Pet Mapping

phase 1

User Research and Analysis

For this first phase, I draw upon our chosen root concept and conducted contextual interviews with prospective users. With the goal of describing the current context of activities, we analyzed and presented our findings as personas and organized activity concepts.

Interview Plan

I started by developing an inquiry plan for Chicago pet-owners and creating a set of questions to understand their needs. Each team member conducted interviews, some in-person and others remotely.

Conducting Interview

Interviews were conducted in person and remotely on Zoom and informed consent was established before beginning the interview. After conducting all the interviews, we discussed the interviews and interpreted our findings using Miro.

Consolidation

Later, I combined all the questions and the responses that we received from our interviewees on the Miro whiteboard. We recognized differences and similarities between our interviewees and highlighted the user goals, frustrations, tasks and environment. We had decided to synthesize the information and find similarities between the users while keeping the bottom-up processing in mind.

Interview analysis

Found a few frustrations from the people we interviewed which mainly included pain points like difficulty in finding reliable pet sitters, reputable pet-friendly hotels and restaurants, and bonding pet-friendly events. So, we focused on Jen and Ava’s personas mitigate the complications that come along with planning a trip!

Persona

We used Figma for creating personas to help us understand the users’ needs and behaviors.

phase 2

Conceptual Design

The app focuses on two main components: finding a “Pet Sitter” and planning “Your Pet’s Trip” which contains features that would benefit both. This app will mitigate the frustrations of finding a pet-sitter by having the top trained pet-sitters while you travel and if you want to travel with your pet then it can provide that for you as well! The well-integrated duo planning app will set the user with all the necessities to plan their best trip with their pet in mind without the worries that come along.

Here is the initial Concept I made on chalkboard-

User Flow Maps

The image above showcases the first drafted flow map for the pet-owner users. We noted that Jen and Ava were our focus for our project, and I designed a user flow map in correlation to their frustrations as users. We also wrote down the main emphasis, via bullet points of each homepage (for Pet-Sitters and Travelers with Pets). I further developed this User Flowmap using Miro.

The user flow above was created for the pet owners to send offers to the pet sitters and have the option of traveling with their pets. Here we have added multiple features which solve the issues faced by Jen and Ava in their personas. The flow mainly demonstrates the process of finding a good pet sitter and planning a pet-friendly trip. The user end goal goes in two directions: confirming a pet-sitter and setting up an itinerary plan for pet-friendly restaurants/ pet-hotels/nearby events for both the pet-sitter and pet.

This user flow was crated for pet sitters to showcase their experience/training as pet sitters. This app also allows pet sitters to send offers to the pet owners, for pet owners to book. We developed this flow by combining certain features required as a user who is looking to find a reliable pet sitter. The user can also select specified pet categories that fit their desired needs. This user end goal is to send an offer and availability to the pet-owners, once this is confirmed by the pet owners then it would show up in the calendar section of the navigation bar for pet-sitters.

phase 3

Interaction Design

The wireframe solution incorporates several features intended to solve specific user scenarios. We focused on Jen and Ava’s goals which would help them to travel efficiently along with their pets and also search for certified and qualified pet sitters when they need pet care.

Wireframes and scenarios

The wireframe of the app created using Balsamiq solves all the pain points from the 2 personas. I have shown the screens from the perspective of a pet owner, a pet owner traveling with their pets, and the pet sitter.

Design System

In the design system, I created a pet-themed comprehensive style guide and component library while considering the WCAG 2.1 guideline.

phase 4

Evaluation and iteration

In the final phase, we conducted live user tests in-person and using Zoom to gather insights on our design prototypes. Participants performed 3 tasks from our pet-friendly prototype, and we observed their interactions and documented their feedback. Based on the qualitative feedback, we focused on redesigning features to address user frustrations identified during the tests. These usability patterns guided our final redesign efforts.

Test Plan

We conducted 5 in-person usability tests using an interactive prototype designed in Figma. One participant performed the test while the rest of the team observed and took notes. Each team member also conducted their own usability tests and recorded individual notes. The tests were conducted in person, and participants were asked to navigate through the clickable prototype.
‍
During the usability tests, we observed participants to assess their ability to:
- Book pet-friendly hotels.
- Book and connect with certified, reliable pet-sitters.
- Switch between pet owners and pet sitters seamlessly.

Mid-fi Prototype

Here is the Mid-fi Prototype we used for our testing.

Findings

Users faced difficulties in differentiating between the pet-sitter and pet-owner pages due to similar colors, leading to a lack of visual emphasis. They also found it challenging to quickly identify certified pet-sitters as the profile pictures and average ratings were not sufficient for immediate recognition. Navigating from the pet-owner page to the pet-sitter page was slightly confusing for users. Additionally, when booking hotels, users found the "To:" and "From:" labels confusing, as hotels typically have set check-in and check-out times. The inclusion of "No. of people" was also seen as unnecessary since it should be for pets, not humans.

Common usability issues identified were:
- Confusion between pet-sitter and pet-owner pages.
- Lack of clear iconography for pet-sitters' certifications and training.
- Unclear and insufficient information when booking pet hotels (such as check-in/check-out times, promos/discounts, average pricing, and pet accommodations).

Recommendations

Clearly differentiate the pet-sitter and pet-owner pages to avoid confusion.
Enhance the visual cues to easily identify certified pet-sitters.
Improve navigation between the pet-owner and pet-sitter pages.
Replace "To:" and "From:" labels with set check-in and check-out times for hotel bookings.
Replace "No. of people" with "No. of pets" for accurate booking information.

Redesign Summary

We discovered a few missing features in our design that improved the app's usability and reduced the need for multiple clicks to navigate between screens. Based on the usability test, we made changes to five screens.

Home Screen- Finding a pet sitter

In the home screen we have made the changes in the recommended pet sitter’s section. We have added the badge feature where the user can add the filter of badges like Pet CPR certified and verified. This was a recommendation from one of our testers to these badges for better understanding.

Home Screen- Pet Sitter’s Point of view

In the home screen for the pet sitter, we have added the Job request section where the Pet sitter will be able to accept or reject the recent job offer from the people who request them in just one click, which makes the user experience better for the Pet sitters.

Hotel Detail Screen

In the hotel detail page, we added a Pet accommodation section, helping users understand what type of accommodations are provided by each hotel.

Profile

In the Profile screen, we changed the drop-down button to a radio button for the switch-to section based on a tester’s feedback, making it easier to understand the pet owner option.

Reserve Screen

In the Reserve page, we removed the select time option since most hotels have set check-in times. We also added the “No. of Pets” and “Discount coupon” options based on tester feedback.

Interactive Design

Reflection

What have I've learnt?

Collaborating with fellow team members was an invaluable experience, particularly during user testing and iteration phases. This collaborative effort allowed me to refine my skills in making design decisions that significantly improved the application's usability based on real user feedback. It also deepened my understanding of users' perspectives and preferences, as we actively sought and integrated their insights throughout defining the user and the user testing process.

Wagrover

About the Project

Background

Problem

The main purpose of the design

Solution

Process