How can I find an animal to adopt that's right for my lifestyle?
Paws Animal Shelter mobile app
Project Overview
Paws Animal Shelter’s mobile app
the product:
the problem:
Users who are looking to adopt an animal from a shelter need to have pertinent information about the animal beforehand, because they want to make sure the adoption will be a good fit for everyone.
my role:
UX Designer, UX Researcher, Project Manager
tools & methods used:
Competitor analysis, Interviews, secondary research, personas, journey mapping, wireframing (pen & paper, Figma), prototyping (Figma), usability testing
key insights:
- To be able to search for animals by multiple characteristics
- To see large, clear images of the animals available for adoption
- Detailed information about how adoption works and next steps before and after starting the process
Challenges
I used 3 different methods to better understand users’ problems and pain points when it came to adopting an animal from a shelter:
Interviews with 2 Londers keen to adopt an animal revealed that being able to see an animal with clear photos and having background information (including temperament, health issues, age) were considered most important.
Competitor analysis showed the competitors fail to provide detailed search options (including by distance) or opportunities for community building.
Secondary research showed - based on a survey of 1402 users from 2015 - showed that users often want to feel that they are doing good in the world by adopting an animal. The survey also showed that 68% of users find that visiting a shelter is sad. And, 61% visit a shelter’s website prior to adopting.
competitor audit spreadsheet
Understanding Users
Users want more information about animals they’re considering adopting before making inquiries. Does the dog require a secure garden? Is the cat indoor-only? Is it child-friendly? Can it be left alone for a few hours? Is it safe with other pets?
"I want to search for animals with a certain colour, like leopard."
These relate to the environment, family and lifestyle - will the animal fit in and can the user give it the life it deserves?
For users without cars, there are also concerns about where in the city the animal is, and transporting it to its new home. So, users want to know where the animal is.
user persona 1 (Click to enlarge)
USER PERSONA 2 (CLICK TO ENLARGE)
Early Ideation
Based on the findings from my user research, I created wireframes and lo-fi prototypes with screens for searching by type of animal as well as location. Given users’ emphasis on needing information and photos of the animals early in their search meant that profile pages were also necessary.
Users also need to apply to adopt animals by filling out a digital form. Because this may be the first and only experience users have adopting an animal, they don’t necessarily know the process. So I included opportunities for them to learn more about it before and after placing an application (for example on the confirmation screen).
In some cases, users will need to apply for more than one animal so ideally they could create a profile with saved information. This could then be used to speed up the application process and save them from inputting the same details again and again (this also prevents errors). It could also support the ability to save “favourite” animals and come back to and apply to adopt later.
wireframe 1
wireframe 2
Final Design Solution
Users want:
1. To search for specific animals to adopt
💡 Insight: Users need better cues for searching for adoptable animals from the home screen
2. A clearer contact form
💡 Insight: Users need an explanation of why certain pieces of data are being collected, and requested in a clear way
I used these insights to create improved hi-fi prototypes of the main pages of the app. They aim to make searching for an animal easy and straightforward. And offer examples of search by location as well.
I based the colour palette on the Paws Animal Shelter brand, which is friendly and welcoming. I also used competitive analysis to look for opportunities to stand out from the competition but not to be jarring or too “out there”. Finally, I ensured that the colours used were WCAG compliant for accessibility.
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