Designing Peace of Mind for Pet Owners
A mobile app concept born from my own frustration tracking my dog's health. Through user research and testing, I discovered that the features that attract users aren't always the ones that keep them engaged — a lesson that completely changed my design priorities.
Research: Understanding Pet Owners
I started by understanding the challenges pet owners actually face. Dog park conversations and digital surveys (11 responses) revealed three key problems:
Owners Can Not Compare pet food options.
Brand claims like "premium" or "grain-free" mean nothing to most people.
Multi-owner households struggle with coordination.
One respondent told me he and his partner used a whiteboard to track their dog's meals and medication.
Simple health records require calling the vet.
Even basic information like vaccination dates aren't easily accessible.
Personas: Meet The Users
Persona 1: Multi-Owner Households
Insights gathered from 11 remote surveys.
Design Approach
Reminders
That whiteboard story from my initial survey stuck with me. Shared pet care is surprisingly common — whether it's partners, roommates, or pet-sitters — but the tracking is usually fragmented.
I initially buried the reminders feature in a homepage submenu, and testers completely missed it. But once they found it, their reactions were unanimous:
"I would use this daily."
In the final design:
I moved reminders to the main navigation and designed a simple flow for recurring tasks. This strategic decision prioritized daily engagement over novelty features.
Product Detail Page (PDP)
Pet owners wanted a simple way to compare food options and understand what they were actually feeding their pets. The problem? They don't trust brand claims like "premium" or "grain-free."
My first design attempt included pre-filled food data, but it confused users. They couldn't tell if this was food already in their pet's profile or if they could change it. The navigation between sections wasn't clear either, so most people didn't explore the page content.
The solution became intentional interaction. I added a scan feature to make food entry deliberate and accurate. I used clear pill-shaped tabs with visual indicators and reframed pre-filled content as "Your Current Brand" with the ability to swap. Instead of cramming in everything, I prioritized clarity over content depth.
Refining the PDP layout
The original PDP used a long scrollable layout with dense content headers. Most users skipped past details.
The new version replaces that with section tabs, subtle depth, and surfaced recommendations above the fold—making the page easier to scan and act on.
Weight Tracking
Weight tracking might seem niche, but several users — especially those with large breeds or senior pets — saw it as vital to monitoring health.
Then a UK-based tester pointed out something I'd completely missed: the input only allowed pounds, not kilograms. "I wouldn't even know how to convert it," they said, making the feature completely unusable for them.
This taught me that accessibility isn't just about visual design. I added a lbs/kg toggle with auto-save preference, introduced a visual trend graph (not just input history), and used color-coded status chips like "Stable" or "Drop Detected" for quick context.
Early Design Issues:
- No unit toggle was present
- No visual history or trend line was shown
- Users weren't confident if they had entered data correctly
- Even US-based testers expected to see progress over time, not just input history
In the final design:
- Added a lbs/kg toggle with auto-save preference
- Introduced a trend graph to show weight progression visually
- Applied color-coded status chips (e.g. "Stable," "Drop Detected") for quick context
- Used empty-state messaging to guide first-time input
- Ensured mobile-friendly interaction for entering/editing weight
Strategic Insights
Acquisition VS. Retention
I realized something important: pet owners don't change food frequently once their pet is comfortable with a brand. The flagship feature that would attract users to download the app (nutrition scanning) wouldn't allow for longterm users.
This insight completely shifted my design priorities. I started thinking about daily-use features that would create lasting engagement, not just solve one-time problems.
- Nutrition scanning = acquisition driver (novel, in-store usage)
- Daily reminders = retention driver (fits existing routines)
- Strategic decision: Prioritize reminders for long-term engagement
Design System
& Accessibility
Design System
The UI was built on an 8px vertical grid system with consistent iconography and a clean sans-serif typeface.
Accessibility
Color choices and text sizes balance visual hierarchy and aim to meet WCAG AA contrast standards.
Final Impact & Next Steps
What I Learned
Testing early and often changed everything. Features I assumed were "cool" turned out to be clutter, and removing them created a clearer experience.
More importantly, I learned to think beyond solving immediate problems to considering long-term engagement patterns. The most successful features weren't always the most innovative ones — they were the ones that fit naturally into users' daily routines.
This project taught me that effective UX requires balancing what attracts users with what actually keeps them coming back.
"Before I do any purchasing decisions I would be pulling up this app."
— User during testing
Where It Goes Next
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Launch a simple landing page to explain the app & collect sign-ups
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Build a list of 10,000 interested users through community engagement
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Kickstart with $30,000 goal from the audience to fund the MVP build