Adopt a pet
My role: UX Designer
For this project, I created a responsive website for AdoptiiPisici.ro, a national association of animal adoption focused on finding homes for animals in need. I had to redesign an existing web page in order to be responsive and to offer users a more exciting experience. I wanted to create an inviting digital space for people to form an initial connection with an animal and build trust in an organisation.
The problem:
The website is not responsive and the visual design is very poor. Also the navigation seems more complicated due to unnecessary details on the page.
My responsibilities:
Conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.
Understanding the user
User research
I have conducted both secondary and primary research in order to identify pain points and positive experiences users have when adopting pets.
I learned about national and local animal shelters and associations. As non-profit, many are focused on education and collecting donations. In terms of their site, they all seemed focused on curating a personal connection between the user and the pets.
Overpopulation of animals, purchasing an animal from a pet store or from a breeder means less animals are being adopted from the shelters.
Pain points
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Users are overwhelmed by so many information they find on websites
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People in general want to receive emotional support from pets
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Some persons are afraid that this search will take too much time and end up fruitless
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The information online are different from their expectations
Persona
Problem statement:
Sasha is an English teacher who wants to find another dog for their family, in order to find emotional comfort after a stressed day at work.
User journey
map
Mapping Sasha’s user journey revealed how helpful it would be for users to have access to a simplified responsive website.
![Google UX Design Certificate - User Journey Map [Template] copy.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/144872_4edfc4dc2b4a47b88f043328dbb0c47e~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_600,h_338,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/Google%20UX%20Design%20Certificate%20-%20User%20Journey%20Map%20%5BTemplate%5D%20copy.jpg)
Creating Solutions
Site map and flows
I created a feature roadmap focused on what I would need for the site.
I started with the existing features in mind, plus the changes that I wanted to apply.
I also created task flows and user flows. This user flow shows the paths of a first time and second time user of the site.
Starting the design
Digital wireframes
The list of pets is very wide and easy to scroll.
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Base on the user research I wanted to make this search as easy as possible and simplify the design so that the user would have available only the information needed at the time.
Another goal for this project was to make this website responsive, since many users prefer to navigate using their phone.
While scrolling the list, the user can add anytime a pet or make a request.
These wireframes helped me gather an initial impression of how the elements and features would work together on a page.
Design system
Before going to the hi-fi stage, I decided to organise a small design system for UI consistency.
Apart from this, the design system has its advantages. Like saving designer time and developer.
After
Before
Final screens
Bellow you can see the original design of the website, and the final result
Next steps
With the next steps I would put more work with the brand itself and improve the logo. The solution for all these things can still be determined with more research, and testing with the current prototype is a great step in that direction.
Final thoughts
It was a pleasure working on this project, especially since it was the first voluntary project. I love animals very much, and the work done by this community deserves to be rewarded. I hope we can continue to work together in the near future.