Pawfection

Simplifying Pet Care Management

An end-to-end app design that provides organization and support for pet owners.

Year

Duration

Role

2024

9 weeks

Sole UX/UI Designer

Introduction to the Design

Design Problem

Pet owners struggle to find an all-in-one pet care app that allows them to care for their pets quickly and efficiently. Most users found a lack of personalized pet care in existing pet apps.

79% of pet parents rely on technology to track their pets’ health and activities.

Goal

An all-in-one app that plans and improves pet health, providing the resources a pet needs, would reduce stress and enhance pet care routines.

  • Add personalization by adding pet profiles and personalized tasks for the pet’s health and everyday needs.

  • Create a way for pet owners to look for pet sitters.

POV Statement

Users struggle to keep up with their daily responsibilities and their pets' health. Their busy schedules make it difficult to organize veterinary appointments and daily care, resulting in gaps in their pets' well-being.

Users find that when using a pet care app, they don’t see its value or find it helpful due to its limited number of features, lack of engagement, and generic advice. As a result, they end up leaving the app and become disengaged.

HMW Questions

How might we create a space for users to customize and organize tasks, such as pet health, daily tasks, and reminders, to reduce stress and achieve accomplishment?

How might we add or integrate features to create a user experience that keeps users engaged with the app?

Insights Gathered

Competitive Analysis

When I worked on my competitive analysis, I reviewed three pet care app competitors to assess their strengths and weaknesses. This helped me find inspiration for what I should add or avoid.

Strengths

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Integration Capabilities
    Focus on Preventive Care

  • Comprehensive pet care management, including medical records, grooming schedules, and feeding routines.

    Customizable reminders with an intuitive interface
    Cloud sync for backup and multi-device access

  • Vetted network of pet care providers
    Secure payment processing
    24/7 support and reservation protection

Weaknesses

  • Limited integration with external pet care services (e.g., veterinarians, groomers)

  • Advanced features require a premium subscription

  • May lack real-time tracking capabilities found in other apps

  • Service quality may vary between providers

  • Commission fees may reduce provider earnings

  • The app is limited to service connections and lacks deeper health management features

User Interviews

Pet owners struggle with task overload, including managing daily routines and reminders. Without an integrated tool, this becomes overwhelming. I also found that most all-in-one pet apps are limited in usefulness due to a lack of features.

Total 5 Participants

  • Four participants were interviewed over the phone, and one was interviewed in person.

  • Three out of five participants have experience with pet sitting.

  • One of the participants has never had a pet but loves pet sitting.

Common Themes

  • All participants expressed the need for reminders. They usually use a calendar or their memory to keep track of specific tasks.

  • They emphasized a strong need for task reminders and scheduling features.

  • Veterinary management was also crucial, with users relying on annual reminders to keep up with appointments.

Pain Points

  • Overwhelming Task Management: Maintaining daily routines, tracking health, and receiving reminders without an integrated system made pet care feel disorganized.

  • Health and Veterinary Management Challenges: Tracking vaccinations, medications, and symptoms was difficult. Participants expressed a need for reminders, symptom guides, and easier access to veterinary services.

User Interview Key Questions

  • How do you keep track of feeding, walks, or grooming?

  • What’s your routine for taking care of your pet(s)?

  • What’s the most challenging part of managing your pet’s care?

Affinity Mapping

I used affinity mapping to organize my research findings from user interviews. Sorting and identifying common themes helped me understand users’ specific needs and how to incorporate them into the design.

Piecing the Puzzle Together

User Persona

I created four user personas. Each persona represents a different level of pet care experience. The two who have experience caring for them are experienced pet owners. Two are new pet owners, with Rashad having experience through pet-sitting gig work.

User Flow

Now that my personas were made, I organized the structure of my app and how I wanted to navigate my three features. The first is the sign-up page, where users can create an account and opt to set up a pet profile. Next, they can add a new pet profile and add pets to it. Last is the book-a-sitter flow, where they can select a sitter and request to book.

Bringing Ideas to Life

Low-Fidelity Wireframing

My low-fidelity wireframes were created in Figma to establish a flow. I used visual examples from other apps to inspire the design. I worked on low-, mid, and high-fidelity wireframes and refined them based on feedback from usability testing.

Mid-Fidelity Wireframing

The mid-fidelity process brought the design closer to life by incorporating images, colors, and interaction through prototypes. Creating wireframes helps balance my creativity with usability, ensuring I keep user needs at the center of the experience.

Branding

Branding was a key part of the process. I created a mood board to explore and define the app’s visual identity. I then designed a logo, icons, typography, and a color palette aligned with the app’s core values: reliability, simplicity, personalization, and transparency.

Moodboard

Color Palette

Typography

Logo

High-Fidelity Wireframe

After developing the mood board, typography, color palette, and logo, I incorporated them into my high-fidelity design, maintaining consistency throughout.

Refining the Journey

User Testing

I conducted usability testing for both mid- and high-fidelity wireframes. Using a test plan I created, participants were guided through task flows with a script. The script included tasks and follow-up questions to gather deeper insights. The three flows tested were: signing up, adding a pet profile, and booking a sitter.

Sign-Up

  • Add a “Save” button at the bottom of the form

  • Fix mobile layout issues, such as padding and scrolling

  • Clarify the photo upload process, including labels and editing options

  • Improve the usability of the zip code and password fields

Add A Pet Profile

  • Made the “Done” button larger for easier tapping

  • In the “What type of pet?” section, I updated the prototype to show both dog and cat options.

  • Added a green highlight to indicate Frank’s availability, clearly distinguishing available vs. unavailable dates

Book A Sitter

  • Move “Search for Sitters” to the top and add filter options

  • Simplify the booking process, including availability and calendar interaction

  • Redesign sitter cards to highlight ratings and pricing

  • Allow users to favorite sitters for easy access

Iterations

-I made sure the done button was big enough to tap.

-I kept the consistency and added the new design to the bottom.

-Brought the sitter section to the top and adjusted the color of the service buttons.

-Added a picture of a dog and cat.

-In the “What type of pet” section, I changed the button from a dog to a cat and adjusted the prototype.

-I added a green row to show the dates when Frank was available for services, differentiating between available and unavailable dates.

Final Design Mockups

Key Takeaways

Challenges Faced

  • Choosing what main feature to focus on and build out.

  • Keeping the flows simple, even though I had a lot of content.

  • I had to ensure consistency with the hierarchy. I also had to consider my user participants and ensure the user experience was intuitive. 

What Made It Meaningful

  • Prioritizing features was essential, as not everything could be built within the time constraints.

  • Prototyping and design validation were key to ensuring user understanding.

If I had more time

If I had more time, I would have gathered additional feedback during interviews and added more features to make the app a proper all-in-one pet care solution.

What I’m most proud of

I’m proud of the dedication I put into this design. I created a real solution to help pet owners stay organized and reduce stress. Conducting user research allowed me to focus on users' needs and continue iterating based on feedback. I also strengthened my communication skills by gathering input and refining my work to meet user goals.

Evolving as a Designer

Research, feedback, and iteration helped me design a product centered on the user experience. This process highlighted the importance of communication and the value of simplifying design. These skills will continue to guide me in future projects and improve collaboration with teams and clients.