Pet Transportation App

Homeward Paws

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Pet Transportation

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Homeward Paws 🐾 Pet Transportation 🐶 

MY ROLE

User Research, User Interviews, Mobile Wireframing, Branding, UI, Prototyping, Usability Testing

DELIVERABLES

A user-centered solution including research insights, wireframes, and a tested prototype to help pet owners navigate the challenges of moving with their pets.

TIME FRAME

3 Months (2024)

About Homeward Paws

Homeward Paws is a fictional mobile-first pet transportation solution designed to support pet owners during the moving process. The product collects detailed information about the pet(s), owner, and move to generate a comprehensive summary for transportation specialists—ensuring pets' needs are clearly communicated and owners feel confident and reassured. This user-centered solution was informed by research and interviews with pet owners who have experienced moving with pets.

Research Methods

  • I interviewed:

    • 6 participants

    • Ages 26-32

    • 4 participants who have experiences moving with pets

  • This research began more generally by exploring moving to a new place and understanding how people choose to budget and spend on their move.

    The Original Goal:

    We want to know the motivations and decision-making factors that influence whether individuals are willing to spend money on moving services versus opting for a DIY approach so that we understand how people factor spending and budgeting into their move.

  • Findings:

    While participants identified packing and cost as top stressors when moving, few actually created a budget despite naming it a priority. However, one standout theme emerged: for pet owners—4 out of the 6 participants—transporting their pets was a major source of anxiety. Beyond packing or settling into a new space, the logistics and emotional toll of moving their animals consistently surfaced as a significant pain point.

    Based on these findings, I decided to pivot my research to exploring how people move with their pets.

  • I analyzed 3 competitors:

    1. Pet Relocation

    2. Petster

    3. PetWorks

    Gaps/Opportunities

    • Most companies offered a wide range of services rather than specializing in one.

    • Their focus was primarily on reducing the pet owner's stress—an important goal—but often lacked emphasis on the pet's comfort and experience.

    • Brand identities and user interfaces varied, but generally felt impersonal and lacked a distinctive, relatable voice.

Interview Quote

“I was stressed about the long car ride with Katara because she gets anxious and throws up.”

Interview Quote

“Moving with Aspen (cat) and Rosie (cat) was stressful…just the part about traveling with them in the car because Aspen hates it. ”

Name | Taylor (She/Her)

User Persona

Age | 34

Marital Status | Married

Kids | 1

Occupation | Therapist

Salary | $100,000

    • Mental health and wellness

    • Family activities and outdoor adventures

    • Evidence-based parenting techniques

    • Pet care and animal behavior

    • Reliable, research-backed products and services

    • A pet transportation service that accommodates her dog's anxiety

    • Transparent communication and regular updates during transit

    • A stress-free moving experience that considers her child and pet’s wellbeing

    • Trustworthy service providers with strong reputations and credentials

    • Personalized care or options for animals with special needs

    • Ensure her dog arrives safely and comfortably across the country

    • Minimize emotional distress for her pet and family during the move

    • Free up mental space to focus on moving logistics and her child’s transition

    • Find a service that she doesn’t have to micromanage

    • Feel confident in the decision to outsource her dog’s transportation

    • Her dog is part of the family and deserves to be cared for like one

    • She values professionalism, empathy, and transparency in service providers

    • Wants to model calm, responsible decision-making for her child

    • Believes that good planning prevents stress—for both humans and pets

    • Generic or vague service descriptions that don’t account for special pet needs

    • Lack of updates or communication once the pet is en route

    • Cold, transactional customer service that doesn’t acknowledge emotional concerns

    • Services that only seem to focus on the owner's logistics, not the pet’s wellbeing

The Problem

Taylor needs a trustworthy and compassionate pet transportation service because her family is moving cross-country, and her large, anxiety-prone dog requires special care during the journey.

Feature Set

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Feature Set *

Account Set-Up

A sign-up process that gathers important details on the pet owner, pet basic details, and move details to provide the user with an initial quote.

Pet Profile

A comprehensive form to provide details about their pet’s personality and needs for the journey ahead.

Mobile Design

LOW-FIDELITY WIREFRAME
HIGH-FIDELITY WIREFRAME

In the earliest wireframe design, the pages were formatted with an accordion. During the visual design process, the initial account set-up, as well as the “Pet Profile” creation, include a page tracker at the top to show the user how far along they are in the process.

Book Page * Mobile

Usability Testing & Findings

Positive Feedback

  • Participants love the moody textures and effects

  • It looks really professional and suits the author’s style

  • The listed themes is super helpful in getting to know the book quickly

  • It’s easy to navigate.

  • The first iteration of the design did not include specific details about book page count and publication date. Participants indicated that that information would be helpful.

  • The button to buy the book on the book page didn’t originally have an “add to cart” — it said “buy the book”. This was confusing to users.

  • Participants indicated that the animations on the homepage were a little slow, so I increased the speed of them.

IMPROVEMENT SUGGESTIONS & FEEDBACK

Project Reflection

  • The users (readers of thriller, LGBT+ and indie books) wanted details about the book that went beyond a simple blurb. They wanted to understand who the author is and what themes they could find in the book, as well as any fun extras the author could provide on her website.

  • I tried to keep the visual design as simple as possible, without sacrificing personality. Since this is an actual website that I wanted the client to be able to build and maintain on Squarespace, the design couldn’t be so extravagant that she wouldn’t be able to manage it herself.

  • This project allowed me to work with a real client and meet their business needs as well as user needs. I was able to communicate with the client and work within real constraints to help her create a functioning site.

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