Team: Myself and three other designers
Duration: One Month
My Role: Research, Design, Testing, Prototyping
Tools: Sketch, InVision, Xtensio, Google Forms
CREATING A WEBSITE TO MATCH POTENTIAL DOG OWNERS WITH THEIR PERFECT COMPANION
Meet Fido aims to decrease the number of dogs in the shelter by matching potential dog owners with a perfect companion without purchasing a purebred. Our 8-question quiz will match people with a shelter dog that fits their lifestyle and will allow them to set up a “date” to get to know the dog better before committing to adoption.
This project was a team project during my time in the UX design course at Dev Mountain.
THE PROBLEM
There are 102 shelters in Utah full of dogs looking for a forever home. Nationwide, five in ten dogs are euthanized because they can’t find a home. When looking for a dog, many assume they need a purebred to get their preferred characteristics. So we needed a way to help people adopt by finding the best dog for their home.
MY ROLE
I was on a team of four. We all conducted user research, sketched wireframes, and conducted user tests. I designed the low-fidelity and high-fidelity wireframes for our group using Sketch. I also created the prototypes we used for our user research and final product in Invision.
THE PROCESS
RESEARCH
It is essential to understand our users to get more people to adopt their next pet vs. purchasing from a breeder. So how do people look for dogs? What kind of research do they do before they commit? What are the most important factors they consider when looking for dogs?
We started our research with a survey using Google Forms. Through social media posts, sharing with friends and family, and Reddit, we got 91 responses. Some key takeaways from our survey include:
• 87% of respondents are looking for companionship when getting a dog
• The majority of people look for dogs through:
• The majority of people look for dogs through:
Online Classifieds (53%)
The Humane Society/Adoption Agency (51%)
Website (31%)
The Humane Society/Adoption Agency (51%)
Website (31%)
(only 8% of people used an app to look for dogs)
• Nearly half of the respondents research for a month before committing to a dog
• There was no distinct age group looking for a dog - all ages from 20 - 50+ were represented equally
• Nearly half of the respondents research for a month before committing to a dog
• There was no distinct age group looking for a dog - all ages from 20 - 50+ were represented equally
USER INTERVIEWS
We got some great information from our survey, but we wanted to talk to current dog owners about what motivated them and how they chose their dogs. I wanted to talk to people who adopted and to people who purchased from a breeder to see what their different outlooks were. We also did interviews with employees of local shelters.
Owners who adopted dogs were open to different breeds and were mainly looking for the right “fit” for their families. Some pain points in their dog search included:
• It was hard to spend enough time with the dog to get a good feel for their personality
• The number of dogs available was overwhelming
• It takes a lot of time to visit multiple shelters to find the dog they are looking for
• The number of dogs available was overwhelming
• It takes a lot of time to visit multiple shelters to find the dog they are looking for
Owners who bought a purebred dog wanted specific characteristics:
• People who have allergies need a hypoallergenic breed
• Some people only want a particular breed because they like their temperament
• Many people want a puppy to train and feel that it is harder to find when adopting
• Some people only want a particular breed because they like their temperament
• Many people want a puppy to train and feel that it is harder to find when adopting
IDEATION
To decide the best approach for helping our users, we used sticky notes to create a journey map of the entire process our users might take to find their dog - from researching to bringing it home. This approach gave us a broad scope to determine how we could simplify the process to create the best experience.
By focusing on the key findings from our research, we narrowed our user journey into the key actions our users would take to find their perfect dog.
OUR SOLUTION
To educate prospective dog owners that they do not need to use a breeder to find the characteristics and temperament they are looking for, we created a quiz that matches a family to their perfect companion from among dogs available for adoption.
WHY NOT TREAT IT LIKE ONLINE DATING?
If it's possible to find the person you will spend the rest of your life with from an online profile, why not take the same approach when looking for a dog? Based on the answers from our 8-question quiz, an algorithm will tailor the results to the individual's needs with a list of local dogs best suited for the owner.
ONCE A DOG IS SELECTED, IT'S TIME FOR A DATE
A dog needs to be a good fit, so we wanted a way for the user to interact with the dog. We decided to give people the opportunity to set up a time to get to know their favorites before deciding to take one home.
NEXT, WE REFINED OUR USER JOURNEY MAP
We had our solution, so we created a more specific map focusing on the key actions our users will take as they flow through our site.
WIREFRAMES AND A FIRST-ROUND PROTOTYPE
Prioritizing the key tasks, we sketched wireframes separately and came back together to compare and discuss our ideas.
Once we agreed on the user flow, I designed the low-fidelity wireframes and made a prototype.
PRESENTING TO STAKEHOLDERS
Since this was a class project, the stakeholders were our classmates and teachers. We walked through our low-fi prototype and got feedback to incorporate into our high-fidelity design.
The concept was well-received. Some feedback was to make sure the user knew where they were in the process of taking the quiz so they didn’t get impatient and give up.
We also addressed at what point we ask the user to create an account? Initially, we made them create an account before seeing their matches, which might turn users away. However, if they first saw the results, they might be more excited about the process and want to save their matches or schedule a date. At that point, it would be logical to create a profile.
WE ALSO DID ANOTHER ROUND OF USER TESTING
The results were similar to our presentation. The most significant issues I saw were related to the questions on the quiz. Some questions were confusing, some people wanted to pick more than one answer, and some questions missed essential details (like allergies).
MORE ITERATION AND A HIGH-FIDELITY PROTOTYPE
Once we iterated on the flow and function based on our feedback, I did competitive research to see how other pet-finding sites described their dogs. I wanted to know what vital information to include about each dog and determine the best way to present the information.
With my research completed, I turned my wireframes into high-fidelity designs and created a working prototype.
Our 8-question quiz will use an algorithm to match people with perspective pets that fit their lifestyle
At this point, if our user wants to save their results or “favorite” certain dogs, they can create a profile. Then, they can set up a date with their top picks.
CONTINUED USER TESTING AND ITERATION
With our realistic prototype ready, we performed more user tests to see where we could improve for the final reveal. I wanted to test with people who saw the earlier prototypes to see if we addressed their concerns. I also wanted to test with people new to the site and make sure they could complete the task of finding a dog and scheduling a date. That way, I would know if our flow works and could catch any frustrations or sticking points.
Some feedback we iterated on was to add a way to retake the quiz if they wanted to see different results. So we added that option to the user profile dashboard.
We also changed the way to access the favorites section. Initially, you only accessed it through the user’s profile, but we added a link to the main navigation bar so they could get there in one click.
DESIGN CHANGE
After the final presentation to the class and instructors, our main feedback was on the design. We had a green background and did not use any shadows. We made it a design choice as a team, but the audience felt it was too flat, and the green background made it hard to read.
I have since updated the design on my own, and the new look is what I’ve used for this case study.
WHAT I LEARNED
This was my first UX project. Before attending Dev Mountain, I worked at a startup where none of us had trained in UX best practices. Through this experience, I realized the impact initial research makes on your final product. I experienced how important it is to see your product through your user’s eyes to truly understand what motivates them and how to keep them happy.
I also learned how valuable it is to work through the entire user journey before designing anything. The steps to understanding what you are creating and why are crucial to saving time and energy developing features and products that might not be as important as others. It helped focus on the essential functions and dial down each step of the process.
With Meet Fido, we achieved a simple and enjoyable process to adopt a dog that will be an excellent match for your family and show that it is possible to find a perfect companion while saving a life.