Major Project 1

Week 1 - Week 14

Kong Ga Wai 0359692

Bachelor in Design Creative Media

PRJ62204 - Major Project

INTRODUCTION

TASK 1 - Proposal Development

Link To Figma: HERE

Link To Canva Slide: HERE

First we as a group discuss what idea we have for the project. After discussing together and getting confirmation from the lecturer, we settled on Animal Adoption.

Problem(s) / Issue

According to nst.com.my, limited shelters in Malaysia and the cost of living make it difficult for these shelters to care for these animals. Moreover, A study by BMC Public Health states that 70.3% of participants in Malaysia believe that there is a lack of awareness in animal care. From this statement, we summarize these problems into a points of the problem statement :

Many⁨⁩⁨⁩ pets are left in shelters and gets put down⁨⁩ due to the lack of space.
Sometimes adopted animals are returned due to the lack of information on the pet such as their special needs.
Majority of animals that are left unadopted are usually the older animals.

Project Aim

This project aims to raise awareness about animal care, making information on adoption easy to access so that potential adopters can give a pet forever home and also alleviate overcrowding in shelters and returns, as it educates users on responsible pet ownership and particular needs of every animal.

Project Objectives

Encourage more people to adopt a pets / raise awareness in animal care
Find a forever home suitable for pets.
Easy access to adoption information

Targeted Users

Individuals who ever adopted a pet before, Pet Owners, People or family who are interested in adopting pets topics.

How Might We (HMW) Statement

How might we encourage animal adoption from rescue shelters for people seeking pets in order to discourage them from buying from breeders?

We have to find ways to encourage people to adopt from rescue shelters, giving the animals a chance to find a loving home rather than getting put down due to most shelters lacking space to house them. Most animal breeders neglect the animals by intentionally mating them before they are fully recovered, some even put down the offspring that didn’t meet their standards, the ones that do are sold off with a high price.

How might we encourage people that are seeking for pets to adopt from a rescue shelter for all kinds of animals there in order to give them a chance to find a loving family to take care of them?

We have to find ways to encourage people to adopt not only the young animals but also the animals that have special needs. Many special needs animals are often ignored or returned back to the shelters. But due to the lack of space and funding, they are often the ones getting put down, every animal should have an equal chance to experience a loving family.

How might we make more space in rescue shelters for stray animals in order to be able to help increase the possibility of finding homes for more of them.

We have to find ways to increase the amount of animals and the possibility for them to find a home. Many strays are not able to be rescued due to the shelters not having enough space to house them which leads to many of them wandering around and getting hurt.

How might we raise awareness on animal care for more people to understand in order to ensure that the animals get their needs and are cared for properly.

We have to find ways to make sure the animals get the care and needs. Some people who adopted the animal from the shelters may not be aware of the animal’s needs, especially the ones that have health issues. Adopters should have all the information needed about the animal’s condition in order for them to understand what they are getting themselves into while caring for the animal.

User Interview Guide

We aim to interview current pet owners, potential adopters, and individuals who have previously adopted or considered adopting a pet to understand their experiences, challenges, and perceptions of pet adoption and responsible pet ownership in Malaysia.

Proof of Interview (Minimum 3 Targeted User for Each Members)
Interview video/voice recordings below:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1W-nQYB4EWj11dHS5Ye2JJicy5cBho8K8?usp=drive_link

Interview Insight (Affinity into Paragraph)

1. User Adoption Experience & Concerns

Based on the interviewees answer, The adoption process is primarily motivated by reasons such as companionship, emotional support, and sympathy towards homeless pets. On the other hand, Prospective adopters are likely to resort to the use of social media, friends, relatives, and influencers as a means to access adoption opportunities.

However, many experienced concerns and hesitations are based on ignorance of the history of a pet, distrust of information from the internet, and inadequate pet information before they adopt. Associating a pet to a new home and the responsibilities as a pet owner are also critical issues.

2. Challenges in Pet Adoption Process

Most of the interviewees state that Post-adoption care is a main problem, with adopters being hampered by the lack of follow-up care and information about pet medical needs. Trust and verification issues make online adoption sources difficult to access since unethical activity is a risk. Limited availability, communication issues, and outdated adoption websites contribute to the complexity. Without direct assistance and filtering facilities, adopters are flooded with too much information to filter.

3. App Features & Functionality Needs

An effectively designed adoption platform would ideally include advanced pet listings with verified information, filters, and direct communication with caregivers. Adoption support should include guided procedures, real-time reminders, and screening procedures for valid pet ownership. Direct live chats and video interviews could increase trust.

In-app telemedicine, personalized pet care guides, and emergency vet contacts would improve user experience. Post-adoption communication through interactive calendars of care and networks of adopters can support in the long term.

Lastly, Social and interactive components, such as forums, video meetings, gamification, and tracking of progress, can further make the experience more interactive.

4. Trust & Reliability

Establishing trust for pet adoption should include certified listings, shelter verification, adopter ratings, and official adoption certificates. A transparent adoption process with clear guidelines, verified profiles, and safety policies is required.

Community-driven trust mechanisms, such as ratings, reviews, and safety verification, can be leveraged to build trust in shelters and adopters.

5. Personalized Experience & Recommendation

A customized approach to adoption improves matching results. Home space, work schedules, and lifestyle are mostly stated by interviewees when recommending pets.

Customized care suggestions, including health plans and reminder notices for vaccinations and checkups, improve pet health. Financial aid tools, including cost calculators and low-cost pet care, can make adoption affordable.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Animal adoption and pet care services are addressed in this study to bring attention to overpopulation in shelters, limited resources, and bad awareness of animal care in Malaysia. The proposed application resolves such challenges by providing legitimate adoption information, easy step-by-step processes, and custom-tailored tips on caring to enhance the encouragement of adoptions, especially among old and special-needs pets.

Through the presence of direct communication channels, post-adoption services, and community-managed trust systems, the app seeks to make the process of adoption simpler, encourage responsible pet ownership, and find homes for more animals.

TASK 2 - Design Proposition

Link To Figma: HERE

Link To Canva Slide: HERE

Interview Summary

From the interview insights we gathered, we found that most pet adopters use outside sources from others to seek out adoption. The motive for most of them is to want a companion to accompany them in their lifestyle. However, some are hesitant due to the fear of getting unreliable information on the pet’s background. For those who had adopted struggled with post-adoption care due to the lack of support.

We have considered these challenges in designing an app that supports adopters by offering features that simplify the adoption process and provide a personalized experience, helping to build trust with them.

User Personas (1 from each group member)

For the user persona, we have divided it into four categories based on the target audiences and the interview session from previous task. The list of user personas category are :

Pet Adopters ( Have adopted before or first time experience adopter )
Pet Enthusiast ( Interested in engaging in pet relatives )
Animal Shelters & Rescue Organizations Workers
Veterinarians / Pet Trainer ( Offer services to pet owner )

User Journey Map

Conclusion

From task 2, we have deepen our research and focusing for each people with different background to dive more into their specific needs. Moreover, with competitor analysis and empathy map, we could think about user perspectives regarding on what features matched well with the mind and knowing some list of features that we could developed later on Task 3.

The knowledge from the task 2 would be used in Task 3 later, especially focusing on user needs and scenario we have created from user journey map and user persona.

TASK 3 - Concept Presentation

Link To Figma: HERE

Link To Canva Slide: HERE

Card Sorting

On Card Sorting sections, we have listed down all the categories and features for our app. There are 7 categories for navigation bar and 25 Features ideas. Later, we started to sort it down and distribute it using UX Tweak to gain user responses.

Final Insight

The standardization grid shows the extent to which features on this grid are well-fitted within their categories and which might require reevaluation to enhance user accessibility.

The domains of Home, Adoption & Care, and User Profile show a high number of relevant features, while Community and Offers & Extras indicate particular areas of engagement. Based on the grid, we make a summarize point and conclude which features should go into where :

HOME

Featured Pets, Recommend Pets, Quick Assess, (FAQ Resources and Contact Support = in AI Bot)

PET BROWSING

Browse Pets, Pet Profile, Favorited Pets

ADOPTION & CARE

Adoption Guide, Care Guide, Reminders for Pet Care Tasks

COMMUNITY

Community Forum, Featured Adoption Stories, Feedback

OFFERS & EXTRAS

Discount & Deals, Pet Friendly Locations

USER PROFILE

App Settings, Log Out / Log in, Badges & Reward, Current & Past Adopted Pets, Profile & Bio, Emergency Contact, Notifications

LIVE CHAT

Pet Visit Scheduling, Adoption Interview

A better look at the graph in Figjam

The User flow chart explain about the entire app features to be developed later. It start from Open the App, and user would given a chance to explore 8 different categories which are :