End-to-end design to address the issue of loose dogs in Dallas, TX
In 2016, a woman named Antoinette Brown was mauled to death by a pack of loose dogs in Dallas, TX. Her death sent ripples through the city, bringing massive attention to the growing population of loose dogs, an estimated at 8,700 dogs, in the southern parts of the city. Our project, in partnership with the SPCA, sought to reduce the remaining loose dog population by targeting the human behaviors that contribute to the problem– behaviors that are both passive and active. We started by researching this question: How might we improve pet ownership in South Dallas?
We used a variety of research methods including community observation and immersion, "man-on-the-street" interviews, and journey mapping. Through our research, we learned that many community members were unaware of what "good" pet ownership entailed. It became clear that the lack of education was contributing to both the number of dogs not spayed or neutered and to the number of dogs that were escaping homes and backyards.
Our initial prototypes sought to incentivize good dog ownership through surveys and reward systems, but we quickly learned that people most willing to participate in these prototypes were already the people doing all the right things. However, we kept hearing about this “neighbor across the street,” and not just once or twice. Many of the community members were more than eager to point out the house “three doors down” or “two blocks south” and tell us about the dog who frequently escaped the yard. We realized our prototype wasn’t reaching this kind of person– the person whose dogs repeatedly escaped and didn’t seem to care.
Using maps pulled from Dallas OpenData, we were able to compare the anecdotal data to specific incident reports and fines listed by the city. This confirmed our suspicions: the high-impact user was real. We heard about the “neighbor across the street” from community residents, and then this qualitative data was backed up by the quantitative public data. This meant that there was a high-impact user known by both the community and by the city.
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Our final prototype targeted a handful of high-impact users by reframing the incentive program to both educate pet owners and provide positive interactions with users through free food and pet supplies. We hoped to create a positive experience by providing something pet owners truly needed and wanted. We mailed a box to six of the households on the list that we generated from public data and anecdotal experience from our community interviewees. The boxes were printed with a subtle pattern and sealed in a bright color to create a sense of friendliness without being over-the-top. When opening the box, the participant would see a translucent flyer that explained the program and gave them an opportunity to respond. If they chose to respond, they would answer a few questions to receive another month of free food.
Though conducted in a short amount of time, we received a 20% response from the boxes stating that users had learned something about being better pet owners. This prototype was adopted by the SPCA of Texas, which they transformed into a new reward system in partnership with Dallas Animal Services for pet owners with multiple pet citations and violations.
The DogBox is one of many possible vehicles into the homes of high- impact users, and was an example
of one of many ways that a future project could impact inaccurate and harmful beliefs to create positive behavior change. The DogBox was more than an educational campaign; it was a carefully designed experience that created an opportunity for new information to be received openly and positively by a high-impact user.
In 2016, a woman named Antoinette Brown was mauled to death by a pack of loose dogs in Dallas, TX. Her death sent ripples through the city, bringing massive attention to the growing population of loose dogs, an estimated at 8,700 dogs, in the southern parts of the city. Our project, in partnership with the SPCA, sought to reduce the remaining loose dog population by targeting the human behaviors that contribute to the problem– behaviors that are both passive and active. We started by researching this question: How might we improve pet ownership in South Dallas?
We used a variety of research methods including community observation and immersion, "man-on-the-street" interviews, and journey mapping. Through our research, we learned that many community members were unaware of what "good" pet ownership entailed. It became clear that the lack of education was contributing to both the number of dogs not spayed or neutered and to the number of dogs that were escaping homes and backyards.
Our initial prototypes sought to incentivize good dog ownership through surveys and reward systems, but we quickly learned that people most willing to participate in these prototypes were already the people doing all the right things. However, we kept hearing about this “neighbor across the street,” and not just once or twice. Many of the community members were more than eager to point out the house “three doors down” or “two blocks south” and tell us about the dog who frequently escaped the yard. We realized our prototype wasn’t reaching this kind of person– the person whose dogs repeatedly escaped and didn’t seem to care.
Using maps pulled from Dallas OpenData, we were able to compare the anecdotal data to specific incident reports and fines listed by the city. This confirmed our suspicions: the high-impact user was real. We heard about the “neighbor across the street” from community residents, and then this qualitative data was backed up by the quantitative public data. This meant that there was a high-impact user known by both the community and by the city.
Our final prototype targeted a handful of high-impact users by reframing the incentive program to both educate pet owners and provide positive interactions with users through free food and pet supplies. We hoped to create a positive experience by providing something pet owners truly needed and wanted. We mailed a box to six of the households on the list that we generated from public data and anecdotal experience from our community interviewees. The boxes were printed with a subtle pattern and sealed in a bright color to create a sense of friendliness without being over-the-top. When opening the box, the participant would see a translucent flyer that explained the program and gave them an opportunity to respond. If they chose to respond, they would answer a few questions to receive another month of free food.
Though conducted in a short amount of time, we received a 20% response from the boxes stating that users had learned something about being better pet owners. This prototype was adopted by the SPCA of Texas, which they transformed into a new reward system in partnership with Dallas Animal Services for pet owners with multiple pet citations and violations.
The DogBox is one of many possible vehicles into the homes of high- impact users, and was an example
of one of many ways that a future project could impact inaccurate and harmful beliefs to create positive behavior change. The DogBox was more than an educational campaign; it was a carefully designed experience that created an opportunity for new information to be received openly and positively by a high-impact user.
In 2016, a woman named Antoinette Brown was mauled to death by a pack of loose dogs in Dallas, TX. Her death sent ripples through the city, bringing massive attention to the growing population of loose dogs, an estimated at 8,700 dogs, in the southern parts of the city. Our project, in partnership with the SPCA, sought to reduce the remaining loose dog population by targeting the human behaviors that contribute to the problem– behaviors that are both passive and active. We started by researching this question: How might we improve pet ownership in South Dallas?
We used a variety of research methods including community observation and immersion, "man-on-the-street" interviews, and journey mapping. Through our research, we learned that many community members were unaware of what "good" pet ownership entailed. It became clear that the lack of education was contributing to both the number of dogs not spayed or neutered and to the number of dogs that were escaping homes and backyards.
Our initial prototypes sought to incentivize good dog ownership through surveys and reward systems, but we quickly learned that people most willing to participate in these prototypes were already the people doing all the right things. However, we kept hearing about this “neighbor across the street,” and not just once or twice. Many of the community members were more than eager to point out the house “three doors down” or “two blocks south” and tell us about the dog who frequently escaped the yard. We realized our prototype wasn’t reaching this kind of person– the person whose dogs repeatedly escaped and didn’t seem to care.
Using maps pulled from Dallas OpenData, we were able to compare the anecdotal data to specific incident reports and fines listed by the city. This confirmed our suspicions: the high-impact user was real. We heard about the “neighbor across the street” from community residents, and then this qualitative data was backed up by the quantitative public data. This meant that there was a high-impact user known by both the community and by the city.
Our final prototype targeted a handful of high-impact users by reframing the incentive program to both educate pet owners and provide positive interactions with users through free food and pet supplies. We hoped to create a positive experience by providing something pet owners truly needed and wanted. We mailed a box to six of the households on the list that we generated from public data and anecdotal experience from our community interviewees. The boxes were printed with a subtle pattern and sealed in a bright color to create a sense of friendliness without being over-the-top. When opening the box, the participant would see a translucent flyer that explained the program and gave them an opportunity to respond. If they chose to respond, they would answer a few questions to receive another month of free food.
Though conducted in a short amount of time, we received a 20% response from the boxes stating that users had learned something about being better pet owners. This prototype was adopted by the SPCA of Texas, which they transformed into a new reward system in partnership with Dallas Animal Services for pet owners with multiple pet citations and violations.
The DogBox is one of many possible vehicles into the homes of high- impact users, and was an example
of one of many ways that a future project could impact inaccurate and harmful beliefs to create positive behavior change. The DogBox was more than an educational campaign; it was a carefully designed experience that created an opportunity for new information to be received openly and positively by a high-impact user.
