sarah malott

Pawdramat

Cleaner Paws ○ Happier Pets ○ Easier Lives
A simple, easy, paw cleaning solution that is always ready for any mess
Challenge
Solution
Role

Background Research

The primary research methods used for this project were user interviews and academic review.

I spoke to a number of dog owners to get an idea of what types of issues came up during their day-to-day activites regarding their dogs.

Pet ownership has increased significantly over the past three decades. In 1988, only 56% of U.S. households owned a pet. As of 2023, 66% of U.S. households (86.9 million homes) own a pet, and an estimated 65.1 million of those households are dog owners

More than two-thirds of Americans would pass on the perfect home if it wasn’t a good fit for their pets
Pet parents spend an average of $730 per year on their dogs,
and in 2022, Americans spent $136.8 billion on their pets overall
27% of pet parents say that cleaning up after their dog is the biggest challenge when it comes to dog ownersip
How might we make it easier for dog owners to keep their dog's paws clean, regardless of what type of housing they have?

Prototyping

There were a couple of key requirements that guided the initial development for this project:

Indoor or Outdoor Use
Low Profile
Not Reliant on Water Supply
Readily Usable
Environmentally Sustainable

In order to address these issues, I implemented the following design decisions:

The best way for the solution to be low profile was for it to replace an existing element of decor that most users would already own, so a door mat seemed a logical choice.
In order for this product to be readily useable, but not reliant on an outisde water supply, there had to be some way to contain water within the doormat. A wide and flat water resevoir made sense for this purpose.
Many of the alternate products on the market require users to plan in advance in order to use them, which doesn't work when the weather changes unexpectedly, or you encounter an unforseen mess.
A current solution to that dog owners were using was disposable pet wipes. The major complaints with these involved cost and waste. Having a study device that required no replacements or additional purchases gave this solution an advantage.
To make this solution work for outdoor use, it needed to be able to weather the elements and be easily cleaned. The plastic housing is sturdy enough to survive the elements, and the rubber bristles allow the mat to be easily hosed off, or rinsed in a sink.
For indoor use, it needed to contain the mess in addition to being easy to clean. The dirt collection tray allows dirt and dirty water to be emptied out as needed in a trash can or sink.

Validation

In order to evaluate the effectiveness and usabiity of the Pawdramat, I brought the product into a number of pet owners homes to get their feedback. The overall reaction was very positive, in particular with the owners of larger dogs, whose owners said they had a more difficult time keeping clean than owners of smaller dogs.

Final Product

Between the experienced usage with these dogs, and talking to their owners, I implemented several modifications on the original design:

I expanded upon the functionality of the removable, hand-held scrubbing portion, and hid it undeneath the top of the mat to accomadate the increase in size
I also addressed concerns about water accumulation in the dirt collection tray by adding graduated channels for water to flow out of.
I increased the size of the foot spray pedal, and the new compartment open pedal, to aid in ease of use.

I also looked into some potential materials that would be best suited for the pawdramat if it were to enter the next stage of production. I knew I wanted this product to be environmentally sustainable, I visted the materials library and looked at both naturally occuring and manufactured materials. Due to the outdoor nature of the pawdramat, most natral materials would not work. I have been looking into a variety of different bioplastics, which I think are the most likely candidate for a suitable material.

Final Thoughts

If I were to keep working on the pawdramat, my next task would be to create a revised physical prototype that I could test on the dogs who tried the first one, and new dogs as well. I would also keep looking into different options for bioplastics, and potentially other sustainable materials that I haven’t thought about yet.