Pet adoption app

Problems with the Pet Adoption Process: a case study.

16 min readJan 20, 2021

Puppers is a pet adoption app designed to increase pet adoption rates from shelters by providing an easy-to-use and personalized experience to help adopters find the right match in a pet. To increase pet adoption rates Puppers allows users to input data about their circumstances and preferences, which in turn provides tailored pet matches for the user, in turn, increases the chances of pet adoption.

Pet adoption stood out to me as a problem when I came across the following data. Of the approximately 7.6 million companion animals entering animal shelters nationwide every year, approximately 2.7 million are euthanized. The number of euthanized animals could be reduced dramatically if more people adopted pets instead of buying them. With these issues in mind, I set out to create a solution.

you can check out the Figma file and the Prototype here.

1. What's the actual problem tho!!

I began the project with online research to learn more about pet adoption trends and gather more information for my initial thoughts.

I found out that :

People want and need a delightful way to determine an animal that matches their lifestyle and preferences.
One of the reasons there are so many pets in shelters is because the pet adoption process is lengthy and unnecessarily complex. The potential owners can sometimes be unaware of the financial and social decisions that go into pet adoption. (washingtonpost.com)
In India, many people have this notion that animals in shelters are somehow inferior or damaged.

2. Thinking of high-level solutions

To get more pets adopted from shelters, the application would have to

Make it easier for people to search and find pets that fit their preferences. (Personalization and Discoverability)
Make the adoption process smooth and fast. (complete digitization)
Dispel the stigma about shelter animals. (Awareness)

3. How does the current pet adoption process look?

To gain a better understanding of the entire pet adoption process and verify that I take each step into account, I mapped out an overview of the current adoption process.

Key Problems in the current adoption process:

A database of pets is not always available online or even offline. Even if it is, the list is likely to be inaccurate and unreliable, which leads to availability issues when they visit the shelter and ask for a certain pet.
Apart from a few standard requirements, shelters might have specific requirement criteria that the adaptors need to meet. In such cases, the adaptors need to be made aware of those criteria before visiting the shelter. ( A shelter profile page listing these details might help).
In most cases of pet adoption, a lengthy form needs to be filled (either on the website or sent by mail or offline visit time) to verify requirements, the process of which can be made much more pleasant if the form is broken into sections and presented in the app in a way that doesn’t make the adaptor feel that its a huge task, with ability to “save as draft”. Eg forms: Adoption form 1 Adoption form 2.
Adopters should be made aware that bringing a pet home is a big decision and some research is needed to understand what kind of dog best fits their current life situation. They should consider their lifestyle, living costs, activity level, age, personality, existing pets, family members, life expectancy, readiness, temperament, etc. ( Implementation idea: while in the app for the first time adopters will be presented with a form, asking them to rate the above factors based on their lifestyle. Then during browsing pets, the app can show them a “compatibility rating” based on the above info and the pet's information filled by the shelters).
After taking the pet home the app should be all the adopter needs to access any kind of support he/she requires.

4. Starting my Research

The goal of this research exercise would be to help me gain insights about pet adoption, specifically on the following:

What problems do people face during the current application process? Is there an awareness issue with the process in India?
Based on what factors, a perfect fit is decided and what tools (UI wise) would be required by the user to explore those factors.
The psychological biases and hesitations that people might have towards adopting.
The “not so well known” advantages of adopting from shelters (business goal)

4.a. Initial Market Research

By a wide consensus, the current options for finding a pet are limited and impersonal. While some websites and apps allow users to search for an adoption database, usability is often lacking.
A lot of people are unaware of the adoption process.
Most adopters are surprised by the paperwork, financial burden, and amount of steps to adopt a pet.
The big problem shelters face and a major pain point for adopters are the false expectations of being able to walk into a shelter and pick up an animal then and there.
Although optional in some cases, many people are unaware of adoption fees. As many shelters and volunteer organizations are non-profits and rely on charity or government funding for their upkeep. Hence it is not uncommon for shelters to charge a modest adoption fee.
Most people don’t ask the shelter employees what animals are right for them.

Key Problems during Market Research:

The app experience needs to be made delightful, and the pet finding process should feel more like exploring rather than browsing Craigslist ads or old phonebooks.
To improve the findability of pets a robust search and filter system should be implemented, using relevant keywords like species, size, breed, temperament, gender, age, energy level, etc.
The app should make effort to spread awareness about the adoption process as well as the adoption culture. Having clear cues before the adoption flow as to how long the process is and what it entails and also what paperwork is needed to be submitted and collected, might help.
The app should clearly showcase the effort taken by the shelters to keep the animals in good shape and the care they are given. Might be done by having tags like “vaccinated”, “healthy and happy” etc.
Having a few dedicated people, who take care of the animals in the shelter, act as direct spokesperson to answer queries about the pets, maybe through an in-app chat or phone call, would be immensely helpful and would increase user confidence by a lot.

4.b. Checking what the competitors do (competitive analysis)

I looked at some pet adoption apps, such as Petfinder, Adopt me, Pet Papa, Pet Adopter, Let’s Adopt, etc. I was particularly interested in learning how existing app products are tackling the adoption process.

Key Problems from competitive research:

The apps aren't efficient or pleasant to use.
They provide only a basic database with a few sparse details about the pets featured.
The rest of the process is labor-intensive and forces potential adopters to wade through the research, digital forms, emails, and phone calls on their own.
Lack even the basic feature set.
No UX thought put in the design

4.c. Looking at the numbers (Quantitative research)

For quantitative research following questions asked in a google form, resulting in 14 responses

Do you currently own a pet?
Would you prefer buying or adopting a pet?
What online service do you use to search for pets before contacting shelters?
Do all shelters provide a database of pets?
what factors do you look for while searching for a pet? (species, size, breed, temperament, gender, age, energy level, other)
Even if they do, how accurate or updated is the info provided on the website or app?
Is there a clear brief given from the shelter’s end about the adoption process and the requirements from the customers?
Is there a good amount of support provided after the adoption?
From 0 to 10 how hectic or easy do you think the adoption process currently is? (0= easy, 10= hectic)
Do shelters provide a long-term history of the pets? (Medical documents, previous ownership, experience history)

Check out the responses here:

The google form responses from the quantitative research session

Key Problems imerged after looking at the numbers

42.9% of the subjects said that history documents were not available for the pets, and normally shelters didn’t have documents for all the pets.
The majority of the subjects preferred researching thoroughly on google before showing up in a shelter. The problem is the info they got was sparse, and in some cases not reliable or not updated. This also shows that the demand for an online platform that presents all this info in a structured manner is high.
Most subjects said that even though some shelters have databases, they are not updated religiously. So the data entry process from the shelter's end needs to be structured and easy, so it doesn’t feel like a big task for the workers to update new information.
The major deciding factors for choosing a pet came up to be Breed, Gender, and Age. So more of the deeper level factors such as pet temperament, the current lifestyle of the adopters, pet expenses, etc. doesn’t get much importance. Hence the app should make an effort to get these inputs from the user before suggesting matches.
Most subjects did not have a clear roadmap as to how the adoption process was going to be carried out.
The adoption form process, being rated 8 for hectic-ness, is most probably carried out on spot in the shelter, which implies that there might be a time crunch involved in some cases, which is not ideal.
Support after taking the pet home is non-existent in most cases. Having a platform that promotes for the shelters to provide support, should increase accountability from the shelter’s end, much more than just exchanging numbers.

4.d. Talking to people (Qualitative research)

To help co-relate the results from the quantitative research, I conducted interviews over the phone with a friend of mine who had a dog she bought from a breeder and also adopted 2 cats later. She is also used to seeing people's pain points as she volunteers at pet shelters on weekends. We had a free-flowing conversation encompassing the above questions. I hoped to get an inside scoop on how shelters operate and if any effort is made to make the adoption process easier.

on top of discussing quantitative questions (like above), I prepared an “insightful” question structure and tried to stick to it loosely during the conversation.

The questioning structure of qualitative research session

Key problems that came to light

Shelters don’t necessarily update when pets get adopted hence some pets are unavailable when people visit the shelters. The reason is most of the time, human lacklusterness. This can be tackled by making the entry and update process of pets in the shelter instant and less painful.
Communicating with shelters and scheduling appointments are the mundane parts of the process.
Each shelter has an application process that is long and slow
There is a large interest in adoption tools online, but the current apps or shelter websites do not provide enough information.
Finding a pet according to their preference depended mostly on 2 factors: word of mouth from shelter staff and the amount of time the adopters spent bonding with different pets during their visit.
Shelters are usually understaffed so it's not always possible for shelter staff to give thorough background details on every pet the adopter interacts with.

5. What does our user think and feel before and during the pet adoption process?

(Empathy map)

The research data from the interviews and surveys are analyzed to identify similarities and preferences. I then create an empathy map that helps visually organize the findings and uncover insights into what stages our users go through. It becomes clear that for a solution that connects people looking for a new pet with their right companion, the role of shelter workers has to be taken into account as well.

6. “How might we” statements

Using the key insights gathered in the above steps, I tried to narrow down the specific problems that needed solving. Hopefully, I have covered them all!

How might we make the adoption form-less painful?
How might we make it easy for the user to find the best pet?
How might we make scheduling appointments easier?
How might we make it easy to get better support for the adopters after adoption?
How might we provide a structured and updated catalog of pets to the adopters?
How might we make the adopters more aware of the adoption process and adoption culture?
How might we make it easier for the adopter to find more information about the shelter and its practices?
How might we make the users aware of the potential responsibilities of parenting a pet?
How might we help improve the perception of shelters, shelter pets, and help showcase the care that the staff puts in every day?
How might we make the historical documents of the pets available to the adopters even before signing the adoption form?

7. Random ideas for improvement

Have a “save for later” feature where users can save liked pets to discuss with friends and family and make an informed decision.
Have a “save a draft” option during filling the adoption form so that the user can come back later and continue.
Every shelter should have a “profile section”, showing the catalog, and regular photo and video posts below (like Instagram profiles). so that adopters can get an idea first hand, how the shelter operates on a day to day basis.
The “explore section” should contain posts and videos from shelters around the country (ideally). They can use it to put up posts for urgent adoptions, to educate people about adoption, to show donation requests, to show off their adoptions, or just post their daily activities. ( a shelter full of dogs and puppies can yield so many instagrammable pictures).
The “Home screen” should only show pets that are nearby, but should be filterable by highest match, most recent, location, etc.
The profile section of adopters should contain a tab called “preferences” which will contain the details which the adopter will be prompted to enter after login.
Each pet will have character traits assigned to them, which will be compared to the adopter's preferences and the app will suggest matches.
Shelters should be able to upload scanned documents of the pets which can be viewed and downloaded by the adopters even before filling the adoption form.
After completing the form and before submission, the adopter should be made aware of the responsibilities that come with adopting a pet.

8. A few users flow examples

Below I have chalked out a few user flows that showcase the wide range of functionality of the app, based on the research problems gathered.

9. Information architecture

Then I started wireframing and arrived at a usable solution using the insights gathered through my process.

you can check out the Figma file with the high-fed screens and the Prototype here: 👇 👇

Figma file

Prototype

10. UX thinking that I put in while designing

10.a. Onboarding screens

10.b. UX nuances in the registration process

(Registration flow)

The registering system is simple and requires just the phone number. Of course, details like phone number, email, etc. can be filled in after.
The user can continue using the app as a guest. From a user psychology perspective it's not fair to ask the user to go through the whole registration process if he only wants to try out the app and see if it's his cup of tea.

10.c. Help us know you better

(Questionnaire before login)

A questionnaire that the user is presented with, during the registration process helps the app provide personalized pet matches.
The questionnaire doesn't straight up ask “what kind of pet do you want?”. It rather works on understanding the lifestyle and the type of user so that the matches fit like a puzzle piece.
Also, a small caveat of this is that some info can be recycled in the pet adoption form. Think the small feeling of thankfulness you get when you have to fill a very lengthy form, and Google automatically fills 50% of the form for you as it remembers the information.
And of course, the form is optional and can be filled in afterward.

10.d. How do I narrow down my matches?

(Filter and search screen)

A robust search and filter system.
The user can search by shelter name, apart from the usual.
Apart from using a generic filter users can filter by character traits of the pets, as well as documents, etc.

10.e. The home pages

2 different home page layouts — Home page layouts

Apart from the robust search and filter combo, users can sort pets on the home screen based on Best matches, location, and most recent.
2 layouts of the home page.
The matches that we provide should feel special to the user. It shouldn't feel the user is on an eCommerce app for pets. Hence a lot of real estate is given to the pet card in the first layout.
Of course, the second layout is in case the user wants to see more matches at once.
The user can download the documents associated with the pet directly from the home page. It goes without saying that proper documentation can be the deciding Red flag or Green flag in many cases. Hence clearing that out, in the beginning, is very important.
The 2 factors that users might want to check out apart from the documentation is the more information, which is abundantly available in the first layout.
And the second factor is that they might want to check out is the shelter that has the pet. The Shelter profile can also be directly accessed from this layout.

10.f. What the pet profile looks like

Pet profile

When the user lands on the detail view or the profile of the pet we want to address his concerns about shelters, and stress the benefits of adopting.

All the core information and action are visible above the fold.

The user can scroll down and will be able to view more information about the shelter along with a statement from the caretaker of the pet itself.

10.f. How caring the shelter is and what do people say about it?

(Shelter profile screens)

Profile of the Shelter

Apart from providing comprehensive information about the pets
the app also works on providing the user with enough information
about the shelter, hence the Shelter profile.
This will hold the shelter up to certain standards on how they operate.
The Shelter side of the app should make it easy for shelter workers
to perform their daily tasks with much ease. Tasks like updating the catalog daily, maintain a connection with previous adopters for support, etc. will be much easier if they can do it through a single app.
Because of the rating and review system, the shelter has to adhere and uphold themselves to certain standards and will go long way in improving the perception of shelters and shelter animals. It will make the look cool again !!
The explore section of the shelter profile can be a place where shelters upload pics or videos of their daily work, or just show off their awesome pets.
It can be a place where adopters can get an inside scoop of how the shelter operates, making the connection more personal and can also help improve the perception of shelters.

10.g. Please schedule an appointment first though

(Schedule appointments screen)

This would be the first part of the adoption process. He can schedule an appointment with the shelter for a visit.
The roadmap on top will give the user a clear idea as to what steps the adoption consists of, reducing anxiety and unpleasant surprises.

10.h. The dreaded adoption form flow

(Adoption form screens)

During the visit, and OTP verification will be done by the shelter’s side. This will help the shelter side app confirm the visit, and the adopter will see a notification prompt on the specific appointment card, in the appointment section after the visit is over and now he can fill the Adoption from there.
The adoption form itself is divided into 4 sections, as research showed that this part was one of the most frustrating things in the process.
A save for later option is also given in case the user loses interest halfway, he can come later and fill the form in his own time.
The 4th section contains a terms agreement reconfirming with the user about the responsibility that he is about to take on.

10.i. The explore page — a discovery tool

The explore page can be a great place for users to discover
new shelters, or pets that need help.

Did you like what you read?

I hope you guys found it useful and informative.

Please do leave me a few 👏👏 as it inspires me to create more!!

Feel free to check out more of my work on Behance or hit me up on Linkedin if you have any questions. I would be more than happy to have a chat with you.