Case study
Internal client database
A participatory UX/UI project for a two-woman dog training company, focused on improving their everyday efficiency and work practices.
Project
Project Overview
Overview
This was a participatory design project that had the goal of improving the workpractices and efficiency for Hund i balans, a swedish dog training business.
Through continued workshops together with the employees from Hund i balans and two of their customers, we identified key needs and created a concept prototype for an internal customer database solution.
Project info
- Role:
- UX/UI Designer
- Team:
- 4 designers
- Duration:
- 8 weeks
- Methods:
- Participatory design
Design process
Phase 01
Contextual inquiry
Design situation before the workshop
- At this stage, we had limited knowledge about Hund i balans.
- We knew the company was run by two dog trainers offering training services.
- They had noticed potential challenges in their workflow but needed help identifying and clarifying them.
- To gain a deeper understanding of their work practices, we conducted a contextual inquiry.
The workshop: what did we do?
- Observation: Observed a private training session (First meeting) and asked ongoing questions when appropriate (master-apprentice approach).
- Interview: Asked both pre-prepared questions and follow-up questions that emerged during the observation.
- Wrap-up: Presented our interpretations and initial reflections.
What did we find out?
Pain-points
Information
Phase 02
Future workshop
Design situation before the workshop
- The contextual inquiry had given us pain-points, but no shared picture of a better future.
- The trainers had many ideas but no space to talk them through together.
- We needed to know what to build first, and what could wait.
- So we invited both trainers to a future workshop at our campus.
The workshop: what did we do?
- Critique phase: We revisited today's workflow and let the trainers voice everything that frustrated them.
- Fantasy phase: Free brainstorming with post-its: the ideal workday with no technical or economical limits.
- Realisation phase: Clustered the ideas into themes and prioritised what a first version realistically needed.
What did we find out?
Prioritised themes
Insights
Phase 03
Prototyping with the participants
Design situation before the workshop
- Multiple platforms: Client information and communication was handled across several different platforms.
- Scattered information: Information was spread across channels, making it messy and time-consuming to find.
- Difficult to track client status: It was hard to keep track of whether clients had booked a session, been contacted, and so on.
- Proposed solution: A client database with individual client profiles.
- Goal: Provide a simple overview of all clients.
The workshop: what did we do?
- Presentation: Introduced the participants to the design concept, explained the prototyping techniques and presented examples and tasks.
- Role prototyping: The participants refined a user scenario the design team had written for the chosen design concept and created storyboards based on the scenario.
- Look and feel prototyping: Discussed features, created wireframes, and generated a digital mockup using Figma Make.
Storyboards created by participants
Information from the booking form is automatically stored in the client database, creating a temporary client profile that the trainer must approve before it becomes permanent. A notification email is still sent to Hund i balans.
Prototypes created by the participants
The participants sketched the two key views on paper, then described them in their own words to generate a digital mockup: a searchable client table and a detail view where every lesson is documented.
Phase 03.5
Prototyping within the design group
The design group put our heads together and used the insights and prototypes created by the participants to build more polished Figma prototypes.
Alternative 1
A dark, high contrast interface with coloured status pills and a compact table, so the trainer can scan many clients at once and see the contact platform at a glance.
I created this version
Alternative 2
A softer, pastel take with rounded rows and warm accents, focused on readability and on giving each dog a friendlier, more personal profile page.
Figma prototypes
Both alternatives were built as clickable Figma prototypes so the trainer could try the flows side by side and tell us which layout felt easiest to work in every day.
Phase 04
Prototype evaluation with the participants
New design situation before the workshop
- Manual documentation: Much of the booking and documentation was still handled manually or through analog methods.
- Difficult to track client status: It was hard to keep track of whether clients had booked a session, needed a follow up, or were waiting to be contacted.
- Maintenance requirements: The trainers needed a solution that is simple to maintain and accessible for everyone working in the company.
- Proposed solution: A centralised client database with individual client profiles.
- Goal: Provide a clear overview of all clients and their status.
The workshop: what did we do?
- Introduction: Introduced the workshop, summarised the prototypes that had been created, and explained how the prototypes would be evaluated.
- Look and feel evaluation: Two look and feel prototypes were evaluated through contextual exploration and design critique.
- Wrap up: The workshop ended with a discussion of feedback, insights and possible improvements for the next iteration.
What did we find out?
The participants wanted to go ahead with the prototype that already aligned with their design styles and had a cleaner look. The rest of the session was spent noting what to keep and what to change.
Phase 05
What did we deliver to Hund i balans?
We delivered two different concept prototypes.
High-fi Figma prototypes
We used the critique and feedback from the evaluation to build improved Figma prototypes focused on the overall layout and look. Hund i balans received the design file so they can keep working on the project themselves.
Why?
It works as a visual guide if they wish to continue developing the tool.
Figma Make prototypes
We used the Figma prototypes as a basis for a functional database website built with Figma Make. The goal was not a finished product, but a completely interactive prototype for exploring the flow: adding a new client, uploading images, and using the search and filter functions.
Why?
This prototype shows the user flow and how the different functions work together.
Outcome
Outcome & reflection
The final design is a personalized prototype built around the trainers' actual needs. We created a platform that focuses on solving their biggest day-to-day hurdles while preserving the parts of their workflow that already worked: keeping their own terminology, blending manual habits with digital tools, and making the transition feel natural rather than forced.
By using the participatory design framework, we were able to bring all of our expertise together. The dog trainers were essential because they are the experts on their own routines, and our role was to support them with our design capabilities. The result is a tool that feels like it belongs to them, not one that was imposed from the outside.
What could we have done differently?
We should have used our access to the dog trainers more frequently during the beginning of the project. They were very keen on being a part of it, so it was a resource that wasn't utilized until later. I also think we should have booked more time for some of the workshops, because they ended up a bit stressful. Three hours instead of the two we regularly used would have been better.
What did I learn?
I added more tools to my method toolbox for workshops, and I feel like the value of designing together with the users truly shone through in this project. I also learned that if you really know your user, it's okay to sometimes step outside of design standards, because people are different and a smaller user base can have very specific needs.
What is the next step?
Our project focused on creating a design idea, not a fully functioning database website. If Hund i balans wants to continue, they can use our design materials to move the work forward and build a working product around the concept we created together.