Product Design / UX Design

CATZONE

Assist residents in connecting with their neighborhood cats.

Work Type

Individual

Time Frame

3 Months

Tools Used

Figma/ Adobe Premiere/ Procreate

Skills Used

UX Research/ Product Design/ Prototyping

Overview

The project is my thesis project, where I use design solutions to help residents to build a good relationship with street cats in their community. The thesis show took place in May 2024 at California College of the Arts. The installation includes:

  • a poster

  • an animated intro video

  • a brochure includes key functions of app

  • a virtual walk-thru of the mobile app (access through QR code)

Problem

My Story

I’m a cat person. I love to interact with cats. I noticed that there’re so many street cats in my neighborhood.

I know lots of neighbors have the same interest as me. However, we don’t know these street cats well.

One lovely street cat in my community

I looked up “street cats” online. I found In many neighborhoods across the United States, street cats are a common presence, often roaming the streets in search of food and shelter. Addressing the issue involves not only ensuring the welfare of the cats themselves but also navigating the potential impacts on the community.

Finding1. 🚀— Location of Street Cats

Objectives

Street cats are nearly ubiquitous, often perceived as wild creatures without human companionship.

With the populous states of California, Florida, Texas, and New York drawing commensurately high levels of participation of street cats.

1. Understand respondents about their concerns regarding street cats.

User Interview📖

check the full interview summary here

From the conversations, I extracted three main concerns & rationale behind them

Research Insight Summary

Insight 1 : People desire engagement with street cats

Insight 2: People want to know more details about street cats

Result

2. Inquired about individuals' experiences and concerns regarding the presence of street cats in their local area.

These platforms serve as beacons of hope, providing opportunities for both cats in need of loving homes and compassionate individuals seeking feline companionship to find each other in a harmonious union of care and companionship.

However, some of the street cats are essential wild animals and they typically don’t adjust to a life with human companions. they are not appropriate for shelter intake or adoption.

Finding2. 🚀— Attitude towards street cats

With gentle curiosity and compassion, people seek out opportunities to engage with these street cats, recognizing the joy and comfort they bring to their surroundings.

This positive shift not only enriches the lives of residents but also signifies a growing appreciation for the beauty and companionship found in these free-spirited felines.


How can we encourage more interactions between people and street cats, given their widespread presence and growing interest from residents?

Research

Different types of users, but same needs

The SPCA adoption center and Petfinder are two platforms dedicated to fostering connections between people and animals

Concept

I try to consider Apps and services that are associated with reporting cats : their locations, status, and related media.

Ideation

Ideation

Ideation

Therefore, I decided to do with an APP, which could fulfill all of the key points

-Convenience: Easy to carry and could be applied in different scenarios

-Notification: Analyze information and push notifications to remind users

-Dynamic Information: It could display diverse and dynamic information

User Story

Storyboard

App Design

Journey Map & Persona

I divided the user journey into four phases, capturing the complete mental progression of users as they interact with the functional map.

Information Architecture & Wireframe

Based on the user research, I designed four features and drew the corresponding wireframes

Design System

Key features for the App

  • Swipe for cats profile

  • Add details for each cats

  • A community to share ideas

  • Accurate GPS to locate yourself&cats

Key features for CATZONE

Behind The Scene

Brochure Making

Front Page

Inside Page