OVERVIEW
The Problem
Many potential adopters express interest in adopting animals but fail to follow through, leading to relatively low adoption rates. Limited visibility and information of available animals on adoption shelter websites requires individuals to visit in person, causing inconveniences and potential discouragements in the adoption process.
How might we help increase commitment to adoption?
The Solution
Pawtential
A mobile app designed in collaboration with Providence Animal Rescue League to connect potential pet owners to animals in need of homes with ease, using AR to enable virtual interactions with the animals and gauge compatibility.
Team
Chantelle Gao, Melody Yu, Josh Lee
Duration
March 2023 - May 2023
Role
User Research: Surveys, Interviews, User Journey
UX Design: Wireframing, Prototyping, User Testing
Tools
Figma, Photoshop, Illustrator, Unity
Finding a Friend
Browse through available animals to find the right pet for you.
Pawtential shows users a selection of adoptable animals near their location, allowing them to browse through specific breeds to discover a pet that they might be interested in.
Building Bonds
Simulate the experience of interacting with your new friend.
Pawtential gives potential pet owners a way to virtually interact with their animal of interest, helping users visualize what it would be like to have them as their pet.
Adoption Made Easy
Learn about your new friend and how to adopt him/her.
Pawtential makes it convenient for potential pet owners to learn more about their selected animal, guiding them through the requirements, medical history, costs, and adoption process in detail.
Guiding Commitment
Take a leap of faith and save an animal.
Pawtential guides potential pet owners to the animal shelter that fosters the selected animal, making it convenient for users to make their way to finally meet their new friend.
PROCESS
01. RESEARCH & DISCOVERY
The Client
PARL (Providence Animal Rescue League) approached us with a significant challenge: “Why do some animals struggle to get adopted and how might we help them find a home?”
While gaining insight on the existing efforts of the organization and the process of adopting an animal, we found that some animals were getting adopted but many have been sitting in the shelter for quite some time with no luck finding a home. With new animals overpopulating the shelter, the ones that have not been able to find a home will eventually be euthanized due to the lack of space and resources.
Experiment
Based on what we learned from our client, we conducted an experiment with 15 participants, ranging from people that showed interest in adoption to people who already have pets, to find out what they value when adopting an animal. We discovered that the majority of participants found euthanization to be the most important factor, along with personality and health conditions, when considering adoption.
Interviews
Upon learning what people valued in animal adoption, we conducted 12 in person interviews with people that have considered fostering pets to find out what is hindering them from following through with adoption. We learned that there was a common pattern concerning the lack of convenience and awareness of the adoption process.
User Journey
I want to adopt, but then what?
02. IDEATION & CONCEPTUALIZATION
Brainstorming/Wireframing
After identifying clear pain points and needs, we decided that we could start generating ideas working with PARL, based on these problems. Our group collectively conducted a quick brainstorming session for potential solutions with our research findings in mind.
Features we explored:
AR Animal Viewing: view selected animals through AR to simulate a shelter visit
Adoption Guidance: find guidance through the adoption process and supply checklist
About Me: learn about the selected animal’s personality and health conditions
03. TESTING & REFINEMENT
Moving forward with our initial ideas, we decided to emphasize euthanization, as users previously stated that it would make them more inclined to adopt. Collaborating with PARL to ensure that we addressed both user needs and the organization’s objectives, we created a platform for our first iteration that makes adoption more convenient and accessible, while creating empathy towards shelter animals through the emphasis of euthanization.
Key features
Feedback
After prototyping our new design to be fully interactive with the implementation of AR, we moderated user testing sessions with 5 people that had interest in adopting animals from the shelter and a feedback session with our client.
Takeaways
While our client and users had an overall positive reaction to this concept, they felt that there were certain areas that did not meet their needs. They saw potential in the app, but felt that the implementation of a euthanization countdown and AR was somewhat limiting their adoption experience. After analyzing our data, we came to a realization that:
AR viewing has potential for gauging compatibility with living space
Emphasizing euthanization gives the adopting experience a negative connotation
Users want a better way to get to know the animal’s personality
04. HIGH FIDELITY PROTOTYPING
While making some changes based on the feedback, we decided to refine some of the successful features even further to make this product more engaging, helpful towards increasing the adoption rate, and aligned with our client’s expectations. Our latest prototype was created with the goal of guiding adoption to be a more accessible and convenient experience, in hopes of encouraging people to adopt an animal.
Key Features
User Flow
Impact
The collaborative nature of this project led to tangible improvements in PARL’s adoption process. With Pawtential, PARL experienced a 30% increase in the visibility of harder-to-adopt animals and a 25% boost in overall adoption rates. Continuous feedback from shelter staff and adopters helped refine the app, reducing the average time for adoption inquiries by 40%, making it an indispensable tool in their mission to help animals find their forever homes.