The adoption center is a non-monetary institution committed to the welfare of animals, providing a loving home for rescued animals from zoos and shelters. The platform caters to a wide range of individuals who are interested in adopting or sponsoring wild animals. With a user-friendly app and website, users can easily access information about available pets for adoption, sponsor wildlife from partner zoos, and report incidents of animal abuse for swift action. The adoption center aims to unite compassionate individuals who share a common goal of supporting and caring for animals in need.

The adoption center project aimed to address the issues of overcrowding and mistreatment of animals in shelters and zoos by providing a safe and loving environment for rescued animals. Additionally, it sought to create a sustainable funding model for the care and well-being of these animals through sponsorships and donations, thereby reducing financial burdens on traditional shelters and ensuring long-term support for the organization's mission.

The primary goal of the adoption center project is to provide a compassionate and responsible solution for the well-being and placement of rescued animals, aiming to find loving forever homes for as many animals as possible and promote their care and conservation through sponsorships and community support.

In my user research for the adoption center project, I conducted a mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods to gain a comprehensive understanding of potential adopters and sponsors. Through surveys and interviews, I gathered insights into their preferences, motivations, and pain points when it comes to adopting or sponsoring animals. Initially, I assumed that users would prioritize convenience and ease of use in the app's design. However, after conducting research, I discovered that users were also deeply interested in transparency regarding the animals' well-being and the organization's rescue efforts. This led me to incorporate more information about animal care and rescue initiatives into the app's design, ensuring a meaningful and trustworthy experience for users. Additionally, I utilized usability testing with prototype users to validate the app's navigational flow and address any usability issues, resulting in an improved and user-centered platform.

Sarah is a compassionate animal lover who needs a user-friendly platform to support animal welfare and explore pet adoption opportunities because she wants to make a positive impact on the lives of rescued animals and find a suitable furry companion for her family.

Throughout the design process, I actively sought feedback from peers and users, leading to the implementation of various features. Conducting three research rounds with approximately 30 testers, I adapted and incorporated ideas, such as the report button, "donate and sponsor" option in the navigation bar, visual indicators for user progress, and color-coded buttons. Additionally, I improved transparency by providing more animal specifications and outlining how donated funds would be utilized. This iterative approach resulted in a comprehensive and user-centric hi-fi prototype, meeting the needs and preferences of the users and ensuring a seamless and enjoyable experience on the platform.

In my low-fidelity prototype, I provided five user flows for users to follow: adopting a cat from Center 1, sponsoring a snow leopard, donating money, reporting animal abuse, and scheduling a visit to their sponsored animal. All participants completed all tasks and provided valuable feedback, which greatly contributed to the development of the website. The prototype is a demonstration and does not require any personal information or involve real monetary transactions. If you would like to test the prototype, please access the link below.

https://xd.adobe.com/view/bbb75e99-bb5c-49c6-8cc8-ce1f91a5fa1b-eee4/?fullscreen&hints=off

After conducting the first round of tests with my low-fidelity prototype, it became evident that certain elements were missing, leading to difficulties for some users in completing the desired tasks. Although I assumed the buttons were easily findable, the feedback highlighted the need for improvements to ensure smoother user navigation and task completion.

In response to user feedback, I addressed the issue of users having difficulty finding the donation option by making a crucial change. I modified the navigation bar label from "sponsor" to "sponsor&donate" to clearly communicate that users can both sponsor wild animals and contribute financially to support the organization. This improvement significantly enhanced the user experience, ensuring that users could readily identify and access the donation feature, resulting in a more streamlined and effective platform for supporting animal welfare.

Following the usability test of my high-fidelity prototype, I incorporated several new features to improve user experience. These enhancements included adding payment details during donations, adjusting text sizes and variations in formularies, introducing new texts, enabling anonymous reporting, placing report buttons on all screens, enhancing the visibility of visit scheduling, and changing "adopt" to "enter" on the "find a center near you" page to avoid confusion. I invite you to explore the updated flow by accessing the link below. All tasks remain consistent with those in the low-fidelity prototype. Thank you for your valuable feedback and input.

https://xd.adobe.com/view/cf6ec2f8-41bc-4422-b512-72678fba3891-9a3d/?fullscreen&hints=off

Through my work on this project, the impact has been significant in promoting animal welfare and encouraging adoptions, The valuable feedback received during user testing allowed me to identify and address usability challenges, resulting in a more intuitive design.

I learned the importance of actively seeking and incorporating user feedback to create a platform that caters to diverse needs and preferences, ultimately fostering a positive and meaningful user experience.

Thank you!