CityPups

Dedicated to helping you find the perfect furry friend for city living, whether you're strolling streets or exploring parks.

The Team: John Zeratsky and Jake Knapp
My Role: End to End UX/UI Designer

Setting the Stage

Project Description

CityPups, an online platform for urban dog owners, aims to simplify the process of finding a canine companion. They currently have a mobile app and would like to expand their user base by developing a desktop site.

CityPups was eager to accelerate the development of their desktop site and sought quick iterations and user validation to focus on the key challenge of enhancing their search features. A modified Google Ventures Design Sprint was implemented, condensed into five days, to make informed decisions about the project's direction.


Project Goals

The goal is to provide users with a more sophisticated search option to meet their specific needs. As the UX/UI designer, my focus is on enhancing and streamlining filtering and search capabilities.

Analyzing competitors to gather insights

To gather research on other dog adoption sites, I analyzed several sites that ranged from those featuring adoptable rescue dogs from shelters with all types of breeds and ages, to others connected with breeders that featured younger dogs with more specific breeds like purebreds and hybrids. Gathering these insights helped to target the areas of the CityPups product we hoped to elevate, particularly focusing on enhancing the ability for users to search with specific criteria to find a dog that would suit their city life.

Interview Highlights

A summary of user interviews was provided to me for analysis prior to setting objectives and defining user goals. During the initial research phase, users shared their experiences searching for dogs on adoption sites. They expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of personalized details available on most sites, such as personality traits, compatibility with other pets and children, grooming requirements, temperament, and exercise needs. These insights highlighted a gap in lifestyle-related information commonly found on typical dog adoption websites.

Anna and Silvia, participants in the user interviews, expressed concerns about whether a dog would adapt well to city environments. This personalized information extends beyond basic criteria like size and age, as users aspire to find companions compatible with their fast-paced lifestyles.

“I generally look for older dogs, I usually assume they are more well-trained, but that’s not always the case. I really want a dog that won’t get freaked out by all the things I do.”

— Silvia, User Interview

“Detailing my lifestyle, schedule, and space is useful, but it's time-consuming when considering multiple dogs.”

— Lauren, User Interview

A lot of sites say ‘good around other dogs,’ but what does that mean?”

— Anna, User Interview

Determining Minimum Viable Product (MVP)

Due to the nature of this modified design sprint, research focused on improving specific features rather than undertaking a complete site overhaul. Highlights from research interviews revealed the need for users to search for lifestyle characteristics such as socialization, training, and temperament. They sought more refined functionality targeting specific behaviors, particularly those related to urban areas or metropolitan regions.

First Release:

  1. A more refined search targeting specific behaviors, particularly those related to urban areas or metropolitan regions.

  2. Incorporate a compatibility quiz, vital for understanding user preferences and shaping subsequent page developments.

Determining visual solutions based on user priorities guided the identification of key features, informing the storyboard sketching process. Integration of filters and criteria further streamlines the adoption process.

However, while this Design Sprint prototype ideally should have been developed with key features to gather user insights before refining UI elements, I have a tendency to become overly focused on visual design details. This led to a preoccupation with finding images and developing visuals for the prototype, rather than prioritizing form and function. Subsequent usability tests revealed issues such as repetitive content, navigation requiring clarification, and missing criteria in the compatibility quiz, hindering the desired streamlined adoption process.

From Sketch to Screen

Creative Constraints

CityPups' online presence features a dominant purple hue across each screen, accompanied by a simple sans-serif font that echoes the style of its logo. The logo is a simple mark featuring a dog icon, creating an upbeat feeling of positivity associated with dog adoption.

Usability Testing Summary

  1. The initial prototype lacked consistent navigation, with some buttons being repetitive or unclear in purpose.

  2. Navigation hierarchy was overlooked during rapid development.

  3. While user interviews provided valuable insights, they were not effectively integrated into the first prototype.

  4. The focus appeared to prioritize UI elements and imagery over functionality.

  5. Moving forward, these insights will drive the refinement of website features to better meet user needs, ensuring clear navigation and enhancing the overall adoption experience on the CityPups platform.

Insights for Iterations

  1. Overlap the compatibility function with breed finder

  2. Add additional criteria to search function

  3. Clarify specific details on location, yard size and training requirements

  4. Clean up navigation for claritiy

“Adding a few more filters, such as price and gender, would be helpful.”

— Kelley, Usability Test Participant

Project Summary

This project was a great learning experience regarding the goals of design sprints: determining whether an idea or solution is worth pursuing. I learned this after obsessing over unnecessary UI details for user testing. Navigation should have focused on more important routes rather than every microinteraction. There wasn't enough time to obsess over those details. Next time, I will know to approach it with an open mind and work closely with fellow designers to hone and target the purpose of the sprint before getting started.

Opportunity for Enhancement

66% Success Rate based on the number of participants that successfully completed the task to find all available dogs.

Home screen with engaging dog imagery to grab the attention of users.

Home screen with engaging dog imagery to grab the attention of users.

Simple grid structure of adoptable dogs to create an intuitive interface for browsing.

Simple grid structure of adoptable dogs to create an intuitive interface for browsing.

Clear profile feature of adoptable dogs for users to view, accompanied by bright photography showcasing the dogs in their best light.

Clear profile feature of adoptable dogs for users to view, accompanied by bright photography showcasing the dogs in their best light.

Enhanced search feature with detailed characteristics, aiding potential dog owners in finding the perfect companion.

Enhanced search feature with detailed characteristics, aiding potential dog owners in finding the perfect companion.

Ability to view a comprehensive list of dog breeds for simple browsing alongside a search feature for quicker and more accurate searching.

Ability to view a comprehensive list of dog breeds for simple browsing alongside a search feature for quicker and more accurate searching.

Additional dog information about breeds to educate users on characteristics such as temperament, grooming, and trainability.

Additional dog information about breeds to educate users on characteristics such as temperament, grooming, and trainability.