There was this one time I interviewed at AirBnB and they gave me a design exercise I was to "spend no more than 4 hours" on. Why let that work go to waste, amirite? Here's what I came up with, using their (at the time) current branding and app styles.

The Brief

Design a dog walker scheduling app where you can find a dog walker, see their schedule, book time and rate them.

Introducing: Airpnp (AirPaws & Play)

Airpnp is a community marketplace that connects dog owners with dog walkers. Through Airpnp, dog owners can find walkers that service their area, schedule walks, and pay securely and safely. Both owners and walkers can review each other to build a reputation in the community.

Alex browses for a dog walker

After downloading the app, Alex is taken to a list of dog walkers servicing her area. Her area is inferred from her location, but she can tap the location name or location icon to choose a different neighborhood. From that same header attached to the status bar, she can access the app’s main menu.

The dog walkers are sorted by rating with the price per walk clearly visible. Were she to log in with her Facebook account, she might see that one of her friends has used a dog walker in the list.

Beneath the location, she has controls for selecting a specific start time and duration for the upcoming walks, and for choosing a type of walk (1:1 walk, group walk, run, etc.)

Alex inspects a dog walker more closely

Alex taps on Michaela’s name and is taken to her profile where she can learn more about her and read reviews. Alex can get a sense of how responsive she is and whether her schedule is flexible.

Alex contacts Michaela to set up a meet-and-greet for her and Panda. Panda likes Michaela, so Alex sets up recurring afternoon walks on weekdays through Airpnp!

The AirPnP Platform

Airpnp provides a safe and convenient way to pay a dog walker, even allowing you to set up automatic payments. Much like Airbnb, the service helps provide an additional layer of trust with verifications for walkers and owners, and arbitration for claims and disputes. It also provides an easy way for dog walkers and owners to contact each other and share information about the dog.

Airpnp could also help walkers become insured and deal with emergencies involving visits to the vet.

Other interactions and Alex’s continued usage

After scheduling Panda’s week-daily walks, Alex would come back to the app to check walk records and pay, and schedule “last-minute” walks when she unexpectedly stays late at work or is away for the weekend.