Duration

2023.12-2024.1

Role

UIUX Designer

Involvement

UIUX design, User Research, Wireframing, Design System, Prototyping

About PawPals

PawPal is a mobile platform that connects pet owners with animal lovers who don't have pets. It fosters meaningful connections by enabling safe, in-person meetups for pet sitting and playdates. Designed to build both pet-related and personal relationships, PawPal offers a reliable space where users can easily and securely interact, enhancing the lives of pets and people alike.

The Problem

Animal enthusiasts without pets struggle to find opportunities to engage with animals and forge meaningful bonds with the pet community.

Pet owners struggle to connect with trustworthy individuals for pet-sitting or to find like-minded owners for pet playdates.

How might we develop a secure mobile platform to facilitate in-person meetups and relationship building between pet owners and non-owners, prioritizing safety and trust?

How might we develop a secure mobile platform to facilitate in-person meetups and relationship building between pet owners and non-owners, prioritizing safety and trust?

The Solution

Succinct Marketing Page

Succinct marketing page introducing users to different types of interactions available on PawPals.

Personalized Browsing Page

Browsing page with scrollable horizontal categorization to avoid endless vertical scrolling & user fatigue; Top buttons allowing users to easily switch between different types of interactions.

Detailed Profile Page

Switching tabs allowing users to easily browse info, reviews, and availability of the user.

AI Assisted Messaging

AI assisted messaging process providing safety tips, suggested greetings, recommended meeting places, etc. to streamline & simplify the process of setting up initial in-person interactions.

01.

Discover & Define

Discover & Define

Initial User Research

I conducted 6 qualitative interviews (3 pet owners and 3 non-pet owners) to gain insight into their current experience within the pet community. My research aimed to answer the question:

What type of connection are pet owners and no-pet animal lovers looking to build on a platform that offers them the opportunity to meet each other?

What type of connection are pet owners and no-pet animal lovers looking to build on a platform that offers them the opportunity to meet each other?

Our user roles:

Animal Enthusiasts without Pets: these users have spare outfits in their closets and would like to make some extra money by lending out these outfits.

Pet Owners: these users attend many events and are in constant need of one-time, event-specific outfits on short notice.

User Research Insight #1

User Goals

Pet owners aim to find a qualified sitter, while non-owners seek connections with pets and their owners, both achievable through offline pet interactions.

User Research Insight #1

User Goals

Pet owners aim to find a qualified sitter, while non-owners seek connections with pets and their owners, both achievable through offline pet interactions.

User Research Insight #1

User Goals

Pet owners aim to find a qualified sitter, while non-owners seek connections with pets and their owners, both achievable through offline pet interactions.

User Research Insight #2

Meaningful Connection

Both pet owners and non-owners are interested in forming meaningful personal connections beyond just pet interactions.

User Research Insight #2

Meaningful Connection

Both pet owners and non-owners are interested in forming meaningful personal connections beyond just pet interactions.

User Research Insight #2

Meaningful Connection

Both pet owners and non-owners are interested in forming meaningful personal connections beyond just pet interactions.

User Research Insight #3

Trust & Safety

Both user groups primarily worry about safety, focusing on potential harm between pets nad humans.

User Research Insight #3

Trust & Safety

Both user groups primarily worry about safety, focusing on potential harm between pets nad humans.

User Research Insight #3

Trust & Safety

Both user groups primarily worry about safety, focusing on potential harm between pets nad humans.

Project Objective

To develop a secure mobile platform to facilitate in-person meetups and relationship building between pet owners and non-owners, prioritizing safety and trust.

02.

Brainstorm

User Journey

The user journey for both pet owner and non-pet owners can be broken down into 5 steps, as shown below:

Design Brainstorming

Here are the initial sketches I created for each of the 5 steps of user journey and the layout that was chosen to be digitalized into my initial wireframes in Figma.

Initial Sketches

Digitized Initial Frames

03.

Wireframing & Testing

Wireframing & Testing

Low-Fidelity Wireframes

Initial High-Fidelity Wireframes

Usability Testing

I ran 5 usability tests involving 3 non-pet owners and 2 pet owners, guiding them from first using the platform to setting up an in-person meetup, while asking them to verbalize their thoughts and any issues they faced.

Usability Testing Insight #1

Refreshing Branding for Youthful Appeal

Refreshing the app's branding with youthful, vibrant aesthetics to align with its community-focused ethos and attract a younger audience.

Usability Testing Insight #1

Refreshing Branding for Youthful Appeal

Refreshing the app's branding with youthful, vibrant aesthetics to align with its community-focused ethos and attract a younger audience.

Usability Testing Insight #1

Refreshing Branding for Youthful Appeal

Refreshing the app's branding with youthful, vibrant aesthetics to align with its community-focused ethos and attract a younger audience.

User Research Insight #2

Marketing Page for Clearer Platform Intro

Feedback suggests a marketing-focused browsing page to highlight features and transaction details.

User Research Insight #2

Marketing Page for Clearer Platform Intro

Feedback suggests a marketing-focused browsing page to highlight features and transaction details.

User Research Insight #2

Marketing Page for Clearer Platform Intro

Feedback suggests a marketing-focused browsing page to highlight features and transaction details.

User Research Insight #3

Navigation & Profile Clarity Upgrades

Users want clearer filter icons, intuitive categorization, and enhanced profiles with bullet-pointed pet and owner details.

User Research Insight #3

Navigation & Profile Clarity Upgrades

Users want clearer filter icons, intuitive categorization, and enhanced profiles with bullet-pointed pet and owner details.

User Research Insight #3

Navigation & Profile Clarity Upgrades

Users want clearer filter icons, intuitive categorization, and enhanced profiles with bullet-pointed pet and owner details.

Post User Testing Improvements

Brand color changed from light bule to a more vibrant, pinkish-red color.

Brand color changed from light bule to a more vibrant, pinkish-red color.

Brand color changed from light bule to a more vibrant, pinkish-red color.

#0E91EF

Lacks the warmth and passion needed for a community-focused app

Blue color conveys more sense of professionalism, suggesting stability

Doesn’t fully represent the app’s pet-loving ethos

#F85E5C

Reflects warmth, love, and passion, better aligning with the app’s goals

Vibrancy and energy appeal to younger audience

Uniqueness enhances brand recognition

Marketing landing pages added for better introduction of platform functions.

Marketing landing pages added for better introduction of platform functions.

Marketing landing pages added for better introduction of platform functions.

Users confused about what this stage means

Users unsure if monetary exchange is required for using the platform

The pictures of pets at this stage are distracting users to read the types of interactions available on the platform

Clears confusion around monetary exchange upfront

Skip button allows users to go browse the app directly, avoiding frustration for those eager to start exploring on their own

Filtering features & browsing page categorization improved.

Filtering features & browsing page categorization improved.

Filtering features & browsing page categorization improved.

Filter icons’ categories don’t make much sense & causes confusions

Artistic style of those icons doesn’t match those in the initial questionnaire - low consistency

Clear categorization based on user goal on the app

Horizontal categories based on pet personality; decrease user fatigue from endless vertical scrolling

Detailed profile page with clearer categorization.

Detailed profile page with clearer categorization.

Detailed profile page with clearer categorization.

Small picture size & rigid arrows on both sides lack a modern visual appeal

Layout of the page creates burdensome visual clutter; huge text paragraphs without clear signifiers of beginning/end

Dislike button here doesn’t make much sense & creates confusion

Big pictures with rounded, more modern display

List of basic info that sticks on top providing quick TL;DR

Profile page further divided into 3 subsections for better info chunking

Inclusion of pet owner info allows more transparency & better foster personal connections between users

04.

Final Showcase