The work starts, right now, right here!

After what we can call a very successful project we are facing the next step of our SnoepDog project: constructing a workable and in real life operational version of SnoepDog. Now THAT’s what you call a challenge. Inventing is one thing, make it work definitely more work. So no summer holiday for us, unfortunately. But hey, what’s more fun than making your own company and making money from your own idea? You’ll be hearing from us soon!

Snoepdog idee van Tilburgse studenten

Giel Beelen 3FM over SnoepDog

SnoepDog project at Giel Beelens 3FM! Listen to our SnoepDog project collegue Sander Tan at http://giel.vara.nl/Audiohighlights.456.0.html?&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=18366&cHash=e4a1a76c24b93742b6e58c9c2c4a216e

Snoepdog on Brabant10

We won the UID Best Project Award!!!

Yes!!! We won the UID Best Project Award!!! And at the same time, SnoepDog is concurring the media! So far, the following media have paid attention to our project:

3FM (Giel Beelen)

BN/DeStem

AD

NCRV

Het Parool

Omroep Brabant TV
Brabants Dagblad

Scientias (Science newssite)

BredaVandaag.nl

Omroep Brabant Radio

TNR

Tilburg.com

Univers

Stadsnieuws Tilburg

Eindhovens Dagblad

Radio Noord-Holland

SnoepDog on Omroep Brabant

Newsmedia dig SnoepDog!

A very busy day with a lot of media at the pre-presentation of SnoepDog in Tilburg. Newspapers, websites and tv stations like the SnoepDog idea!

SnoepDog receives media attention

Always nice, when media are publishing about your project. SnoepDog on the newsite http://www.tilburg.com/

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Studenten Tilburg University lossen met SnoepDog hondenpoepprobleem op

Publicatiedatum: 16 mei 2011

Vier studenten aan de School of Humanities van Tilburg University hebben een prototype ontwikkeld dat het hondenpoepprobleem moet aanpakken in de vorm van een multimedia poepbak met touchscreen. Niet straffen in de vorm van boetes, maar belonen voor goed gedrag is de achterliggende filosofie: zowel hond als baas.
Het prototype, met als werktitel SnoepDog is een grote bak waar na inloggen door de hondeneigenaar volle poepzakjes in gaan en hondenbrokjes uitkomen. De eigenaren krijgen een persoonlijke pas waarmee ze kunnen sparen voor belastingkorting of kans kunnen maken op speeltjes voor de hond. Met het hondenkoekje dat uit het apparaat komt, kan de hond zo geconditioneerd worden dat deze alleen in de buurt van de bak poept.

De SnoepDog is getest bij de hondentraining van de dierenbescherming in Breda. Algemene eindconclusie was dat mensen erg positief tegenover het prototype staan. Belastingkorting en het spel zijn voor de mensen een goede stimulans om de hondenpoep op te ruimen. De studenten zijn van plan het apparaat kostenneutraal aan te bieden aan gemeentes.

Logo design is something else

Well, we are user interface designers, NOT graphic designers. So yeah, the SnoepDog logo isn’t the best part of our work. Working on it! Here’s a new attempt to make SnoepDog more likeable. Although used in many occasions, a dog paw always works fine. We could have done another one: the SnoepDog in ad pile of poop, but hey, that wouldn’t create the nice associations our marketeers our searching for…

Play or get tax refund!

Here’s the first design of the screen interface. As you can see, there’s two ways a dog owner can be rewarded for collecting dog poop. The quick one is a discount on the dog tax. Dog owners that dispose of dog feces in the appropriate way all year long, wil NOT pay any dog taxes at all! How’s  that? It will solve the dog poop problem within a year! A more fun way to change dog owner’s behavior is the Dog game: nice dog prices can be won by rolling the ball.

What we learned from the user evaluation

The evaluation test at the Animal Protection Service in Breda was packed with lessons for us to learn. We installed SnoepDog at the gate of the training field, so every dog owner in the training course would pass by.  We selected participants ourselves. First we asked them to participate. Then we introduced SnoepDog by telling what it is and how it works. Then we asked them to use it and speak aloud anything that goes on in their minds while using the device. Afterwards, we interviewed them about their experience.  Here are the main results:

-  The interface proved to be more complicated to new users than we expected.  Although we explained in length the way SnoepDog works, it took most participants minutes to figure out what to do;

- Dog owners main focus is NOT SnoepDog, but their dogs! The constant shift of attention between device and dog resulted in a lack of concentration, which made the interface tasks harder to complete;

- The fact that the users of SnoepDog are dog owners caused an unforeseen problem: because within urban space dog owners are obliged to leech their dogs, they only have one free hand to  handle the device: the other hand is used to hold the leech. The problem is that most right handed dog owners hold the leech with their right hand. They tend to use SnoepDog with their left, which makes the handling harder. This especially the case when dogowners need to grab a bag. Tearing a bag of should be made easier with a same system used to tear of aluminum foil;

- Vision and sound can be improved to make the interface clearer;

- The interface uses too much text. Participants did not take the time to read;

- Most participants were eager to proceed the process, they want to get done with it as quickly as possible;

- Strong sun light caused the screen to fade, which made it harder to read, even when the screen was at its brightest;

- Some participants seemed to be more eager to please the researchers than to figure out what to do with SnoepDog. This even when we explained to them that we want to test the system, not how well they perform;

- Young people seem to prefer the game, older people the tax reduce;

- It proved to be hard for participants to think of ways to improve SnoepDog.

Testing at the Animal Protection Service

Today we received some very good news. We got official approval to test the SnoepDog at the dog training of the Animal Protection Service (Dierenbescherming). Now, WERE would we be better off testing a dog and owner behavioral machine than at the expert’s doorstep? Over 80 puppies, dogs and owners will be present next Saturday, under the caring eye of Animal Protection trainers. They will give their expert view on the machine an its design. It will be tons of fun!

Test ground will be: www.hondentraining-breda.dierenbescherming.nl/

SnoepDog for budget prices

Well good news here for local governments that do want to introduce the SnoepDog, but are in these days of cutbacks not willing to invest a lot of money in them. Marketing has brought us the insight of product differantiation, so why not use it? The SnoepDog is coming to you in four variations: Budget, Intermediate and Elite. Here are the feautrues:

Budget

Small garbage collector with limited options. Dog owners have a card which unlocks a hole in the garbage collector.

1.      Dog defecates

2.      Dog owner checks in with his card

3.      The owner can access the recycable paper bags and takes one out

4.      The owner puts the feces in the bag and throws it in the SnoepDog

5.      Chunks of dog food fall out in a small opening at the base of the SnoepDog

6.      Dog is conditioned to defecate near the SnoepDog

Intermediate

Same options as the budget SnoepDog, but this trash can has a flatscreen. On this screen various dog training tips appear when you check in with your card. By checking in, the SnoepDog registers how many times you throw away your dog's feces. The more feces you throw away, the more points you earn. With these points you can get a discount on your dog taxes.

1.      Dog defecates

2.      Dog owner checks in with his card

3.      The dog owner can see on the screen how many times he has checked in and how many times he has to throw away dog feces before he receives a dog tax reduction

4.      The owner can access the recycable paper bags and takes one out

5.      The owner puts the feces in the bag and throws it in the SnoepDog

6.      A video with dog training tips are shown on the screen

7.      Chunks of dog food fall out in a small opening at the base of the SnoepDog

8.      The dog owner now knows how he can train his dog with the help of food

9.      Dog learns new tricks and receives food

10.  Dog is conditioned to defecate near SnoepDog

11.  Dog owner saves for tax reduction

Elite

Same options as the Intermediate SnoepDog, but there are extra options:

·         Sun shade above the screen, so the users can read the screen better when it is sunny.

·         Paper bags with disinfecting lotion in them

·         Dog owners receive a chip to attach to the dog's collar instead of a card. In most households a dog is being walked by more than one person. If that person has the card in his wallet, the others can not dispose the dog feces in the SnoepDog.

·         Dog owners can earn points when they throw away the dog's feces. With these points they can reduce their dog taxes or play a game to win a prize.

·         When the dog chunks fall out a high pitched sound is played through a speaker which only the dogs can hear, so they know there is food.