Find Your Pet
- Responsive Website Design

Project Type

Design challenge
Individual Project

Contribution

User interviews
User journey mapping
Ideation
Paper Prototype
High-fidelity prototype
Interaction design

Tools

Figma
Illustrator

Duration

6 weeks
Background

Goal

Enhance the user experience and increase pet adoptions to at least 50% by creating an interactive and informative website that showcases available pets, provides comprehensive information about the adoption process, facilitates seamless communication between potential adopters and the agency, and ultimately promotes responsible pet ownership and animal welfare.

Prompt

Find Your Pet is a pet adoption agency that offers a variety of animals for adoption. It also offers a way for current guardians to find a perfect home for their pet for any reason. Find Your Pet’s goal is to make adoption fun, fast and easy for all types of users.
A blue rectangle with black text that reads "10% of pets in Canada are adopted each year"A blue rectangle with black text that reads "7000,000 animals are currently waiting to be adopted at animal shelters across Canada"A blue rectangle with black text that reads "3 million Canadians plan to adopt a pet in the next 12 months leading to an increased demand for pets for adoption"

Challenge

While I was researching statistics on pet adoption, I found out that a large portion of people plan to adopt an animal, which leads to my initial question:
Blue text that reads "How might we help people adopt a pet?"

Project Process

I followed the 5 stages of the design to create the mobile app which includes a competitive analysis, interviews, the project scope, personas, product sitemap, wireframing and high-fidelity mockups.
A flow chart depicting the project's process
Research

Competitive Analysis

Reflecting on my own journey, I've often found myself seeking the perfect companionship, only to face challenges in identifying the right pet to adopt. Despite my eagerness, I understand the significance of a well-informed decision in ensuring a harmonious connection. To address this, I delved into the world of pet adoption and explored various websites, uncovering four prominent platforms: Petfinder, Adopt-a-Pet.com, ASPCA Adoption Center, and RescueMe.Org. Just as I yearned for an effective way to find the ideal furry friend, these websites cater to the diverse aspirations of potential pet adopters, each offering distinctive strengths to guide this pivotal journey.
A competitive list of multiple pet adoption agencies
After trying all of their features, I summarized some pain points while using them, which became the opportunity areas for me to design the new app. - change if need to
Pain Points:
  • Adoption information isn't clear on how to adopt or put their pet up for adoption
  • No animal organization leading to users being confused
  • Users need to scroll through the websites to get to where they want to go
  • Not enough information about the pet to make a decision

Interview

To gain a profound understanding of our potential user base, I engaged in insightful discussions with a diverse spectrum of eight individuals ranging in age from 20 to 35. These interviews were semi-structured, employing open-ended questions to encourage participants to freely express their thoughts and provide intricate insights. The conversations revolved around their experiences with pet adoption, their perspectives on animal welfare, and the factors influencing their decisions to adopt a pet. Through these interactions, a pattern emerged: married individuals, especially those with children, exhibited a greater inclination towards adopting pets and displayed a nuanced understanding of the responsibilities and nuances associated with it. On the other hand, younger participants such as students and professionals demonstrated a propensity towards considering pet adoption but appeared to have concerns about their lifestyle compatibility.

Hence, our primary focus lies on both families and young professionals, particularly those who are open to adopting pets and navigating the unique dynamics that this choice entails.

Persona Development

Based on the research insights, I developed a primary persona that demonstrate our target users, especially their goals and pain points.
A man smiling at a camera

Reframe Design Question

The above findings helped me further narrow down the problem statement, so I came up with my final design question:
Blue text that reads "How might we help families and young professionals adopt the right pet for their needs?"
Product Structure

Based on the opportunity areas I summarized, I defined Find Your Pet's product structure. The homepage acts as a central starting point, leading to sections like "Pets" that encompass "Available Pets" and "Adopted Pets." The "Adoption Information" section informs users about the process and requirements. Users can utilize the "Search" feature, filtering and viewing results. For convenience, the "Shop" area presents both pet supplies and merchandise options. Those interested in contributing can explore "Volunteer," finding opportunities and an application. The "Donate" segment provides various ways to support the cause. Lastly, the "Account" category facilitates user interaction through sign-in and sign-up options.

A sitemap of Find Your Pet's responsive website
Design Solutions

Hi-fidelity Mockups

An image of Find Your Pets welcome page
An image of Find Your Pet's mobile home page

Visual Design

A group of colors and numbers of Find Your Pet's branding
Reflections and Next Steps

What I learned

I learned that even a small design change can have a huge impact on user experience. Also, usability studies and peer feedback are a great way to get outside ideas that would help make the website design better.

Next Steps

The next steps of this case study would be to do another round of user testing with the changes I've implemented and determine if the pain points users experienced were effectively adjusted. After that I would continue to conduct more research and iterate to make the website the best that it can be. Once that is completed I would then gather the required information and send it to developers.