Imagine you are a PM at Meta, How would you build a dog walking app

Response

Before diving in, I want to state my assumptions

  1. We are not tied to a specific Meta surface. We can start inside Groups or Messenger but can expand later.
  2. We will assume U.S. as the initial market. Pet ownership is high, and walking services are common.
  3. We will focus on consumers (dog owners) first, while acknowledging that walkers, shelters, and service providers will come into play later.
  4. The primary company goal here is increasing daily active usage (DAU) by solving a recurring daily need.

I will structure this answer in four parts: Why, Who, What, and How.

Why (motivation, company fit, north star)

Trends and why now. Pet ownership increased significantly during the pandemic. As people return to offices, they need trusted and reliable help for their pets. Demand for walkers is high during work hours and when owners travel.

Company fit. Meta’s core strengths are community building, social graphs, distribution, and trust and safety. Dog care is social by nature, involving neighbors, parks, and local groups. Meta’s ability to anchor services in real identity and social proof is a strong differentiator.

Mission alignment. Meta’s mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. This product supports that by helping neighbors care for each other’s pets and strengthen local ties.

North Star. Daily active users engaging with walking workflows such as browsing, booking, tracking, and rating. Guardrails include trust and safety incidents and customer satisfaction after walks.

Who (ecosystem and segment choice)

Ecosystem.

Priority segment for version one. Families with kids. This group experiences high time pressure, has willingness to pay, and can drive strong community adoption.

What (problems and choice)

Top pain points for families with kids:

  1. Trust: Uncertainty around giving a stranger access to their dog.
  2. Convenience: Difficulty with last minute scheduling and access logistics.
  3. Transparency and safety: Need for live updates, location tracking, and incident handling.
  4. Community: Limited ability to discover nearby owners, walkers, and routes.

Primary focus. Solve for trust and convenience first, paired with transparency.

How (solution, MVP, growth, moonshot)

Product: Neighborhood Walks (inside Facebook and Messenger)

Core value. Find trusted walkers from your social graph, book with two taps, receive live walk tracking and automatic updates.

Key features

MVP (four to six weeks scope)

Hypothesis. Combining trust signals from the graph with live transparency will lead owners to book more often and return weekly.

Surface. Launch inside Facebook Groups and Messenger. Owners can request walks from a lightweight mini app, book vetted walkers, and receive live location sharing with photo check ins. Payment and ratings occur directly in Messenger.

Super MVP. Pilot in a few neighborhoods. Manually onboard trusted walkers from shelters and Groups. Validate demand and experience before expanding.

MVP success metrics.

User journey

Imagine a busy parent who needs a walk at 2 pm. In their local Dog Owners group on Facebook, they tap “Book a Walk.” Suggested walkers show mutual friends and trust badges. They choose Sam, confirm thirty minutes, and pay with Meta Pay. At 2 pm, Messenger shows “Sam picked up Rocky.” A live map displays the walk with photo updates from the park. The parent sees when Rocky returns home, tips Sam, and sets a recurring schedule for three days a week. The next week, they receive a reminder asking, “Same time tomorrow?” and confirm.

Go to market

Monetization

Risks and mitigations

Roadmap