Thesis Statement

People considering pet adoptions are consistently encouraged to adopt shelter pets to keep the animal population numbers down. For example, the ASPCA estimates that about 7.6 million companion animals have entered shelters in the U.S. every year. Because selecting a pet can be overwhelming, adopters may resort to buying from a breeder due to a more simple process. My solution for this cause is ResQ, an usability-focused website to unite pet adopters with pet shelters in their area that works in the style of a dating site. On the site, one will be able to enter information about them, creating the user’s profile. A pet profile is also made by the organization that houses it. Once the user takes the quiz, he or she is matched with a pet, and can view more details on the matched pet. Whether the users consist of an individual or a family, he/she/they can then comfortably adopt the pet knowing they have made an informed decision. The website’s focus on rescued animals is done in efforts to control pet population, give these animals a well deserved home, and prevent possible euthanization.
Home page with featured ResQ story
Quiz question featuring icons with hover action
Favorites page - "hearted" pets
Pet's profile
Comparison chart of all Favorites, or "hearted" pets
Alerts page to update the user on their Favorites activity
Project Background

When thinking of experiences that I could improve through design, I was reminded of my few encounters with pet adoption. There were definitely aspects of the process that could be improved. Another motivation behind pet adoption is population control among dogs and cats. I wanted to bring to light the environmental responsibility that comes with adopting, not shopping.

During those times where I was looking for a cat to adopt, I searched the websites of local organizations. I was shown basic info along with small thumbnail images of each cat, but I recall myself wanting to dig deeper. I wanted to SEE a well-designed, organized, and user friendly site, and this topic gave me the chance to make it real.
Research
LEFT - SPCA of Southwest Michigan's Dog Adoption page
MIDDLE - Kalamazoo Animal Rescue's Dog Adoption page
RIGHT - PetFinder's homepage
My main takeaways from the local shelter organization sites were the use of unorganized photography, lack of attention to the overall design, and no sense of connection to the user.

The plan for my site was to flip that upside down, and sell the pets through photography, design a friendly and trustworthy site, and personalize the experience so that the user feels cared for, as pet adoption is a big decision.
Website Content Design
I made this sitemap to organize the flow of the quiz questions
I conducted interviews with people who have extensive experience with pet adoption. Each individual brought up different deal breakers that those considering adoption must consider beforehand. I turned these deal breakers into quiz questions, then I mapped them out in a hierarchy that would make sense, and this was good to do as a way to visually map my thoughts on how these questions should flow.
Digital wireframe sketches for the pet profile page 
After taking the quiz, the user will be presented with their top matches. From there, a pet’s profile can be selected. Here I’m showing my digital wireframe sketches of what the pet profile could look like. These profiles needed to sell the animal, and also include the important statistics, a graphic representation of their match level to you, and a call to action. The pet profile page was what provided the base of how the rest of the site appears.
Icons used
These icons can be seen throughout the quiz. They become selectable, making the website visually interactive and playful.
Color scheme
Turquoise + Navy color choices that would compliment the average cat and dog's fur color
Identity Design

Coming up with a name for the site was not easy but a few options were generated. The options were narrowed down to two, ResQ and Almost Home.
LEFT - ResQ initial sketches
RIGHT - Almost Home initial sketches

The top pick from each logo 
Memphis
Memphis was quickly chosen as the site's typeface because of its friendly, round structure with grounding slab serifs.
ResQ final direction
The "Q" was finalized and both horizontal and vertical lockups were made. 
Conclusion

For the future of ResQ, I think it could certainly be used on different devices like phones and tablets, as an app, and most importantly, The site would serve as a universal resource to market rescue pets and reduce the chances of a bad pet match made.

This project has caused me to think critically about how an user would like to see and use each page of the ResQ site. It has caused me to rethink web design and how studying the user’s experience will create a connection to a cause, such as pet adoption. I also brushed up on identity and icon design.
Sources

Articles
1. Adopt a kit, save a life. (2011). Veterinary Economics, 52(3), 16. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.wmich.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.library.wmich.edu/docview/860332401?accountid=15099
2. Matchmaker, make your clients a match. (2011). Veterinary Economics, 52(7), 14. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.wmich.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.libproxy.library.wmich.edu/docview/880554548?accountid=15099
4. Hitsch, G., Hortaççsu, A., & Ariely, D. (2010). Matching and sorting in online dating.The American Economic Review, 100(1), 130-163. doi:http://dx.doi.org.libproxy.library.wmich.edu/10.1257/aer.100.1.1303. 
5. Weiss, E., Miller, K., Mohan-Gibbons, H., & Vela, C. (2012). Why Did You Choose This Pet?: Adopters and Pet Selection Preferences in Five Animal Shelters in the United States.Animals,2(4), 144-159. doi:10.3390/ani2020144

Books
6. Shepherd, D. (2016).Building relationships: online dating and the new logics of internet culture. Lanham: Lexington Books.
7. Krug, S. (2006). Don't make me think!: a common sense approach to Web usability. Berkeley, Calif: New Riders Pub.
8. Whitty, M. T., Baker, A. J., & Inman, J. A. (2007). Online matchmaking. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Websites
9. Case study by Local Projects   November 13, 2013. (2013, November 13). Case Study: Gallery One. Retrieved January 09, 2017, from http://www.aiga.org/case-study-gallery-one
10. Article by Matt Anderson  . (n.d.). Sign-up optional: designing mobile apps users trust. Retrieved January 09, 2017, from http://www.aiga.org/mobile-app-onboarding-process-user-trust
11. Animal Rescue. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18, 2017, from http://www.aspca.org/animal-rescue
12. Animal Shelters & Rescues for Pet Adoption. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18, 2017, from https://www.petfinder.com/animal-shelters-and-rescues/
13. Our Work : The Humane Society of the United States. (2017). Retrieved January 18, 2017, from http://www.humanesociety.org/work/?credit=web_id65483799
14. Noun Project. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2017, from https://thenounproject.com/

Interviews
15. Wizner, J. (2017, January). Thesis Interview 1 [E-mail interview].
Multi-time animal adopter
16. Giacobone, M. (2017, January). Thesis Interview 2 [Telephone interview].
Former Rescue employee, multi-time adopter
17. Wilson, R. (2017). Thesis Interview 3 [E-mail interview].
Multi-time pet adopter
18. Shook, C. (2017). Thesis Interview 4 [E-mail interview].

Images
19. PetFinder home page [Digital image]. (April 2017). https://www.petfinder.com/
20. OkCupid home page [Digital image]. (2016, January). Retrieved from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/22/The_OkCupid_homepage_on_January_20,_2016.png
21. [Pet adoption statistics infographic]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/be/5a/57/be5a5738452b3a68401517547e24f53d.jpg
rachaelray.com
23. Cat adoption form [Digital image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://nycanimalproject.org/Images/Adoption-Form.png
24. [Current Twitter profile page layout]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://i2.cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/140212112248-twitter-redesign-mashable-story-top.jpg
25. [Tinder profile and match screens]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.anthonyjyeung.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/tinder-1800-1386265003.jpg
26. Best Friends Animal Rescue homepage [Screenshot]. (n.d.). Retrieved February 28, 2017, from http://bestfriends.org/about-best-friends/our-mission
27. SPCA of Southwest Michigan home page [Digital image]. (April 2017). http://www.spcaswmich.org/
28. Kalamazoo Animal Rescue home page [Digital image]. (April 2017). http://www.kalamazooanimalrescue.org/

Diana Giacobone | ResQ
Published:

Diana Giacobone | ResQ

Published: