A Stress-Free Way of Discovering Pet-Friendly Places
Kris Low
CLIENT: Pawfect
TIMEFRAME: 8 weeks
ROLE: Research, UX/UI Design, Visual Design, Usability Testing
PLATFORM: Mobile
What is Pawfect?
Pawfect is a community app designed to enable pet parents to discover pet-friendly places in Singapore to visit with their pets. With the addition of an efficient search tool and a new trip-planning feature, the app aims to enhance the user experience and help pet parents plan memorable outings with their furry companions.
Problem
Although Pawfect successfully consolidates a vast amount of information on pet-friendly places in Singapore into a single app, the current version lacks an efficient search tool, requiring users to input precise names for successful results. The ineffective search engine leaves pet parents uncertain about finding suitable pet-friendly locations and organizing their activities with their pets.
Solution
I worked with Pawfect' founder, marketers and engineers to redesign the current Pawfect app with two added new features - a search tool with extensive sorting and filters and a trip planning tool. This help pet parents discover pet-friendly places in Singapore and be able to plan out a full day of adventure with their pets.
How might we optimize the digital experience of the current Pawfect app to provide pet parents with a seamless and stress-free way of exploring pet-friendly places in Singapore?
Problem
To search for a location, users have to either scroll through hundreds of places manually or key in the exact name of the location. The lack of search options leaves users uncertain about finding the right locations that cater to their requirements.
Goal
To develop an MVP that alleviates the frustrations associated with discovering pet-friendly places in Singapore and empowering users to find suitable locations
Gathering Insights
At the beginning of the project, I dived into an intensive two-week user research sprint to gain a better understanding of the user’s wants, needs, and expectations. I collected 50 responses for the survey, conducted six user interviews, sought out feedback on Instagram regularly, and mapped out a competitive audit to understand the market demand, product gap, and current product offerings that the industry provided.
The overall findings were as follows:
Alexis’s POV
With the insights gathered, a persona was created to focus on the user’s goals, needs, motivations, and frustrations.
Create memories with your pets, the stress-free way
I came up with 3 flows to focus on:
Search for pet-friendly places and utilize filters to find specific locations that align with the user's needs.
Save pet-friendly places for future reference and easy access.
Plan a full day of fun with their pets by planning out detailed itineraries
The process outlined below begins with a product feature roadmap where I drew reference from the defined sitemap and task flows. I documented each potential feature and its corresponding UI requisites before translating my concepts into sketches and, ultimately, a high-fidelity prototype. In this concise rendition, you can observe my approach to address user needs below.
The key solutions implemented in the prototype are as follows:
01 How might we improve the search functionality to help users find pet-friendly places more efficiently?
Search Feature Enhancement
To address the issue of ineffective search functionality, improvements were made to the search feature. The enhanced search tool provides more accurate and relevant results, allowing users to quickly find pet-friendly places based on specific criteria such as location, amenities, and pet-friendly policies.
02 How might we help pet parents plan and organize outings with their furry friends more effectively?
Trip Planning Feature
To meet the needs of pet parents, the addition of a trip-planning feature was identified as a key solution. This feature enables users to plan a day's itinerary with their pets, bringing together nearby pet-friendly places and helping pet parents organize their activities seamlessly. Users can create personalized itineraries by selecting nearby pet-friendly places and adding them to their trip plans.
Testing designs with users constantly
Throughout the entire design process, Pawfect received many direct messages on Instagram from pet parents who voiced out their frustration or suggestions on areas to improve on or features that they would like to see. The designs were redone many times to incorporate the opinions of pet parents. I also ran through my designs with the client and developer team many times to come up with the most optimized prototype.
The prototype turned out to be a major success where testers were able to complete the task at ease and did not face any major problems with the struggles. Many testers rated 5 out of 5 for very easy in terms of completing the tasks.
(UPDATE)
Layout of review form
During a private event that Pawfect held for its active users, the prototype was shown to the users to gather further comments. One prominent comment that was received was that users preferred completing the review form in one go. A slight adjustment in the layout of the review form was made.
Sticking to a delightful and minimalistic visual identity
The Pawfect app adopts a vibrant and pet-centric visual identity, featuring playful illustrations and bright teal colors that evoke a sense of joy and companionship. The logo and visual elements reflect the app's focus on creating memorable experiences for pets and their owners.
Final Thoughts
Be attentive to user needs and feedback Throughout the design process, incorporating user feedback was essential to ensure the new features met the expectations and requirements of pet parents. Regular usability testing and iterative improvements played a crucial role in creating a user-centric app experience.
Simplify the planning process The trip planning feature provided pet parents with a convenient way to organize activities for their pets, alleviating the stress and uncertainty associated with planning outings.
Enhance search functionality By enhancing the search feature, users could quickly find pet-friendly places based on their preferences and location, making it easier to explore new venues and create memorable experiences with their furry companions.
Potential Next Steps
Conduct further usability testing during the upcoming Pawfect Private Event to gather additional feedback and refine the app experience.
Measure the success of the new features through user engagement metrics, app reviews, and user satisfaction surveys.
Explore opportunities for partnerships with pet-related businesses to expand the range of pet-friendly places available in the app.
Like this project
