As a way to introduce the concept of wayfinding, we were tasked with creating a system that could exist in both print and digital formats in the green spaces of Greater Boston. After a nearly 9 mile wander of the city documenting and observing over 13 green spaces, I was fortunate to engage many park-goers in conversation about their interaction with the space. Unsurprisingly, if you’re familiar with Boston, many of these park-goers were here for their dogs.

In talking to dog owners, many of the same pain points were recurring: they couldn’t properly socialize and train their dog due to living conditions, they were worried that their dog might act up in the company of others, or that other dogs could behave unexpectedly towards them or their dog. After figuring out a way to best categorize these points, I developed a system to allow dogs to be voluntarily visually marked with a colored tag so one could get an idea of a strange dog’s disposition before they were too close. These markers would be dispensed at the entrances to the space and would be made from dog waste bags, so they could serve more than one purpose, and discourage the improper disposal of the markers while making it easier to keep the parks clear of dog waste. This color coding system led to a “colored collar” system on the BosPaws app, a space to aid the former pain point of dog socialization. The app interface, available using the QR codes posted on the dog waste signs and trash can wraps is designed to help dogs and their owners find other playmates who frequent the same parks and have complimentary dispositions. With quick, swipe-social formatting, photos, bios, disposition and location filters, finding a puppy pal becomes a lot easier and more engaging. Creating BosPaws created a wonderful opportunity to explore a more playful design system while considering material logistics, multi platform systems, human, and dog interaction.