A pawfect place for pet owners to connect
Achievements
Instagram has seen over 200% growth month-on-month.
WhatsApp community active and growing rapidly.
Pawdly events starting.
Team grows to 4 (we all work on Pawdly our spare time).
Community launching in London, UK and Madrid, Spain.
Web app release October 2024.
Overview
I created the concept, brand and website for a new venture: Pawdly.
I was desperate to get a puppy. I am basically obsessed with dachshunds, and while I was researching, I realised it really takes a team to raise a needy pet.
I’m talking about great breeders; rescue homes; pet sitters; dog walkers; great vets. People you can trust with your furry / feathery / scaly pal.
I didn’t want to compromise too much on my lifestyle, so I needed to know how to travel with my dog; where the pet-friendly cafes, restaurants and venues are at home and away and I needed to track down pet-friendly accommodation too.
I couldn’t find a place where all of this and more was in one place. A place where locals, visitors, digital nomads and expats could share their pet knowledge — so I thought I'd create it.
Research phase
I began by getting a feel for the kind of information pet owners are looking for by sending out a survey in pet owners circles. I then spoke to a number of local pet owners about their pet knowledge needs and pain points.
"I had to do soooo much research, planning, logistics and money spent to bring my dog to Portugal. I was very stressed that I was missing something."
Survey participant
Website and brand design
Based on feedback from this research, I put together some wireframes to test out content with some local pet owners and to see what did and didn’t resonate.
I then created the Pawdly brand. The wordmark looks fluffy and cuddly. I used fresh green colours as a nod to the great outdoors and chose friendly and welcoming imagery, with pets showcased front and centre. I wanted to make sure the colours, content and interactions were accessible and that designs were producing the lowest levels of carbon possible online.
The initial launch
The launch was initially for a Lisbon Slack community and it was very exciting. The word was spread, pet owners joined and I designed and printed QR code stickers and cards and placed them over Lisbon to boost visibility.
To improve the website incrementally and increase conversions, I used Google Analytics and Hotjar.
The Pawdly site has since been featured on Relume’s site inspiration showcase.
Pawdly evolves
In late 2024, Pawdly became a team of 2. Together, we expanded Pawdly to WhatsApp and created Pawdly Instagram accounts: Pawdly Portugal Instagram account.
I put together some social media brand guidelines to help keep the brand consistent across multiple platforms and work for future communities so they could generate branded content themselves on Canva.
The Pawdly web app
The excitement didn't stop there. I had an idea for web app that could help Pawdly members. I made a simple prototype to explain the concept and I spoke about it with a friend. He really liked the idea and was keen to build it!
The Pawdly team became 3.
I got to work turning the quick concept into a usable and accessible web app and transformed the brand into a foundational design system, ready for introducing new components as the app scales.
Watch this space for the App's launch...
And ... Pawdly is now expanding to London and Madrid, with a new team member heading up the UK-based communities.
Get involved!
If you would like to start your own Pawdly community in your city please reach out. We have big ambitions and lots of opportunities for our team to learn new skills and grow.
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