Crumbs (Pet Tracker)
I wanted to make an app that could serve a social good for a community and something I've always loved animals. When I go for my walks and I see lost pet posters it's always something that hurts me because I know how it feels to lose a pet and ever since I was a kid I've wanted to play "pet detective" and find them but the task always seemed daunting. The goal of this is to make that task less daunting.
![Google UX Design Certificate - Persona [Template].png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d03658_e61825398dac4ca1b81ad238ff46d820~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_488,h_275,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/d03658_e61825398dac4ca1b81ad238ff46d820~mv2.png)
Personas
Similar to my first major project, RIVR, I started with personas. With a project that's close to my heart such as this I wanted to inject a bit of myself into 1 of the personas. I'm aware there's bias in doing this but as a pet owner myself I do still have a valuable perspective.
I still want to get multiple perspectives to avoid too much bias so I made a second persona to offer an additional perspective. Later on in the testing phase I found another interesting perspective I had not yet considered.
![Google UX Design Certificate - Persona [Template] (1).png](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/d03658_b5ca4d1d396e4f9bac5f3550a7f95419~mv2.png/v1/fill/w_489,h_275,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/d03658_b5ca4d1d396e4f9bac5f3550a7f95419~mv2.png)
Competitive Audit
I'd never heard of an app like this so I wasn't expecting to get much to use as reference so initially I was looking for apps I could take individual components from different apps (Comment threads from reddit, rewards from RBC rewards, etc). Much to my surprise I found an app in Malaysia that was exactly what I was trying to make.
Digital Wireframes
Due to the nature of this app being focused on providing updates while out on the go I focused on mobile design.
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This time around I skipped over storyboarding and paper wireframes because I find it easier to visualize when things are organized so I prefer digital wireframes. Passing on the storyboards did create a problem for the flow but thanks to testing I resolved the issue later on.
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You can check out the prototype here
Usability Study
Now that I had my wireframes I put together some connections to make a prototype for testing. Previously I've spent too much time making the LoFi prototypes too deep so this time around I decided to only connect screens I needed to for testing the main flows.
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I learned valuable information from the feedback on these tests that I used to further iterate and improve the app.
HiFi Prototype
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One adjustment I made after feedback was registering the user before their pet. Initially the first step was registering the pet. This oversight most likely came from not doing the initial storyboards so I consider this a lesson learned.
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I wanted the design to be quick and easy so that people on the go can navigate without issue.
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Try it here!
Style
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I wanted the app to be friendly and inviting since it's designed for a general audience and pet owners. Light blue is a colour that symbolizes happiness and optimism. Orange compliments light blue and symbolizes cheerfulness and desire. All of which are feelings I want to convey to people who may be in situations where they need hope.
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Light blue and orange isnt'a colourblind friendly combination but since this is for looks and not app function I didn't see it being an issue. The colours for lost and found pets are a bright green and red which contrasts and are colourblind friendly. It's important for all users to know this information so I wanted it to be seen by all.
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You can see my case study here