Case Study: City Pups

Challenge goals: Conduct a usability test to learn about issues & improve the onboarding experience of finding the perfect dog to adopt.
‍Challenge created by Joe Formica of Bitesize UX.

Usability Test Results

Dog Size Option Screen

The initial app screen asking a user what size dog they are looking for.

What went well?

  • The cute mascot giving advice/further context to the question is appreciated.

What needs improvement?

  • Unable to select multiple sizes.
  • Uncertain of what each size really is.

Notable insights?

  • The user suggested giving more context to dog sizing.

Living Space Size Screen

The initial app screen asking users about the amount of space available for their dog for exercise.

What went well?

  • The user enjoyed the simplicity of the option format.

What needs improvement?

  • Uncertain of what each size of living space truly is considered.

Notable insights?

  • Possible addition of open spaces/dog parks/etc.

Activity Level Screen

The initial app screen asking users how much exercise activity they're planning for their dog.

What went well?

  • The slider seemed effective for this question.

What needs improvement?

  • Some quantifiable amount to represent the time available to exercise the dog.

Notable insights?

  • The user seemed uncertain of how the energy levels of dogs are measured – they weren’t sure if it was individually taken into account or by breed.

Sketches

Two sketches per page were created, totaling 6 overall sketches. The aim was to put ideas to paper instead of yet developing anything in-depth so that more options could be explored.

Preliminary rough sketches of two initial ideas for determining what size dog in the dog adoption app.

Two options to help define the size of a dog a user might search for. On the left is a multiple-choice function and on the right is a sliding scale. They both feature weights listed out rather than vague “small/medium/large” type references.

Preliminary rough sketches of two initial ideas for measuring available space for a pet in the dog adoption app.

By this point, a more established pattern was formed. On the left is once more multiple choice with clearly-defined square space for how much room a user might have for a dog. On the right is once more a sliding scale with an adaptive illustration.

Preliminary rough sketches of two initial ideas for measuring dog activity in the dog adoption app.

Following the pattern, the same options were sketched out for the amount of time a user might have for playing with their dog or taking them on a walk.

Final Redesigns

For the redesigns, I opted to use an established pattern across all questions, as well as enable multiple choices. A user might not be entirely sure on which size dog they want for certain, for instance. I included active selected states. Additionally I tried to be more intentional about color applications. Lastly, all text colors have been checked to pass to AA standards for accessibility.

The redesigned app screen for selecting the size of the dog.The redesigned app screen that shows the selected state of the size of the dog.The redone app state screen asking a user about the amount of space they have available for their dog to exercise in.The redone app selected screen asking a user about the amount of space they have available for their dog to exercise in.The redesigned app screen asking about the amount of time available to exercise the dog.The redesigned app screen showing the selected state of amount of time available to exercise the dog.
© Nicole Binuya 2024 ☺