Pets App
Pets App
The most successful veterinary teams use Pets App. The application provides text and sms chat, appointment booking, reminders, digital payments, video calls and exceptional customer service.
I was tasked to research and develop a new e-commerce feature that sells over the counter medicines and general products to the public.
The most successful veterinary teams use Pets App. The application provides text and sms chat, appointment booking, reminders, digital payments, video calls and exceptional customer service.
I was tasked to research and develop a new e-commerce feature that sells over the counter medicines and general products to the public.
UX Process
UX Process
Adding a new feature away from the core offering will have an effect on the success of the company in a positive or negative manor. My initial thoughts how to tackle this was to reach out to veterinary practices and customers about the need of a e-commerce feature on Pets App.
I used typeform to create a set of questions regarding the needs and effects of e-commerce. The metrics were a lot more surprising than first thought!
74% of customers said it was a great idea to get items quickly, especially subscriptions or items that need to be bought regularly.
However veterinary practices who are the 'paying' customer responded much lower at 56% on the agreement that adding the feature was a good idea. One reoccurring view from vet practices was that although medicines were a good idea, it would steer people away from buying at the practices removing the level of returns onsite. This could actually effect the benefits of being part of Pets App, make turnover lower and possibly put the practices at risk.
From this information and discussion with the Pets App team, the feature was to still be explored. However it had the possibility of not getting released until discussion between stakeholders of various companies made it more of a positive possibility for all.
How do five teams work together?
My first task on the project was to collect all the fantastic ideas from the companies involved through workshops, demonstrations, calls and to centralise the information. All the information was gathered in Figjam and sorted using a process called Affinity Sort which allowed all parties to understand what was possible for time and cost.
While more large scale decisions were being made I was assigned to start designing low and mid level prototypes. I used pen and paper for this to quickly make iterations and flows that would work within the current Pets App considering scaleability such as navigation and accessibility. It was then moved into Figma and connected into a very basic prototype.
Prototype - low fidelity link
While more large scale decisions were being made I was assigned to start designing low and mid level prototypes. I used pen and paper for this to quickly make iterations and flows that would work within the current Pets App considering scaleability such as navigation and accessibility. It was then moved into Figma and connected into a very basic prototype.
Prototype - low fidelity link
I then moved onto mid fidelity making the flow more clear for stakeholders enabling buy in.
Prototype - mid fidelity link
I then moved onto mid fidelity making the flow more clear for stakeholders enabling buy in.
Prototype - mid fidelity link
At this stage the feature was uncertain and was going to get pushed further away in the roadmap. However I was given the opportunity to do UI and a high fidelity prototype.
At this stage the feature was uncertain and was going to get pushed further away in the roadmap. However I was given the opportunity to do UI and a high fidelity prototype.
UI Designs
UI Designs
The UI was straight forward as there was already a base system for the brand. The only additional UI element was the shop card in grid and in focus. From researching competitors and other large successful e-commerce brands like Nike and Amazon the cards were created and added to the library. The same flow was created in Figma with some additional micro interaction animations to bring the new feature to life.
Prototype - high fidelity link
The UI was straight forward as there was already a base system for the brand. The only additional UI element was the shop card in grid and in focus. From researching competitors and other large successful e-commerce brands like Nike and Amazon the cards were created and added to the library. The same flow was created in Figma with some additional micro interaction animations to bring the new feature to life.
Prototype - high fidelity link
The feature was then put on hold. This was a really fun project and great to see that UX research can really help a business by adding more clarity on the correct steps of a growing business.
The feature was then put on hold. This was a really fun project and great to see that UX research can really help a business by adding more clarity on the correct steps of a growing business.
Retrospective
Retrospective
Challenges
Getting enough insights from customers and veterinary practices was time consuming. It required a lot of phone calls and emails but worth my endurance.
Wins
I added value to the understanding of positive relationships between Pets App and veterinary practices. I also secured a longer future of the existing apps success. Adding new features could have alienated customers and caused the core value of the business to change. At an early stage of the product lifecycle it was a high risk to move finance into a new area rather than grow the existing business model that was working.
Take aways
Sometimes it can backfire when presenting information that is not expected however I feel that it will help the business succeed even though it might have removed personal opportunities for myself. It was great to see that UX research can really help a business and allow more clarity on the next steps of a growing business.
Challenges
Getting enough insights from customers and veterinary practices was time consuming. It required a lot of phone calls and emails but worth my endurance.
Wins
I added value to the understanding of positive relationships between Pets App and veterinary practices. I also secured a longer future of the existing apps success. Adding new features could have alienated customers and caused the core value of the business to change. At an early stage of the product lifecycle it was a high risk to move finance into a new area rather than grow the existing business model that was working.
Take aways
Sometimes it can backfire when presenting information that is not expected however I feel that it will help the business succeed even though it might have removed personal opportunities for myself. It was great to see that UX research can really help a business and allow more clarity on the next steps of a growing business.
Challenges
Getting enough insights from customers and veterinary practices was time consuming. It required a lot of phone calls and emails but worth my endurance.
Wins
I added value to the understanding of positive relationships between Pets App and veterinary practices. Adding new features could have alienated customers and caused the core value of the business to change. At an early stage of the product lifecycle it was a high risk to move finance into a new area rather than grow the existing business model that was working.
Take aways
Sometimes it can backfire when presenting information that is not expected however I feel that it will help the business succeed even though it might have removed personal opportunities for myself. It was great to see that UX research can really help a business and allow more clarity on the next steps of a growing business.
Credits
Credits
Client - Petsapp
Agency - Direct
Client - Petsapp
Agency - Direct