Brief
Design an app that facilitates the process of taking in a dog from trusted local breeders.
Process
Research with people: Understanding people's pain and gain points during their adoption journey.
Benchmark: Analysis of different competitors and industries to discover best practices, interesting features and navigation patterns.
Features: Generate ideas based on identified objectives, pain points that emerged and user needs.
Concept: Define the structure of the pages and the arrangement of the components.
Styleguide e User Interface: Exploring possible UX solutions on a visual level.
Research with people
I started my project process with the intention of understanding the users' perceptions, emotions and behaviour in the process of adopting their puppies.
My decision favoured the use of qualitative interviews, given their flexible and semi-structured nature. The main objective was to identify and analyse the different elements that emerged, contextualising them within the users' individual experiences during the adoption process. Below are the most interesting responses:
"Tell me about your past experience of buying or adopting a dog from local breeders. How did you go through this process?"
“I saw mum and grandma in attendance, and dad in pictures. I had to do a brief research on dad, having a view of the family tree is essential”
"How did your search to find the perfect dog for you begin?"
“I came to want a poodle because of some specific characteristics (e.g. hypoallergenic, does not shed hair). I was looking for a small dog because I have a flat. As it is my first dog I was looking for one for companionship and easy to train.”
"During the research process, what were the most rewarding and satisfying moments? And what were the most frustrating or stressful moments?"
“I perceived little transparency on the price of the dog. It is frustrating to see such high prices without knowing why it costs so much. That's why I got Otto from a breeder on Subito.it, but then I had to pay for many things that should have been included with the purchase of the dog”
"Were there features or information that you would have liked to have found online but did not?"
“I would like to find guarantees on the health of the puppy. The pedigree certifies the pedigree provenance, but to obtain the true health of the animal, genetic diseases would have to be eliminated directly from the pedigree tree.”
"What criteria do you consider most important when choosing a local breeder to purchase a dog?"
“Certainly the reviews and evaluations of other people. The place where the dogs live and the relationship with the breeder. They must have the right imprinting.”
"Looking back on your search for a dog, is there anything you would have done differently? Did you learn something you would like to share with others in the same situation?"
“It would be nice to get feedback from people who can solve your questions on the organisational and character level of the dog. Also with breeders for technical feedback.”
Benchmark
After acquiring initial information from users, I proceeded with the realisation of a benchmark focused on the search for features and patterns prevalent in the pet industry.
I chose to analyse not only related sectors, but also completely different segments, while maintaining a business model centred on the sale of products or services.
Breed matcher
The feature in question was identified both through user interviews and during comparative analysis of similar products on the market.
It represents a distinctive feature that is widespread in the field and can be particularly advantageous for users who are still in the research and comparison phase to find the ideal solution for their needs.
Community
During the e-commerce benchmarking, I noted the crucial importance of integrating a community section in order to optimise the user experience of the app. This crucial aspect is based on the frequency of use of the app.
None of the e-commerce sites examined have an app that allows users to perform the same activities. This is due to the fact that the adoption of pets occurs significantly less frequently than for other types of products.
An effective strategy to increase the frequency of use is to offer Value Added Services (VAS). This approach transforms our app from a simple sales channel, like a traditional e-commerce, to a complete hub for managing our users' pets.
Features
To define an initial organisation of the features to be integrated into the app, I chose to adopt Kano's model. This process involves the creation of a neutral list of all features identified (in my case) through interviews, benchmarking and artificial intelligence.
Next, I categorised these features according to the basic, performance and delight concepts. This subdivision allowed me to get a sharper view of the landscape and to prioritise the most relevant features.
Concept design
The concept phase played a key role in outlining the architecture of the app and carefully analysing the spaces and positioning of the individual components.
Creating high-level but information-rich concepts significantly accelerated the development phase of the final visuals.
This approach makes it possible to focus primarily on the content of the screens, without being overly influenced by the actual appearance of the user interface.
User Interface
In this last phase I explored in a more visual way the solutions previously thought of on the UX side, trying to keep a clean and understandable direction.
Explore
The main screen was entirely dedicated to the exploration of the various puppies available in the application. Particular attention has been paid to the search bar, marked by a significant elevation.
Within the search detail page, the flow is divided into three steps and the interaction is again suggested by an element with elevation. Through contextualised help logic, I included a banner leading to the interactive quiz.
On the puppy detail page, I started by giving general information about the animal. Then, following what emerged from the interviews conducted, I included the dog's family tree and also offered the possibility of downloading some veterinary documents.
The health updates illustrate the entire process followed by the breeder and offer the user the possibility of receiving notifications on their progress.
Interactive quiz
The interactive quiz is an engaging and functional method to assist users in clarifying their ideas.
It is designed following the one-step-per-time logic in order to minimise the cognitive load on the screens and allow users to focus exclusively on the information to be entered.
The interaction with the bottom sticky panel, which switches from disabled to enabled at the touch of one of the options, provides an additional hint to the user on which action to take.
Labor perception bias
I used the labour perception bias to indicate to the user that the download was initiated.
Instinctively, the user will attach more importance to that document or information precisely because it has taken a few seconds longer to receive feedback than an instantaneous one.
This avoids the unconscious bias of considering things that are provided too quickly as less valuable.
Maps
Breeders in the immediate vicinity are displayed on the map. By touching a dedicated pin, a card emerges containing useful information about the corresponding herd.
From here, the user has the option of delving further into the details of the herd or using the handle to scroll vertically through the drawer. Within the drawer, the farms in that specific area of the map are displayed.
The information displayed includes location, phone number, rating and, finally, a Call to Action that allows the user to initiate a direct chat in the app with the breeder.
Dog Park
The Dog Park section is designed as a virtual meeting point for the community, offering an experience that reflects the activities and atmosphere of a real park.The page is structured in two main sections: Gatherings and Talks.
In the ‘Meetings’ section, users can find information on meetings organised in their area through special cards. In addition, it is possible to access promotional events to discover further opportunities for participation.
The ‘Talk’ section allows users to share opinions and experiences with other members of the community. To encourage participation and stimulate conversation, I have introduced an element called ‘DoggyTalk’, designed to facilitate the initiation of discussions and interactions.
Want to stay in touch?
Let's catch up for full-time job opportunities, a chat about design, or simply for a greeting 👋🏻