Critter

Problem Statements.

The absence of transparent and trustworthy systems within the online pet marketplace creates an environment where buyers cannot verify the authenticity and reliability of sellers, exposing them to potential risks. Moreover, the prevalent issue of selling sick and injured animals intensifies the emotional and financial risks faced by potential buyers.

Research.

^{Thai pet lovers have lost approximately 15,400,000 THB to scams between 2020 and 2023, with scammers specifically targeting individuals seeking companionship during social isolation and taking advantage of the growing trend of the "pet-lover" community in Thailand.}

^{The absence of well-established pet marketplace applications leaves buyers vulnerable to purchasing pets from unreliable sources.}

^{1 in 4 people who bought online had undergone emotional and financial distress as a consequence of their online purchase.}

Survey & In-person Interview

I conducted two specific methodologies to gain a deeper understanding of people's perceptions and expectations regarding the concept of an "online pet marketplace." Firstly, I conducted surveys to gather insights into how individuals define and explore these platforms, as well as to identify any prevailing issues. Subsequently, I analyzed the survey results and selected five participants for in-person interviews to delve deeper into their concerns and gather more detailed feedback. This comprehensive approach enabled me to gain valuable insights into the participants' perspectives and provided a holistic understanding of the current landscape of online pet marketplaces.

Q. How would you rate the reliability of purchasing pet online?

46/64 or 72% of respondents rated “2 out of 5”

^{*From the scale of 1 (Not at all reliable) to 5 (Extremely reliable)}

Q. What is the most concerning things when purchasing pet?

53/64 or 82% of respondents are concerned about pet health

Q. What is the painpoint of current online pet marketplace?

Q. Have you experienced buying pet from online marketplace?

They bought pet online based on impulsive decision, simple procedure, and reduce the time spending visiting farm, but they failed to verify vendors and pets’ condition. Leading to undesired outcome.

^{4/8 interviewees answers}‍

Extract Insights

After surveys, interviews, and app reviews, it is evident that temporary online pet marketplaces lack a comprehensive pet community experience. Three key UX insights have been identified from the research findings to address current challenges and enhance pet owners' overall experience.

Communication

Pet owners want constant communication from vendors until their pets are fully adapted to the new environments.

History

Records (Diary) are important, buyers, owners and vendors can keep track of pet condition & data when the pet gets sick again.

Standardization

Precise and standardize filter can help owner save time looking for their companions. Along with well organized criteria.

Persona

I have created 2 persona, each persona has a different user story, pain point, and final goal.

Customer Journey

Userflow

Based on the personas and previous research insights, it became evident that the perspectives on purchasing pets online vary depending on the buyer's intentions. By examining various scenarios and processing information, I have created a visualized user flow to better understand the journey.

Design.

Sketch

Wireframes

Usability Testing

For the testing phase, we utilized usability testing to gather feedback on our concept and prototype from the target user base. The target users are people who:

1. Pet owners
2. Have previous experience with buying pets online
3. Use social media platform(s) on a regular basis
4. Age must be 16 or older

After conducting the usability testing, several issues were identified, including difficulties in reading the text, challenges with using the diary function, and a lack of visual hierarchy on the home page. Taking into account the feedback received, I have made adjustments to the design to address these issues and improve the overall user experience.

Design Foundation

After usability testing, I have finalzied the high-fidelity design along with creating the design foundation of Critter marketplace application

Final Design.