My roles
User Research, Sketches, Wireframes,
Prototyping, UI Design
Timeline
October 2023 - November 2023
Tools
Figma, Miro, Canva
Who?
CityPups is a startup that helps people who are living in the city find dogs to adopt. They aggregate adoption dogs from local organizations and shelters. In other words, they connect the clients to the right place that will have the right dog to adopt.
Problem
With research and interviews, CityPups discovered that people living in the city were having issues with finding dogs to adopt that would be suitable to live with their unique needs.
Solution
CityPups wants to gather information to help people living in the city find the perfect dog according to their needs. I would do this by having a "quiz" tool on the website. In other words, clients will select specific needs first and then show the list of dogs that would be suitable for them.
My Role
My role is to set up a good system to help people find the right dog. This project will be conducted by a modified version of Google Ventures, Design Sprint. This means in the span of 5 days, I will be synthesizing research data, mapping the problem, sketching ideas, deciding on a solution, prototyping the solution, and finally testing and validating a website that will increase adoption rates by helping clients find the perfect dog.
Day 1: Mapping the Problem
Highlights of the Research
The research materials include ten user interviews and one persona to capture what the consumers want to see in order to adopt the proper dog for them. I can conclude that people are looking for dogs that would be comfortable with their busy schedules, their small-spaced apartment, and the environment.
"I want to know how comfortable and trained the dog is when traveling or moving around the city. I definitely need a pup who is okay riding the train with me, around of other people and distractions."
"I like to see lots of photos - or even better, videos! They help create an instant connection, and it's a little easter to see how big they are, get a feel for their energy level, and imagine if my small apartment would be a good home for them."
"I generally look for older dogs - I usually assume they are more well-trained - but that's not always the case. Really, I want to find a dog that is comfortable walking with me in the city, and won't get freaked out by all the people, pigeons, and things to do!"
Ellie
27 Years Old - New York City, NY
Behaviors
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Ellie lives alone in a studio apartment in NYC. Not that she does not have roommates, she finally feels "ready" for the responsibility and companionship of a dog.
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She follows some adoption agencies on Instagram, and even "saves" some dogs she wants to adopt.
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Ellie has spoken to adoption agency representatives to ask questions. This has been helpful, but is very time-consuming to find the right contact or make an appointment.
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She asks friends, and people in her building who have dogs for advice, so she can get some information from people who are closer to her situation.
Frustrations
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Ellie hasn't taken action because she doesn't feel 100% confident that a dog will be a good fit for her AND the dog.
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Most adoption sites focus on making a connection between people and dogs. This is great for browsing, but it often leads to her falling in love with a dog that needs more space, attention, or activity than she can provide. This leads to disappointment and more indecision.
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Descriptions of dogs on sites are too general - for example, it may say "this dog doesn't require a lot of space" - but how small is too small?
Goals:
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Ellie wants to find a dog to adopt.
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She wants to feel confident that they will be a great fit for each other - both in emotional connection and practical factors related to her lifestyle
Mapping the Solution
CityPups wants to integrate an easier way for clients living in the city to find the right dog for their specific needs.
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For this, I would need to make a website to showcase the "quiz" tool that will ask various questions on what they are looking for. This will organize and filter specific dogs that only fit the descriptions of the client and the dog are looking for.
Day 2: Sketching Ideas
Inspirations
For the first step of my design process, I searched the internet to get inspiration for how I wanted to design the website for CityPups.
So I found 3 different websites that presented a clean, friendly, and calm aesthetic that focuses on showcasing a "less-overwhelmed" look. Clients want to feel confident in their choices because adopting a dog comes with big responsibilities and it is right to know if that specific dog will adjust to the owner's living situation.
This website gave warm and inviting asetheics. It has a picture of a happy dog with their owners. On top of that, it goes straight into the point by having buttons to click on that will take them find the right pet.
I chose this website because it had nice catchphrase that fits into the current holiday season. This shows that the website gets updates often.
This website got straight to the point of having a form to fill out so they can filter out specific dog canidates. This could help relieve stress of searching the form on their website.
Crazy Eights
Exercise
My next steps were to sketch out the possible outcomes of the website's interface. I decided to sketch eight different ways of the home page.
I believe the home page is important because I want to give clients the best first impression. I want the client to feel confident from the start because adopting a dog is a big decision.
Solution Sketch
For the solution, I wanted to extend my sketching idea and sketch out the possible interface of the quiz. This is the most important page. But it's also important to lead the client to the quiz so they can accomplish finding the right dog to adopt.
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The user will click on a button that will lead them to the quiz. It will ask a series of questions that will have multiple-choice and short answers involved.
Day 3: Deciding on a Solution
Storyboard
I got the sketches above and dove deeper to create pages that will take a user through two easy steps to get the quiz and the process of going through a series of questions to find the right dog for the specific needs of the owner.
Day 4: Prototyping
The Prototype
With all the research and sketches, I have finally come into the prototyping phase. Although this is not my first time designing a website, I learned the best way to create a website design is to look into the best solution for the problem a company is facing.
The goal is for the users to take a quiz that will help filter out specific dogs that will be right for the owner.
Day 5: Validating the Design
User Testing
After prototyping, I conducted five user interviews to see what needed to be improved or what they liked about the design so far. I had the participants walk through the quiz and fill out the form to get into contact about adopting a dog.
I interviewed the participants through Zoom and had them use the Figma link to go through the website.
Easy to Navigate
Most users found the website to be easy to find information and did not have to search around for the "quiz" button
Straightforward Process
The quiz was straight to the point. The design was clean. However, wished the quiz to be sized smaller so they could see the whole quiz without scrolling down to the "Next" button.
Clean Design
The users loved how color but clean the website looked. The said the website looked inviting and happy.
Stress-Free
Most users did not feel overwhelmed with the process of looking for the right pet because they were able to find various dogs by just going through a quiz and no additional steps after that.
Wishing to Contact First
Some users thought it would be nice to see the contact information of the place that has the dog so they do not have to wait for them to contact first.