Video Prototype: Chewy
Demonstrating a use case for a pet-centered app
This week, I was challenged to make a video prototype for an existing application centered around health or wellness. I decided on Chewy: an app for all things pets need, like food, medications and supplies.
Design
For my video, I decided on a comical scenario for a dog owner. After realizing their pooch’s breath smells awful, they open Pet Finder. They click the dog category and search for remedies for “stinky breath.” Next, they browse their options, and reference reviews and ingredient lists to decide what to buy. After choosing two products, they check out. Once they receive their order, they are happy to find that their pooch’s breath now smells like roses.
Storyboard
To plan out my video, I drew out a simple storyboard. The first three squares situate the scenario. They show the owner greeting her dog, then filled with disgust at the smell of her’s dog breath. The last three slides show the solution. The owner opens the Chewy app and orders a dog breath freshener product. Next, the package shows up at her door. Finally, the last slide shows the pooch with fresh breath next to the remedy.
Analysis
I originally intended to cast my dog, Penny, as the actress for my video. Shortly after beginning filming, however, I realized that she was afraid of my camera. She’s a skittish dog and easily gets frightened by objects or sounds she’s not familiar with. The clips I filmed were awkward, and I was left with no usable material for my video. Still, I didn’t want to completely scrap my idea. So I began to brainstorm other options.
In the end, I decided to use a combination of stock photos, animations, and screen recordings to demonstrate my use case. I downloaded my stock photos off of Unsplash, then animated the dog’s breath using PNGs on iMovie. The screen recordings show the user browsing the Chewy app in search of a solution, then checking out. Despite my unexpected limitations, I was able to create a video prototype of my original idea.
For feedback, I asked my mom and sister to watch the video and to give me their thoughts on the storyline and presentation. They both told me that they easily understood the scenario, and thought the video flowed well. As for downsides, my mom said the screen recording was a bit long and tedious. If I re-did my video prototype, I might record a person using the app instead of screen recording to make the video more dynamic and interesting.
