.png)
Simplifying Pet Care
Role
User Researcher
UX/UI Designer
Team
Ziying,
Nina
Timeline
Jan 2024 - May 2024
5 months
Pawsome is an AI-powered app that supports new dog owners with personalized feeding plans and health advice. Created for first-time adopters from the local non-profit animal shelter, the Humane Society of Huron Valley, we aimed to simplify and enhance the pet care experience.
Pawsome
Solution
Project Objectives
.png)
Millions of new dog owners face difficulties finding reliable pet care advice annually, contributing to high abandonment rates. Over 6.5 million abandoned animals enter U.S. shelters each year, with about 920,000 euthanized due to lack of adoption.
3.2 million new pet owners struggle with pet care information
-
Simplify pet care for first-time owners
-
Reduce pet abandonment due to health issues
-
Tailored meal plan based on the pet profile
-
Quick health diagnostics through AI-powered image analysis
Project Problem
A Quick Glimpse of Pawsome
Interviews & Surveys
We conducted 1:1 interviews with 6 new dog owners to understand their early challenges.
Key questions included:
-
"What are your biggest challenges in caring for your new dog?"
-
"How do you currently plan meals and monitor your dog's health?"
-
"What resources do you use to find safe foods for your dog?"
Understanding New Dog Owners
To design effectively for long-term engagement, it’s crucial to understand the evolving needs of users as their experience with pets grows. We surveyed 59 respondents, including new and experienced dog owners and shelter volunteers.
Key questions for long-term dog owners included:
-
"How do you manage your dog's diet as they age?"
-
"What challenges have you faced in keeping up with your dog’s health over the years?"
-
"How do you stay informed about your dog’s changing dietary needs?"
-
"What tools or apps do you use to track your pet’s health and vet appointments?"
Exploring Long-Term Dog Owners' Needs
New
Dog Owners
Recently adopted dogs
for < 2 years (22 people)
Experienced Owners
Raised dogs for more than 2 years (18 people)
Shelter Volunteers
Involved with pet care and adoption (19 people)
Pain points
-
Vet insurance and medical bills for her dog are too expensive.
Goal
-
To keep her dog healthy and well-fed without breaking the bank or spending too much time.
Emma
Target User
-
Age: 25
-
Occupation: Marketing Manager
-
Lifestyle: Busy balancing long work hours and a side project
-
Dog: Adopted a rescue dog, 1 year old
User Research
Key Pain Points
Research Finding #1
Confusion Over Dog Food Choices
53% of pet owners feel overwhelmed and confused when selecting the appropriate dog food. Many struggle to navigate the variety of options available, leading to uncertainty about what constitutes a nutritious and suitable diet for their pets.
Pain point 1
Conflicting pet care information online leaves new dog owners uncertain what to trust.
Pain point 2
Struggle to choose between different types of food, depending on their dog's needs.
Pain point 3
Expensive vet appointments with minor issues sometimes costing thousands.
Research Finding #2
85% of dog owners prioritize health and medical information due to the high costs of vet insurance and lengthy appointment wait times. This strong focus on health underscores the need for accessible, cost-effective resources to help owners manage their pets' well-being.
High Demand for Accessible Pet Health Resources
Key
Findings
Primary
Customized
Meal Plans
Primary
AI-Powered Diagnostics
Secondary
Food Safety Information
Secondary
Virtual
Vet Expert
Prioritized Design Features
Previous research findings allow us to prioritize common concerns and establish corresponding design requirements:
Design Process
Food Page
Meal Setup
Food Choice
3 Tailored Recipes
We began the prototyping process by outlining user flows for the main features and creating wireframes for the key pages, specifically focusing on the pet meal plan selection and AI health diagnosis workflows.
Wireframing
1. Users can choose meal plan for their pet
2. Determine if user already has a plan
3.Choose premade or self-made options
4. AI-generated tailored 3 recipes for pet
Primary Feature #1: Customized Meal Plans
Onboarding for personalized pet care
A simple three-step process introduces users to custom meal plans, AI health diagnoses, and virtual vet consultations, followed by a brief questionnaire to personalize the app experience.
01
Receipts and tailored meal plans
Allow users to set up a custom meal plan for their dog quickly, explore nutritious recipes, and access a detailed list of safe and unsafe foods to make informed dietary choices for your dog.
02
Instant AI diagnosis & virtual appointment
Get fast AI-powered image diagnoses and virtual vet consultations. Upload photos of your dog’s health issues, and receive a quick evaluation of potential problems.
03
Storyboard
Before
After
Feedback From Users
We decided to boost confidence in AI by using clear data visualization and validating accuracy through human veterinary experts. By offering a virtual vet Q&A option, users can double-check if the situation is severe. This approach enhances transparency and strengthens the reliability of AI-driven insights.
Build Trust in AI with Data Visualization and Expert Validation
To validate our design, we tested with 6 new dog owners and gathered their feedback by observing them as they navigated through our prototype.
Design Validation Through User Testing
I don't fully trust AI for image-based health diagnoses. Sometimes AI lies to me, so I'm not sure if I can rely on the results they show.
More explanation of the data is needed on the diagnosis result page.
Provide clear explanation for the potential health issue and highlight with warning colors.
Utilize data and color coding to indicate health issues and severity.
Offer further vet's comment to support AI's diagnosis
Explain AI's limit to establish trust and transparency.
Add alert if identify urgent issues and consult a vet.
Include another CTA for ask professional veterinarians.
_edited.jpg)
.png)
Copyright © 2024 by Sophia Ke
Healthcare Page
AI Diagnosis
Take a photo
Result Page
.png)
1. Users can select quick AI Diagnosis CTA
2. Determine which body part to diagnosi
3. Take a photo of your pet's body part
4. Result generated in seconds
Primary Feature #2: AI health diagnosis
My Takeaways
Next Steps
-
Enhance AI Accuracy: Refine the AI diagnostic tool to improve precision and broaden its ability to address various health issues.
-
Anticipate Long-Term User Needs: Create features that foster sustained user engagement, including personalized updates and continuous care recommendations.
-
Effective collaboration with multiple designers requires early alignment on design styles and comprehensive style guides. While initial style guides help standardize elements, it's crucial to ensure that additional components and individual styles are integrated cohesively to maintain a consistent overall design.
What've I learned?
.png)