PROJECT OVERVIEW
THE PRODUCT
THE PROBLEM
Pawmily is an application that offers an easy and efficient way in adopting pets. Pawmily strives to inform and encourage people about the benefits of adopting pets through its fast and straightforward application and scheduling process. Pawmily’s primary target users include current pet owners or potential adopters who are interested in adopting or would want to learn more about pet adoption.
Animal adoption is not given much attention in most countries. Some people prefer to choose pets with particular breeds, so they would instead buy from a breeder or a pet store rather than adopt one. Pawmily has identified a lack of awareness of the importance of pet adoption and the impact it creates in society.
THE GOAL
Design an app and a responsive website for Pawmily that would help people adopt pets through an easy application and scheduling process.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, iterating on designs, determining information architecture, and responsive design.
UNDERSTANDING THE USER
USER RESEARCH SUMMARY
I conducted interviews and created empathy maps to understand the users I’m designing for and their needs. One primary user group identified through research was potential first-time pet owners who would like to adopt given their lack of knowledge and experience in adopting pets. A secondary user group identified as current pet owners who would like to expand their existing pet family. These two user groups confirmed initial assumptions about Pawmily customers, but research also revealed that most people are not well informed or are not interested in pet adoption because of the lack of awareness when it comes to these topics. Pet adoption, in general, can also be time-consuming so it hinders them from finding suitable pets in shelters, etc.
PERSONAS
PERSONA 1: JANE
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Jane is a content marketing manager and a pet owner who needs an easy way to adopt a pet from the shelter because they want to add another addition to their growing pet family.
PERSONA 2: BRET
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Bret is an IT support specialist and a potential dog adopter who needs to find a dog to adopt which personality suits their family because they want to expand their family but with less cost as compared to buying from shops.
COMPETITIVE AUDIT
Above is an audit of a few competitors' products provided direction on gaps and opportunities to address with the Pawmily app and website. Click to view the full competitive audit and audit report.
IDEATION
I did a quick ideation exercise to come up with ideas for how to address gaps identified in the competitive audit. My focus was specifically on searching for a pet and listings available pets near the user’s location.
STARTING THE DESIGN
DIGITAL WIREFRAMES
After ideating and drafting some paper wireframes, I created initial designs for the Pawmily app. These designs focused on finding a pet by either using the search function or browsing through categories. Suggested pets near the user’s location are also included for easier and faster browsing.
The location function allows users to be able to find pets near their vicinity →
Suggested pets nearby is also helpful for users to conveniently find a suitable pet to adopt →
← The search function located in the upper half of the screen makes it easier for users to search for pets
← Easy access to app features from global navigation
LOW-FIDELITY PROTOTYPE
To prepare for usability testing, I created a low-fidelity prototype that connected the user flow of finding a pet, filling up an application form and scheduling the adoption date. View Pawmily’s low-fidelity prototype.