TruePaws
Synopsis:
TruePaws is an app designed to assist potential pet adopters by matching them with their ideal pet while also dismantling the notion that shelter pets are "damaged goods". I was personally very passionate about this project because the Adopt Don't Shop campaign is very near and dear to my heart. I worked with a team of 4 other user experience designers to research the issues that shelter staff face when trying to get pets adopted and why potential adopters feel a challenging issue to solve to this day.
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Research:
My team and I conducted research and determined that many adopters do not adopt pets from a shelter because they view them as "damaged goods" and are fearful of unknown issues that they will have to deal with. Some adopters also associate certain breeds with certain behaviors and like the ability to select the mannerisms of their pet by by getting a pure bred animal. As a result, pet adopters tend to favor getting their pets from a breeder instead of a shelter.
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On top of this, shelters often lack enough resources to care for the animals they have, and a complicated and time consuming solution won't be feasible with their own capabilities. Getting adopters as much information about their pets before they're adopted is also a must as it will help prevent pets from being rehomed or returned to the shelter.
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Our team brainstormed over 60 unique solutions, in addition to sketches, storyboards, and more. What resulted was our solution, TruePaws!
Solution:
TruePaws helps adopters by running them through an advanced quiz that helps match their desires and habits to pets in their area. Unlike similar services, this app can help potential adopters determine the characteristics they like in a pet by taking into account information about breeds they know they love. This helps to dismantle breed favoritism and the fear that a shelter pet will not have the adopters favored characteristics.
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On top of this, the post a pet function helps shelters by walking them through a easy profile making process. It also helps them discover and address pet behavioral issues by walking them through tried and true pet behaviorist techniques. With these tools, shelters will be granted the resources they need and adopters will have more information about the animals they're interested in before they adopt. This will lessen the need to rehome pets and put more trust in the adoption system as a whole.
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My Contribution:
I designed the layout and scope of TruePaws as well as the interaction flow. I also lead the research process for TruePaws and helped keep my teammates on track to meet our stakeholders key issues. I also adjusted many of the UI designs my teammates created to make them easier to understand for both adopters and shelter workers.