6.5 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters, every year. Sadly, almost a quarter of those animals are euthanized. FurEver Pet is an association of animal shelters around the country, whose goal is to raise awareness of adoptable pets and promote exposure to potential pet owners, in hope of preventing euthanization of animals.
Project Goals
Background
By partnering with shelters all over the country, FurEver Pet wants to create a platform that brings pets closer to their FurEver home. By merging available pets, located in various shelters into one responsive website , adoptable pets are more easily accessible to potential pet owners.
Research Goals
Determine factors of use and importance to users when considering adopting a pet online.
Methodologies
Primary Research
• Competitor UX Benchmark Analysis
• Customer interviews for qualitative data about their pet adoptions
Secondary Research
• Surveys for qualitative data about what kind of information potential pet parents want when looking online to adopt a pet.
• Card sorting to determine navigation and search filters for finding pets.
Research Findings
Data & Discovery
The challenge for FurEver Pet was discovering how to disrupt the current market and bring a simple, transparent, and efficient brand into the arena for users to browse animals effortlessly.
I was excited to interview people and talk about animals! Who doesn’t love talking about animals? I was curious about adoption experiences from people who have pets and also what people were looking for when considering adoption for the first time.
From the SWOT analysis, I discovered that direct competitors have long, established reputations and access to thousands of shelters.
From the interview and survey data, the wants, needs, motivations, and frustrations were fairly in line with my hypothesis. The most surprising result to me was that only 50% of participants found their pet online, yet 83% of participants would consider adopting a pet via social media. This told me that having a social media link on the website was incredibly important in raising awareness of the site.
Wants: Customization, Affordability
Needs: Transparency, Safety
Motivations: Fulfillment, Companionship and Satisfaction
Frustrations: Efficiency
Personas & Site Development
The personas represent the behaviors and motivations I deducted from the Empathy map. I feel as though I captured two personalities on each end of the spectrum, and could have developed another persona that represents the more unanimous results. By considering both ends of the spectrum, and not just focusing on the middle, all users' needs will be represented.
Define
Creating the deliverables for the define stage helped to really nail down how to meet the users needs with key features that streamline the adoption process.
Site Map
From start to finish I took a linear approach, but always with the next and previous step in mind. Creating the site map helped to outline and organize the information needed for the users to navigate successfully.
Features Roadmap
I referenced the features roadmap throughout the design process and made adjustments accordingly.
User Flow
With Bill and Josie in mind, I created user flows for tasks they would likely complete on the site.
Design
Wireframes
I sketched lo-fi frames first, then made a digital version in Adobe XD to align everything to the grid. Creating the lo-fi wires digitally really helped me to establish the fundamentals of the site before bringing in the UI.
Branding
I chose an exciting teal and a reliable navy blue to add a modern and friendly appearance to the brand. Transparency was an important issue to users in the research data, so less visual clutter and a crisp grid was paramount. Playful and approachable pet photos offer a sense of security and value.
Testing
After finalizing the UI Kit, I created the Prototype using Adobe XD. Creating the prototype was truly where my problem solving skills were tested, connecting all of the components and pages was a great challenge and learning experience. Bringing everything together for the prototype was incredibly rewarding and exciting to share with usability test participants
Observations
• Users looked for ‘Find A Pet’ in Main Nav
• Users had difficulty selecting ‘favorite’ icon
• Users did not find adoption cost easily
Insights
• Users need clear navigation to search for pets.
• Prototype was incorrectly arranged.
• Users want important information at the forefront
Recommendations
• Add ‘Find A Pet’ to Main Nav
• Prototype adjusted for favorite icon
• Place more emphasis on important information, such as adoption fee