Pet Help & Rescue (PHaR)
My Role & Responsibilities
UX/UI Designer
Conducted mobile heuristic audit
Led foundational user research (market analyses, user interviews, early validation usability testing)
Held informal workshops between design and developer teams for cross-team alignment
Redesigned MVP for PHaR
Implemented and managed product board
Guided beta and QA testing efforts
Stakeholder
Animal Help Now
Timeline & Status
9 weeks - Launched
Team
2 Designers (including me)
Android and iOS (3 developers on each team)
2 Backend developers
Graphic designer/brand specialist
What is PHaR?
Born from the 2021 Colorado Marshall Fire, Pet Help & Rescue (PHaR) was created to address the lack of emergency preparedness among over 83% of U.S. pet owners (ASPCA). Initially brought on for wireframing and usability testing, I identified gaps in foundational research and market differentiation that limited the app's competitive appeal. Although PHaR is a non-profit, we recognized the importance of making it engaging and accessible to users as an important method of ensuring user adoption.
Goals
Timeline Breakdown
Critical User Flows Were Confusing
"Bad design shouts at you. Good design is a silent seller." – Shane Meendering (Design Expert)
Through a heuristic audit and initial validation testing with a group of prospective users, several issues with the existing designs became evident, including...
1
Long Task Completion
Despite being an emergency app, it took several minutes to figure out how to complete basic tasks.
2
Poor Navigation & Layout
Critical actions were buried under several touchpoints, leading to confusion.
3
Paradox of Choice
Stakeholder assumptions led to the addition of too many features, without considering user priorities, which caused cognitive overload.
It's Presenting Issues to Stakeholders
"In a sense there's just one mistake that kills startups: not making something users want." – Paul Graham (YCombinator Founder)
I recognized that we couldn't effectively advance the app in its current state, so I initiated a meeting with all my stakeholders to present my findings using the following slide deck (modified to honor my NDA). My goal was to realign the team and develop a strategic plan for moving forward.
Adjusted Timeline
To stay on track, I worked with the stakeholders to alter our timeline to integrate these changes and make expectations clearer.
Analysing the Competition and Market Landscape
"Before working to design the thing right, we must first be sure we're designing the right thing." - Peter Morville (Founder of Information Architecture Institute)
With 66% of U.S. households now owning at least one pet and technology playing an increasingly significant role, the pet care app market has grown into a billion-dollar industry. Although PHaR operates as a non-profit, I aimed to understand its unique value in a crowded market and validate stakeholder assumptions. To do so, I conducted a thorough analysis of the market landscape.
Key Takeaways
Holding Workshops for Feature Priority
“Rule of thumb for UX: More options, more problems.” - Scott Belsky, Chief Product Officer
Features
With objectives and user base clarified, I worked on a MoSCoW-like method to prioritize MVP features. This approach ensured crucial cross-team alignment and incorporated extensive input from front and back-end developers to determine priorities based on feasibility, time, and user needs.
Establishing Design Principles to Guide the Process
“Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future.” – Robert Peters, co-founder of CIRCLE Design
With the features outlined, I knew it was time to start designing. However, to prevent the inconsistencies I noticed during onboarding, I developed UX principles based on my learnings so far. After confirming them with my team, I used these principles as a rubric for user interaction decisions.
Rapid Wireframing and Prototyping: Create, Test, Iterate
“Design isn’t just what it looks like and feels like — design is how it works.” – Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple
To kick off the UI redesign, I restructured the app's existing information architecture using sticky notes to accommodate constant, quick changes. I then created mid-fidelity wireframes for key user flows and prototyped them for eight testers. My approach was simple: create, test, iterate—repeating this process for two cycles within two weeks. Below is an example of a crucial user flow that was tested: requesting pet help from contacts in the app
Iteration 1: Step-by-Step Pet Help Request (Left-to-Right)
Relatively low cognitive load
Instructions are relatively clear
Too much manual selection
UX writing is not clear: "What is a blast?"
Improve on preset option for user clarity
Expects message visibility, immediately
Iteration 2: Full Page, Scroll Pet Rescue Request (Left-to-Right)
Pre-selected options, low cognitive load
Instructions and language clear
Message display, more intuitive
Scrolling can be taxing
User information may not be necessary on sender's side
The second iteration was carefully crafted based on user input, UI standards, and developer collaboration. It received positive feedback, so I adjusted the flow for the final deliverables (hi-fidelity designs).
Stepping in as Product Manager
“Time is not refundable, use it with intention” – Anonymous
Without a formal product manager, I created a Kanban board and worked closely with developers to initiate design tickets, document changes, and convert UI fixes into development tasks. This streamlined our process, reducing the design-to-development cycle time by 40% through a clear, timed routine.
Leading QA Testing Efforts
“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” – Bill Gates
While development began their work, I created a robust test plan using Notion and Google Sheets. I collaborated with several users across different device sizes and types and conducted multiple rounds of moderated and unmoderated usability testing. Although we didn’t have formal QA tools, I made the most of what we had and created a QA testing sheet for internal testers to use.
See It For Yourself
Through the current design practices, we achieved a 70% NPS, based on an anonymous survey taken by hundreds of prospective users, by optimizing task flows and addressing key pain points highlighted by detractors. I'm currently working on post-launch surveying to refine features and improve user adoption/engagement.
Notable Testimonials
Three Cheers for PHaR!
PHaR has been one of my more challenging projects, navigating tight timelines and complex stakeholder needs, but I've learned a lot of important things.
1. Find the best ways to communicate to your stakeholders: With a tight timeline, I realised I had to manage my time efficiently.
2. Rapid prototyping is immensely helpful: Going through critical flows with users via rapid prototyping gave so many important insights.
3. Find the best ways to communicate to your stakeholders: My presentation was very helpful for bringing large issues to the attention of my team, but often times slack or loom videos were sufficient in getting simple points across to my other team members.
4. Work within the constraints: I was lucky that my stakeholders were receptive to my findings, but often times this is not the response we are met with. If I had to work with the existing designs, I would have made it a point to do critical user flow testing and utilise the data to inform iterations.
Anousha Shadrach
@AnoushaDesigns
I'm a #designer specializing in user experience design (UX/UI) and brand strategy in the social good space. I deliver value through early validation initiatives and streamlined workflows to enhance user experiences.
