Project 6: Final Project | Ironhack Bootcamp
During the last project of the Ironhack bootcamp, which had a free theme and was done individually with a two-week deadline, I chose to focus on animal care NGOs and pet adoption.
The project required a high-fidelity prototype with user flows and a solution after identifying the problem and user pain points.
Research
After selecting the theme, I began the Desktop research process to gain initial insights and a deeper understanding of the subject. I gathered some important data, including:
“Between January and September 2020, the number of animal adoptions registered by the Environmental Surveillance and Zoonosis Management (Gvaz) was more than double that of the entire previous year when the pandemic had not yet arrived in the country.”
“Before bringing a four-legged companion home, it is necessary to consider carefully. Acting on impulse or convenience in a specific moment can lead to long-term disadvantages for the owner and, above all, for the pet.”
“Currently, there are 100,000 points of sale for pet-related products in the country, according to the National Association of Pet Food Manufacturers in Brazil (Anfalpet). Approximately 40,000 are pet shops.”
This research process provided me with a solid foundation regarding the adoption process, the number of adopted animals, the behavior of people seeking to adopt animals, and more. This facilitated the formulation of my Quantitative Research.
Here are some of the key responses obtained:
Type of animals people have
The majority of users prefer to adopt
Many do not place importance on the breed of the animal
Reasons for acquiring a new pet
Analyzing all this data, I gained various insights to formulate Qualitative Research and delve deeper into user pains, motivations, and feelings on the subject. Below are some significant phrases I obtained from the interviews:
“We don’t really care about the breed; we want to take care of a pet in need.”
“I hear a lot of rumors about abuses and mistreatment in the process of selling animals.”
“The world of buying animals is dubious.”
“I’d like to see the animals before going in person, due to the pandemic.”
“I’d like to find NGOs with the same principles as mine.”
“We have children at home, and they love animals. That’s why we adopted our dogs.”
“My aunt spent 2,000 BRL on a purebred dog, and she also paid for various tests, pedigree, etc.”
After condensing the information, I created a Persona: Roberto, 24 years old.
Roberto is a young adult that is deeply wanting to adopt a new pet. He also made a lot of research on the internet about the adoption process. But, he is frustrated because he did not trust in the pet selling market, and he thinks it’s expensive aswell. Roberto will feel more comfortable adopting a new pet instead of buying it, and need a safe place to do it.
User Journey
I found it extremely important for this project to create the User Journey to gain a better direction when formulating a problem and a solution. With the User Journey, I could understand each step to be completed by the user in detail, thereby identifying the pain points and their exact locations.
Problem and Solution
Problem
“Users looking to adopt animals require reliable information about adoption locations and the process itself. The delay in responses makes everything more confusing and leaves the user frustrated.”
The entire adoption process needs to be reliable and efficient. Users feel that the animal sales market is profit-driven, not focused on the well-being of the animals. They need to find places that make them feel secure about the treatment given to pets and their origin.
Solution
I believe that by streamlining the adoption process and making it reliable for users, I will reduce the misinformation and frustration caused by the current market offerings. I will know I’m on the right track when users find a wider range of recommended NGOs, and response times are drastically reduced.
User Flow
Before starting the Wireframes process, I formulated a user flow to determine what needed to be included in my solution and understand the paths users should follow.
Wireframes
During the process of brainstorming, I devised some low-fidelity prototypes:
I established the flow and visual of my solution, being able to create a medium-fidelity version:
Testing and Iteration
With the foundation of the high-fidelity prototype complete, I began the product testing process with some users. Below are examples of modifications made based on accessibility and insights gathered from the test results.
Final Prototype
This is the high-fidelity prototype:
Link: Figma
Conclusion
This was the final project of the Ironhack UX/UI Design bootcamp, and it was the most significant one so far. It taught me to be more independent and how to solve problems quickly while meeting deadlines. Working alone helped me a lot, although I also enjoy working in a team. I got to experience different work styles.
Now, graduated as a UX/UI designer, I feel ready to finally enter the job market and venture into the ever-growing technology industry.
