality ingredients tailored to each dog’s nutritional needs. With a simplified, step-by-step system, app is designed to make homemade pet meals faster, more efficient, and worry-free.
Detailed Figma Presentation
Moving Forward...
Given more time, I would love to conduct user testing based on key scenarios such as selecting recipes and following step-by-step cooking instructions to evaluate ease of use and identify any usability issues. It would also be valuable to test how intuitive the user flow is and whether adjustments are needed for a smoother experience.
Some visual elements, including branding, logo, and icons, still need refinement. I also see opportunities to enhance the overall UI, and I’d be interested in conducting A/B testing to explore the effectiveness of different navigation placements (footer vs. header).
This project was done with structured and linear designing process. In my past experience, the design journey has been more messy, sometimes with design exploration happening before research and research happening to validate the design. Going through this methodical approach was both challenging and valuable, giving me a deeper appreciation for the discipline and structure behind effective UX design.
All that said, the design and presentation were a success in the context of a school project. Feedback from the instructor and fellow students was positive and encouraging. More importantly, I gained valuable lessons about the UX design process, from research and ideation to structure and iteration, that will influence how I approach future projects.