Furever Friends Found Here
Kacey Arnold
Lana Sardar
Redesigning the Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC) website to improve user experience and streamline users' access to adoption and lost pert services provided by the shelter.
Role
User Research
Product Design
Usability Testing
Tools
Figma
Adobe Illustrator
GitHub
Skills
UX Research
Product Design
Prototyping
Timeline
3 Weeks
Waringa Hunja
Chicago Animal Care & Control
Problem Statement
Adopters and pet owners need a user-friendly, intuitive way to navigate the CACC’s website for searching adoptable pets or locating lost animals. Improving the site’s information architecture will ease adoption uncertainty and reduce frustration for pet owners, ensuring a smooth, effective experience that supports successful matches and reunions.
Challenge
How can our team redesign the Chicago Animal Care and Control (CACC) website to improve user experience and ensuring visitors can easily access crucial information and complete key tasks, such adopting or locating missing pets?
High Level Goals That Defined Our Designs
Make the website navigation responsive and easy and efficient for different users.
Make the adoption process for CACC users easier online.
Make registering and locating a missing pet intuitive and time-efficient.
Enhance pet ID pages so potential adopters have a clearer idea of an animal's history and temperament.
Our Process
Discover
Define
Ideate
Design
Product Users
Our primary audience are dults between the ages of 18 and 65 years old who want to adopt or locate lost pets through the CACC.
Quantitative Research
Observations
75%
Wanted shelter websites to offer more details on an animal's history and temperament to assess compatibility before visiting the shelter in person.
50%
Were Frustrated by shelter websites lacking streamlined adoption features, I wish for options to filter searches and easily request more information about pets.
60%
Disliked the difficulty in registering missing pets and viewing found ones, noting that poor homepage navigation made the process nearly impossible.
We conducted interviews with about ten individuals who fall in line with our target demographic
User Needs
Convenience of browsing and navigation so they can search for available animals
A simple method for registering their missing animals and searching for them online.
Transparency from the adoption center regarding an animal's temperament and medical information.
Clear information on resources available to maximize their chances of finding their pets.
Features & Functionalities
To resolve user needs
Responsive Main Navigation
CACC New & Found Pets Newsletter
Web and Mobile UI Design
Enhanced Pet ID Pages
Product User Challenges
Most users can't find information about pets they want to adopt online.
When attempting to register missing pets online, most users say it takes too much time to even locate necessary resources.
Locating up-to-date missing/found pet registries is nearly impossible.
Pet search and browse pages don't offer filters or comprehensive search features.
Competitor Analysis
Modern and responsive website.
ComPETibility quiz to match people with the ideal pet for their lifestyle.
Features :
A no kill shelter and adoption organization working with local, Chicago-based shelters.
PAWS Chicago
Six locations in and around Chicago
Offers adopter newsletters to keep potential adopters up-to-date when new animals enter the shelter.
Features
A fostering organization that helps stray animals transition from shelters into a forever home.
One Tail At A Time
Unique Features
An intuitive main navigation enables users to access all CACC resources and support within minutes, featured on every page of the website.
Responsive search and browsing options include filters for temperament and history.
Quickly notify CACC of your lost pet with our efficient registry for uploading missing pet information in just minutes.
Leah Holmes
Creative Director
About
32 y/o
Chicago IL
MFA
Employed
User Persona · Adoption
Description
Leah Holmes is a compassionate animal lover residing in Chicago, IL. In her downtime, she enjoys relaxing at home, volunteering, and exploring nature. Leah actively uses CACC’s website to find a furry companion that not only aligns with her caring nature but also fits seamlessly into her lifestyle.
A day in their life
Leah Holmes, an animal lover in Chicago, starts her day with a refreshing neighborhood walk. After breakfast, she browses CACC’s website to find a furry companion that suits her caring nature.
In her free time, she volunteers at local shelters, helping animals find homes. Each evening, she researches breeds to ensure her future pet fits perfectly into her lifestyle. Leah is eager to welcome a new friend into her life.
Pain points
Leah feels disheartened by traditional shelters, struggling with their emotional atmosphere and limited animal information online. This lack of clarity makes her uncertain about finding a pet that matches her lifestyle and personality, leaving her craving a more supportive and transparent adoption experience.
"I want to adopt through a shelter because it is more ethical but, it's so difficult to find a pet and know if they'll match my personality and lifestyle."
Maslow Pyramid
Self Actualisation
Safety
Physiological
Esteem
Love & Belonging
Safety
Ardy James
High School Teacher
About
27 y/o
Chicago IL
Masters of
Education
Employed
User Persona · Missing Pet
Description
Ardy James is a dedicated high school teacher from Chicago, IL, actively searching for his missing pet. Sensitive and resourceful, he relies on the CACC website to access resources and support in hopes of reuniting with his furry friend.
A day in their life
Ardy James, a 27-year-old high school teacher in Chicago, starts his mornings by checking the CACC website for updates on missing pets. After a busy day teaching, he spends his evenings browsing through resources, searching for any leads that could help him find his beloved furry friend.
When he's not working or searching, Ardy connects with local online communities and forums for tips on lost pets. Each night, he rechecks the CACC listings, determined to do everything he can to bring his pet back home.
Pain points
Ardy struggles with the CACC website’s confusing layout, making it hard to find resources for his missing pet. The unclear information about services adds to his frustration, especially in this urgent situation. Any obstacles during the search or registration process make the experience even more stressful for him.
"My dog gets loose often and I hate how long it takes me to register him as missing with local shelters and animal care centers., I wish there was an easily accessible online option"
Maslow Pyramid
Self Actualisation
Safety
Physiological
Esteem
Love & Belonging
Eisen Hover Matrix
Urgent
Not Important
Not Urgent
Important
Found animals page with search.
Ability to filter adoptable animals by history and personality quality.
Responsive main navigation.
Daily "new pet" update emails and newsletters.
Newsletter highlighting new and found pets for adoption.
Lost pet registration feature on the homepage.
Videos of shelter workers interacting and playing with pets.
User Flows
The user task flow for someone seeking to locate a pet for adoption through the CACC website.
Adopting Through The CACC:
The taskflow for a user seeking to register a lost or runaway pet using CACC services.
Registering A Missing Pet
Wireframes
Major Screens
Home Screen
Notifications
Newsletter Modal
Missing Pet Modal
Navigation Bar
Navigation Bar
Footer
Home Screen
Search Filters
Newsletter Modal
Improved Pet ID Cards
Home Screen
Navigation
Bar
Newsletter Modal
Missing Pet Modal
Adoption Instructions
Pet ID Page
Navigation Bar
Pet ID Personality Ques
Newsletter Modal
