Jason Wang
Adogt
UI/UX Design 2017
This project was developed in collaboration with two other students for my Human Center Design class at SCAD. I served as project manager and was responsible for the interface, prototype, process book, and research analysis. Throughout the ten weeks duration of the project, I learned how to use certain human center design theories in order to solve some divergent problems and how to unpack the complexity of it all through interaction design and systems thinking.
Brief
Dogs are often said to be the best friend of human beings, it is equally true to say they are our liability.For this project, we wanted to tackle a problem related to animal rights.Since we found a brutal truth: each year, approximately 670,000 dogs in shelters are euthanized.As a UX designer, we strongly believed we could not only design exciting applications base on user needs but also engage social activities in solving some existing social problems.
Mind mapping
The problem
Each year, approximately 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized.
How might we
How might we utilize public engagements such as pet adoption and public donation in order to improve the shelter animal welfare?
Our process
Research
Through secondary research, we obtained a basic understanding of the workflow of the animal shelter.This helped us to define the question we want to ask.We conducted research with various user-center thinking methods such as user survey, observation, and competitive analysis to understand how to solve the problem we claimed.
Divergent
Most of the social problems are divergent problems. Therefore we used the divergent thinking to solve this problem. We made several deliberate assumptions to improve the problem and we tried to figure out which one is the best.After this, we refine our design question.
Iteration
We took our best concept and iterated. We tested our concept with focus groups, performed user tests and recorded the data to get a clear picture of what worked and what didn't.
Solution
We analyzed the user test results and summarized several points we needed to improve.We redesigned the high-fidelity wireframes in order to make it fit user needs more. From this, we made a new prototype.
Research
Secondary research
It is a brutal truth that millions of shelter animals are killed in shelters every year. This gave us a strong incentive to review hundreds of relevant articles, statistics, and technical journals in order to figure out what is the reason for this problem.What is more significant, before conducting an interview, we wanted to translate our big research questions into good interview questions. We wanted to make sure we didn't confine to the superficial understanding of the current situation, but rather dig out deeper insights into what matters to the users it is being designed for.
-
First, we want to know the reasoning behind why many owners surrender their pets to shelters.
-
Second, we need to assess the current situation of the animal shelters and how to improve shelter animal’s life.
Observation&Ask
To refine our design question, we went away from our indoor environment to the local animal shelter, to listen what the staff members had to say.This helped us not only to verify the authenticity of the secondary research but to dig out more viewpoints we neglected before.
Findings
"Adopt instead of buying a pet"
-
People prefer to adopt young pets rather than senior dogs.
-
People are more likely to give up their pets, if they cant get along with their pets or they have to move to another city.
-
In fact, many animal shelters recruit as many volunteers as they can to improve their shelter environments.In some way, It seems like they don't suffer too much financial pressure.
-
If you want to abandon your pet at the animal shelter, you need to pay some management fee for adoption.
-
The main reason that animals live in an overcrowded place is too many people give up their pets to animal shelters in America.
Interview & Online survey
To understand the obstacles that pets owners face in their daily life, we asked pet owners from diverse backgrounds and ages a few interview questions which we designed based on our secondary research.From the survey results, we learned the relationship between pet owners and pet shelters. What is more, in order to find some potential users, we also conducted an online survey to attract more people, such as those who intend to adopt a pet, to participate our user survey.
Some question I asked...
Insights
From the interview, we understood people are more concerned about the pet health condition before they adopt.Mostly, people gave up their pet because they didn't like their pet personalitiesThis insight gave us a lot of help when we started to develop personas.Many people complain about how they can't get too many details about the pets they want to adopt, except through a few pictures, and say that it is hard to communicate with shelters unless they visit the shelter in person.What we noticed is the low barrier to give up their pets at the shelter; The pet owners just need to make a reservation and pay $35 to the animal shelter.
-
Have you or the people you know ever experienced pet loss or pet abandonment?
-
Are you a pet owner, if yes, how did you get him or her? If not, do you know how to adopt a pet?
-
If you have to give up your pet, what will you do to solve this problem?
-
Where will you consider to adopt your pet from, if you want to adopt one?
-
What motivations make you wan to adopt a pet?
Competetive analysis
We browsed several products which related to the animal welfare.In order to predict the future for our product，we analyzed their common points and different focuses.
Local animal shelter website
Pet adopt mobile application
Facebook pet adopt group
From the analysis, we developed a basic understanding of the market trends and functions they think is very necessary.For example, most supply a lot of static pet pictures to the users.However, there is something we think we needed to avoid like there is efficient commutation platform between pet lovers, animal shelters, or other pets owners.
Insights
We need to explore solutions which would encourage animal shelters to communicate with pet finders actively, help them to find pets match them. what is more significant, shelters needed to lower the possibility that pet owners surrender their pets back to them again.
Persona
Creating personas is an excellent empathy method to help us to give us real insights into our users. It gave everyone on the team the same focus moving forward.After we identify the user behavioral variables, we started to built personas for our project.
Mr.Balley
53 years old
Engineer
Married
Bailey and his wife live in a big house with 2 children. They had a labrador dog a few years ago, but since it was dead, he feels so sad that he believes his dog still live with them,
Mr.Bailey wants to adopt another dog to release the pain in his mind.Now, with about 5 years before he is eligible to retire, he is considering how to enjoy his relaxed and free retirement life.
Every weekend, when they walk around the park and see other people’ pets, it always makes him miss the Labrador he had before.He would like to keep a dog at the local animal shelter, but there is no Labrador puppy at the shelter.They considered about adopting one from other pet owners, but they worried about if the dog healthy enough.
Anna
23 years old
Student
Single
Anna is a student who lives in the downtown of Savannah.She going to graduate from SCAD. She kept one husky for 3 years. She really loves her dog, however, recently she gets a job in Canada. It is difficult to keep her dog after she moves out of Savannah. She hopes she can find a trustful person to adopt her dog, she considers surrendering her dog to the animal shelter as her last solution. Because she feels not satisfied to the environment of the animal shelter. She doesn’t want her dog live in an overcrowded cage.
Goals
Goals
Find the specular type of dog.
Adopt a dog which is healthy enough.
Find a new home for her dog.
Rather than surrender her dog at the animal shelter
she prefers to find a trustful pet owner to adopt her
dog.
Affinity diagram
-
People prefer to adopt puppies rather than senior dogs.
-
Sometimes, after people adopt pets at the animal shelter, they might surrender the pets back to the shelter again, because they can't get along with their pets.
-
If the pet owners have to give up their pets because of personal reasons, they will consider the animal shelter as the last solution.Before this, they will try to ask their friends or people around them to see if anyone will want to adopt their pets.
-
Most of the pet owners would like to have a communication platform with the previous pet owner or the animal shelter, as it will help them learn how to get along with their pets, especially upon the first adoption.
-
Before they adopt the pets, people will be more concerned about the pets' health situation rather than pets appearance or their personalities.
-
We understood it was necessary to save all kinds of animals which have different habits in the animal shelter, however, to finish this project in 10 weeks, we decided to narrow our research focus on how to help pet dogs find their new home in a more efficient way.
Divergent
Concepts we explored
Design a website or mobile application for the animal shelter.
People can browse all of the shelter animal information on it, and they can communicate with the animal shelter staff to decide which animal they want to adopt.
We browsed several of well- designed animal shelter websites and applications. We realized it doesn't leave too much room for us to improve.These similar products still can't lower the communication barrier between the animal shelter and pet lovers.
Animal shelter website or application
An infeasible solution
Create an animal welfare group on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media platform.This has several functions such as animal shelter donation, pet adoption, and pet communication.
It seemed like a good idea to encourage more people to support the animal shelters.Therefore the shelter animal would have a better living condition; however, in some way, it might make more people surrender their pets to the animal shelter.
Animal welfare social media group
An infeasible solution
The final concept we looked at was based on user communication. We wanted to explore ways in which we could encourage with more and more user get to engage the animal adoption.If some pet owner had to give up their pet, this application is a platform to inform other users who intend to adopt one.
Our project goal was to decline the number of shelter pets being euthanized.This concept we explored solved this problem in an indirect and efficient way.Everyone would love to accept the consequence if we can help most of the abandoned pet to find a new home rather than leave them in an over-crowded animal shelter.
Pet adoption
application
A feasible solution
Reframing
From
How might we utilize public engagement such as pets adoption, public donation to improve the shelter animal welfare?
To
How might we help abandoned dog to find a new home quickly?
Iteration
The goals we want to achieve
How to display the pet dog information includes its visual data and health records for users?
How do the users (the previous pet owner& the new pet owner ) communicate with each other efficiently?
If the user wants to adopt a pet, how can he/she finish the adoption application?
If the pet owner wants to give up his/her pet, how can he/she create the pet profile for adoption?
Wireframes
User testing
To obtain a more accurate and efficient user testing result, we introduced some basic information about our project and then we asked to finish several tasks, which we set up.Once the users finished these tasks, we asked them to speak about what is the pain point and strong point they think about this application.We prepared a few snacks and drink to attract more users to give us feedback.
Tasks
1 Sign up and search for the pet they want.
2 Check the pet information and talk with the pet owner.
3 Adopt the pet and create the pet profile.
4 Imaging they have to give up their pets, how can they use this application to find a new pet owner.
Problems
1 Users got confused about how to create a profile for their pets.
2 Some icons we used were unrecognized.
3 There was some information in pet profile which is unnecessary to the users.
4 Users spent more time on searching than we expected.
Solution
Adogt
A platform for pet finders and pet owners that helps pets to find a new home quickly.
Color palette
#2CA29F
#357380
#F97B6E
Fonts
Helvetica light
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Features
Home screen
Never say goodbye
This feature shows users the euthanasia list from animal shelters, which shows them the profiles of the dogs that will be killed because no one wants to adopt them.We understood people prefer to adopt puppies rather than senior dogs which means that they will have to be caged in the animal shelter their whole life.This is an approach to let the users access the unattractive, senior dogs.Some of the users might want to save them from euthanasia in time.
Chat
Chat is where pet finders can talk with pet owners.Adogt serves as a platform for both sides. Users can use the chat box to communicate with the pet owners to ask them for more details about their pets or make an appointment with them to see when to see their pets.More importantly, we assumes a user adopts a dog from its previous owner; he can use this feature to get some instant help.
Pet life
This feature allows users to access various aspects of pet information.Users can view these articles to learn to how to take care of their pets or train them.
Pet adoption
If users want to adopt a pet they want, they need to complete their accounts set up to fill more personal information such as family information, housing situation, and your previous pet experience.What is more significant, we need to verify applicant's ID
to make this dog adoption platform more trustful.
Pet health records
According to our research, we found the critical factor, before a person considers to adopt a pet dog, is the dog's health situation.Therefore we asked pet owner to upload their pet's medical records, such as the vaccine receipt and Veterinarian Information to their pet's profile.The users can quickly view these health records to learn the dog current health situation.
Tips&Pet's items
We consider this feature as a trigger-reward mechanism driving the user behaviors.Pet owner loves to purchase some pet's items for their animal companies, such as pet food, pet toothpaste or pet grooming brush.However, if they have to give up their pets, these pet supplies will be unnecessary to them.This feature can help them to solve this problem. It can not only make their dogs have far greater chances of finding a satisfied, new home but also a reward for the pet lovers who adopt them.You can tip the pet finder to shows how grateful you are as well.
Compare applicants
This feature helps pet owner to compare the applications from different pet finders.The owner can tell which applicant can give his dog the best home, among these adoption applications, base on their housing situation, family situation and their pet experience.It can make a lovely pet have more chance to find a new home which is more fit him/her.
What did I learn?
The complexity of the social problem
A social problem is a sphere that you need to view from extremely different angles.The more information I dug out, the closer I moved towards to the nature of the problem.However, it can be very stressful when my teammates and I handle an overwhelming amount of information.We needed to judge the accuracy of the data we collected. this enables me to pick some essential proof quickly in order to extrapolate the potential solution to improve this social problem.