Role
Lead Researcher
UX Designer
Timeline
24 hours | SacHacks Challenge
Team
4 UX/UI Designers
Context
44% of pet owners are dog owners, Life of Kai is a web application that helps connect pet owners with the community to accelerate the process of finding their lost pets. Where they are great at providing resources and training services, the app currently lacks engaging the community members and creating a consistent interactive user face that promotes community engagement.
Objective
PupPatrol is a mobile application that uses the built-in alert system of smart phones to connect pet owners of lost pets with other community members who do not have the app while fulfilling daily-life activities with pets.
User research
With less than 24 hours for research, we surveyed pet owners and conducted desk research to identify challenges.
Initially, we considered an Amber Alert system for lost pets, but due to legal constraints, we opted for a mobile app with a similar user-permission feature to meet our time and resource limits.
Key Findings
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Current Lost Pet Measures: Most rely on collars with tags, some use AirTags, and others trust pets to return.
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Finding Lost Pets: Flyers, AirTags, and physical searches are common, but some feel unsure.
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Challenges & Shelters: 1.5 million animals are euthanized yearly, making the 72-hour window critical.
Competitive Analysis
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Pawboost: charges dog owners $50 to post a missing dog flyer & many scammers on the app
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PetKey: Poor interface makes app difficult to navigate & many people reported bugs and crashes
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Missing Pets: Reoccurring payments for users who canceled their subscription, poor filtering system, weekly $8 usage fee
Branding
The company's inconsistent and divided identity stems from the lack of a brand identity. So we created a brand identity guide to unify our interfaces.
User Personas
As UX designers, we began by thoroughly exploring the diverse user personas that would engage with our app. We identified three key demographics:
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Proactive Dog Owners: Users who leverage our app to prevent their dogs from getting lost.
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Concerned Dog Owners: Individuals who are actively seeking assistance after their dog has gone missing.
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Community Helpers: Dog-loving neighbors eager to lend a hand in locating lost pets.
Mid Fi
We started with the goal of a functional mid-fidelity prototype, but after ten hours, a team member had to leave. This prompted us to prioritize key pages for our high-fidelity designs.
High Fi
Our high-fidelity design features a Lost Dog Report that lets users quickly alert nearby app users. This enhances visibility and fosters community support during urgent situations.
Key Features
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Pet wellbeing tracker: Users can set reminders on when to feed their pet, walk their pet, and more.
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Pet Alert: Allows users to quickly notify their neighbors or anyone nearby when they can’t find their pet.
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Widget: Track their daily reminders right at their home screen.
About Me