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Resume

FluffCrew

FluffCrew

Led primary research and web design to shape the foundation of an early-stage product experience

Led primary research and web design to shape the foundation of an early-stage product experience

Led primary research and web design to shape the foundation of an early-stage product experience

Role Product Designer

Duration 4 months

Project type Industry Internship

Team

1 Product Designer

1 Project Manager

2 Graphic Designers

Contribution

User Research

User Research

Web Design

Web Design

Design System

Design System

TL;DR

New dog parents often feel overwhelmed with training, understanding behavior to managing routines, especially without access to curated tools or expert advice.

I took the product from 0 to 1 — conducting user research, defining the product direction, building the design system, and designing and developing the e-commerce website.

TL;DR

New dog parents often feel overwhelmed with training, understanding behavior to managing routines, especially without access to curated tools or expert advice.

I took the product from 0 to 1 — conducting user research, defining the product direction, building the design system, and designing and developing the e-commerce website.

Context

Storytime

I raised my first puppy, Joy — constantly anxious and overwhelmed by conflicting advice online, every small decision felt like guesswork.

"If I felt this lost, how were other first-time pet parents managing?"

This experience made me curious, were others struggling like I did? When I joined the team, I took the chance to dig deeper.

User research

Research Objective

User

Interviews

Survey

Secondary Research

Our primary goal was to understand how first-time dog parents in India experience the early stages of puppy training. To explore this, we focused on five key questions:

Key Focus

Key Focus

1

How do pet parents find training resources for their puppies?

2

How do they handle common challenges?

3

How often do they need support or tools during training?

4

What challenges do they face when training their puppies?

5

How do they decide which advice or tools to follow?

Making Sense Of It All

Demographic Insights

Demographic Insights

Demographic Insights

We conducted a survey to gain insights into the challenges faced by first-time pet parents, receiving 122 responses. Below are the key findings from our research.

We conducted a survey to gain insights into the challenges faced by first-time pet parents, receiving 122 responses. Below are the key findings from our research.

Training Tools

Age

78

%

of respondents are either unaware of training tools or find them difficult to locate

78

%

of respondents are either unaware of training tools or find them difficult to locate

75

%

of respondents were aged 18-35, highlighting a young, tech-savvy audience for our product.

75

%

of respondents were aged 18-35, highlighting a young, tech-savvy audience for our product.

Key Issues

Key Issues

Key Issues

User Issues

60

%

face significant challenges with toilet training and obedience

60

%

face significant challenges with toilet training and obedience

45

%

are concerned about behavioral issues like teething, anxiety, and hyperactivity

45

%

are concerned about behavioral issues like teething, anxiety, and hyperactivity

What We Heard

We conducted semi-structured interviews with first-time pet parents, starting with core focus areas but allowing room for unexpected themes to emerge.

The quotes around reflect honest, real struggles that people face while raising a puppy

All valid and important problems, but solving every one of them at once wasn’t the goal

→ We needed to focus on what mattered most at this stage of the product cycle

All valid and important problems, but solving every one of them at once wasn’t the goal

→ We needed to focus on what mattered most at this stage of the product cycle

All valid and important problems, but solving every one of them at once wasn’t the goal

→ We needed to focus on what mattered most at this stage of the product cycle

Hence, we focused on early challenges new pet parents face, helping us identify where our product could offer quick, focused value.

The remaining problems weren’t forgotten, just sequenced.

(Edit: They now inform our educational content, guides, and new products ^.^)

The remaining problems weren’t forgotten, just sequenced.

(Edit: They now inform our educational content, guides, and new products ^.^)

The remaining problems weren’t forgotten, just sequenced.

(Edit: They now inform our educational content, guides, and new products ^.^)

"Having a puppy is making me feel even more tied to the house... feeling desperate and anxious”

"He bites constantly. Bites everyone, me my wife, my kids. We are covered in scratches, punctures and cuts”

"It feels like a real task to find other pet owners with puppies around my area to set up play dates for mine.”

"I was completely unprepared for how maddening it is to have a little him peeing and pooping everywhere”

"The vet said not to take my puppy outside, but now they have to go potty!”

"Having a puppy is making me feel even more tied to the house... feeling desperate and anxious”

"He bites constantly. Bites everyone, me my wife, my kids. We are covered in scratches, punctures and cuts”

"It feels like a real task to find other pet owners with puppies around my area to set up play dates for mine.”

"I was completely unprepared for how maddening it is to have a little him peeing and pooping everywhere”

"The vet said not to take my puppy outside, but now they have to go potty!”

"Having a puppy is making me feel even more tied to the house... feeling desperate and anxious”

"He bites constantly. Bites everyone, me my wife, my kids. We are covered in scratches, punctures and cuts”

"It feels like a real task to find other pet owners with puppies around my area to set up play dates for mine.”

"I was completely unprepared for how maddening it is to have a little him peeing and pooping everywhere”

"The vet said not to take my puppy outside, but now they have to go potty!”

What We Learned

1

Feeling Overwhelmed

Many parents said they felt anxious, exhausted, and unsure if they were doing things right. Caring for a puppy felt like too much at times.

2

Training Struggles

Toilet training and biting came up again and again. People tried treats, videos, and advice, but still felt helpless when nothing worked.

3

Information overload

Everyone said they were confused by all the different tips online and was hard to know which ones to trust or follow.

High level goal

How might we help new dog parents feel confident and supported as they train and care for their puppy?

How might we help new dog parents feel confident and supported as they train and care for their puppy?

Competitive Analysis

As our research progressed, we noticed many pet parents wanted clearer guidance, a more structured way to train their dogs at home. To see what kinds of solutions already exist, we explored global products and services that help new pet parents with learning and engagement.

!

In the Indian pet market, there's a gap. Surprisingly, there aren’t any guided or structured tools to help new pet parents train their puppies. It's uncharted territory.

Key findings

Expert guidance is important for obedience training through guides and videos.

Mental stimulation and quality toys are key to raising smart and happy puppies.

Personalized kits should address real challenges users face at different stages.

Pricing should be affordable to reach more people.

Community engagement builds brand loyalty through exclusive events and interactions.

Community engagement builds brand loyalty through exclusive events

Brand Identity

We aligned the brand’s voice and colors with the following traits, which guided the content tone and visual design components.

1

Friendly

tone to foster approachability

2

Nurturing

essence to provide a supportive experience

3

Compassion

to resonate with user on deeper level

Low-Fidelity Wireframes

Low-fidelity wireframes lay the foundational structure of our website design, focusing on basic elements and layout without intricate details. These sketches provide a broad overview, helping to streamline the user experience and iterate quickly on the fundamental structure.

Testing the Waters

After converting the wireframes we made initially to low-fidelity prototypes, we tested a couple of users to know if we are going in the right direction or if we need to make changes to functions that might not be intuitive or might confuse our users.

After converting the wireframes we made initially to low-fidelity prototypes, we tested a couple of users to know if we are going in the right direction or if we need to make changes to functions that might not be intuitive or might confuse our users.

After converting the wireframes we made initially to low-fidelity prototypes, we tested a couple of users to know if we are going in the right direction or if we need to make changes to functions that might not be intuitive or might confuse our users.

Tasks

1

Navigate to the product page of a specific puppy training kit and go through the process of purchasing it.

2

Explore the website to locate resources or information that would help you address any concerns or questions as a first-time pet owner.

Key findings

!

Users had difficulty navigating and locating the blog page

!

There was confusion about where to create a dog profile

!

Users struggled to identify the appropriate category for specific problems on the blog page

Iterations

After converting the wireframes we made initially to low-fidelity prototypes, we tested a couple of users to know if we are going in the right direction or if we need to make changes to functions that might not be intuitive or might confuse our users.

After converting the wireframes we made initially to low-fidelity prototypes, we tested a couple of users to know if we are going in the right direction or if we need to make changes to functions that might not be intuitive or might confuse our users.

After converting the wireframes we made initially to low-fidelity prototypes, we tested a couple of users to know if we are going in the right direction or if we need to make changes to functions that might not be intuitive or might confuse our users.

Home

Product Page

Blog Page

Final Designs

Home

Product Page

Blog Page

Home

Product Page

Blog Page

Closing

Design Outcomes

38% Increase

in conversion rate (from 41% → 79%)

40% Increase

in brand engagement across platforms

Lessons Learned

Thinking Beyond the Screen

I learned to look at the whole product — not just the designs, but how every touchpoint connects to create one continuous brand experience.

The Role of Brand Voice

I realized how powerful brand voice can be. Since we were working on something so emotional and personal, the right tone helped us connect with users in a genuine, comforting way.

GREAT THINGS BEGIN WITH

a simple

Hello

नमस्ते

Hola

こんにちは

Bonjour

你好

Hello

hzope@iu.edu

LinkedIn

5:06 AM

I'm probably not sleeping, Hit me up!

© 2025 Hriishikesh Zope

GREAT THINGS BEGIN WITH

a simple

Hello

नमस्ते

Hola

こんにちは

Bonjour

你好

Hello

hzope@iu.edu

LinkedIn

© 2025 Hriishikesh Zope

GREAT THINGS BEGIN WITH

a simple

Hello

नमस्ते

Hola

こんにちは

Bonjour

你好

Hello

hzope@iu.edu

LinkedIn

5:06 AM

I'm probably not sleeping, Hit me up!

© 2025 Hriishikesh Zope