Collin County Animal Shelter Redesign

Collin County Animal Shelter Redesign

Collin County Animal Shelter Redesign

Project Overview

Role

UI/UX Designer

Team

Individual project mentored by Carolina de Bartolo

Timeline

8 weeks, December 2024 - January 2025

Tools Used

Figma, Figjam, Canva, Google Forms, Google Meets, Discord

Note

For this project I worked with local organizations to provide a free redesign of what their website could look like through an updated UI/UX lens

Collin County Animal Shelter Website Before Redesign

Collin County Animal Shelter Website
Before Redesign

CCAS Adoption Homepage

CCAS Adoption Search Results

The Context

Problem

Collin County Animal Shelter is a staple organization of my local community and like many other animal shelters, struggle to receive the funding and awareness necessary to adopt out animals in need.

Solution

My goal is to do my part to help, by spreading awareness for the shelter and creating a more inviting virtual experience for potential adopters to view their pet options.

Project Goal

Updating the CCAS website to reflect a modernized homepage that shows users what they can expect. As well as provide an intuitive results page where users can easily sort and compare animals.

Collin County Animal Shelter User Persona

Collin County Animal Shelter User Persona

Defining User Needs

User Interviews

I visited several animal shelters in Collin County to interview adopters about their adoption website use.

User Interview Results

  1. Limited search filters for finding pets

  1. Lack of clarity on pet backgrounds makes narrowing down harder

  1. Confusing layout with hard-to-find sections

  1. Problems finding answers to adoption questions

CCAS User Task Flow

CCAS User Task Flow

CCAS Mid-Fi Wireframes

CCAS Mid-Fi Wireframes

CCAS Hi-Fi Wireframe Screenshots

CCAS Hi-Fi Wireframe Screenshots

User Feedback

Areas of Opportunity

  • Improving CCAS website navigation

  • Strengthening search and filtering functions

  • Upgrading visual content and background of pets

Revising and Iterating

Based off direct user testing feedback, this is what I changed:

  • Navigation Changes: Making the search bar more accessible by positioning it at the top of the page and refining filters for clarity

  • Visual Enhancements: Adding more contrast and clear section divisions, particularly for the homepage and adoption search, guiding users more effectively

  • Prominent Content: Highlight key content areas like available animals to improve user flow

CCAS User Interview Affinity Map

CCAS User Interview Affinity Map

Key Takeaways

Reflection

Animals are a topic near and dear to me, being a pet owner myself. Researching for this project has helped me understand the needs of my community and communicate with users on a local scale.

Future Notes

One challenge I faced was balancing all the information the shelter wanted to share without overwhelming the user. I had to rethink the layout a few times to make sure the site felt welcoming and easy to navigate. It took a few tries to get the right balance.

Next time, I’d spend more time upfront mapping out user flows and testing earlier to catch those hiccups sooner. If I did it again, I’d dive deeper into user feedback earlier on and experiment with more design variations to find the best solution faster.

Overall this has been a gratifying process, working with the local community and I’m grateful for the experience I gained. A good reminder that design is a constant process of learning and improving. And it definitely doesn't hurt that I get to hang out with cute dogs.

CCAS Website Redesign Prototype

CCAS Website Redesign Prototype

Project Overview

Role

UI/UX Designer

Team

Individual project mentored by Carolina de Bartolo

Timeline

8 weeks, December 2024 - January 2025

Tools Used

Figma, Figjam, Canva, Google Forms, Google Meets, Discord

Note

For this project I worked with local organizations to provide a free redesign of what their website could look like through an updated UI/UX lens

Defining User Needs

User Interviews

I visited several animal shelters in Collin County to interview adopters about their adoption website use.

User Interview Results

  1. Limited search filters for finding pets

  1. Lack of clarity on pet backgrounds makes narrowing down harder

  1. Confusing layout with hard-to-find sections

  1. Problems finding answers to adoption questions

The Context

Problem

Collin County Animal Shelter is a staple organization of my local community and like many other animal shelters, struggle to receive the funding and awareness necessary to adopt out animals in need.

Solution

My goal is to do my part to help, by spreading awareness for the shelter and creating a more inviting virtual experience for potential adopters to view their pet options.

Project Goal

Updating the CCAS website to reflect a modernized homepage that shows users what they can expect. As well as provide an intuitive results page where users can easily sort and compare animals.

User Feedback

Areas of Opportunity

  • Improving CCAS website navigation

  • Strengthening search and filtering functions

  • Upgrading visual content and background of pets

Revising and iterating

Based off direct user testing feedback, this is what I changed:

  • Navigation Changes: Making the search bar more accessible by positioning it at the top of the page and refining filters for clarity

  • Visual Enhancements: Adding more contrast and clear section divisions, particularly for the homepage and adoption search, guiding users more effectively

  • Prominent Content: Highlight key content areas like available animals to improve user flow

Key Takeaways

Reflection

Animals are a topic near and dear to me, being a pet owner myself. Researching for this project has helped me understand the needs of my community and communicate with users on a local scale.

Future Notes

One challenge I faced was balancing all the information the shelter wanted to share without overwhelming the user. I had to rethink the layout a few times to make sure the site felt welcoming and easy to navigate. It took a few tries to get the right balance.

Next time, I’d spend more time upfront mapping out user flows and testing earlier to catch those hiccups sooner. If I did it again, I’d dive deeper into user feedback earlier on and experiment with more design variations to find the best solution faster.

Overall this has been a gratifying process, working with the local community and I’m grateful for the experience I gained. A good reminder that design is a constant process of learning and improving. And it definitely doesn't hurt that I get to hang out with cute dogs.

Let’s problem solve together!

hihilaryy@gmail.com
Linkedin

Let’s problem solve together!

hihilaryy@gmail.com
Linkedin

Project Overview

Role

UI/UX Designer

Team

Individual project mentored by Carolina de Bartolo

Timeline

8 weeks, December 2024 - January 2025

Tools Used

Figma, Figjam, Canva, Google Forms, Google Meets, Discord

Note

For this project I worked with local organizations to provide a free redesign of what their website could look like through an updated UI/UX lens

The Context

Problem

Collin County Animal Shelter is a staple organization of my local community and like many other animal shelters, struggle to receive the funding and awareness necessary to adopt out animals in need.

Solution

My goal is to do my part to help, by spreading awareness for the shelter and creating a more inviting virtual experience for potential adopters to view their pet options.

Project Goal

Updating the CCAS website to reflect a modernized homepage that shows users what they can expect. As well as provide an intuitive results page where users can easily sort and compare animals.

The User

User Interviews

I interviewed 6 people who expressed interest in expanding their social life. We gathered their priorities and found areas where we could address common needs.

User Interview Results

Interest in hobbies

Challenges in forming new relationships

Desire for more social time

Openness to meeting new people

Use of technology for social connections

Potential for a platform to facilitate connections

Group vs one-on-one settings

User Feedback

Areas of Opportunity

  • Improving CCAS website navigation

  • Strengthening search and filtering functions

  • Upgrading visual content and background of pets

Revising and Iterating

Based off direct user testing feedback, this is what I changed:

  • Navigation Changes: Making the search bar more accessible by positioning it at the top of the page and refining filters for clarity

  • Visual Enhancements: Adding more contrast and clear section divisions, particularly for the homepage and adoption search, guiding users more effectively

  • Prominent Content: Highlight key content areas like available animals to improve user flow

Key Takeaways

Reflection

Animals are a topic near and dear to me, being a pet owner myself. Researching for this project has helped me understand the needs of my community and communicate with users on a local scale.

Future Notes

One challenge I faced was balancing all the information the shelter wanted to share without overwhelming the user. I had to rethink the layout a few times to make sure the site felt welcoming and easy to navigate. It took a few tries to get the right balance.

Next time, I’d spend more time upfront mapping out user flows and testing earlier to catch those hiccups sooner. If I did it again, I’d dive deeper into user feedback earlier on and experiment with more design variations to find the best solution faster.

Overall this has been a gratifying process, working with the local community and I’m grateful for the experience I gained. A good reminder that design is a constant process of learning and improving. And it definitely doesn't hurt that I get to hang out with cute dogs.

Defining User Needs

User Interviews

I visited several animal shelters in Collin County to interview adopters about their adoption website use.

User Interview Results

  1. Lack of clarity on pet backgrounds makes narrowing down harder

  1. Limited search filters for finding pets

  1. Confusing layout with hard-to-find sections

  1. Problems finding answers to adoption questions

The User

User Interviews

I interviewed 6 people who expressed interest in expanding their social life. We gathered their priorities and found areas where we could address common needs.

User Interview Results

Interest in hobbies

Challenges in forming new relationships

Desire for more social time

Openness to meeting new people

Use of technology for social connections

Potential for a platform to facilitate connections

Group vs one-on-one settings

CCAS Adoption Homepage

CCAS Adoption Search Results

CCAS Adoption Homepage

CCAS Adoption Search Results