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Animal Shelter – Website Design

Project overview

The design project involves creating a new website for an animal shelter from the ground up. The primary goal is to develop a visually appealing and user-friendly online platform that effectively showcases the shelter’s animals, services, and mission. This initiative seeks to bridge the gap between the shelter and potential adopters or supporters by providing a comprehensive, engaging, and easy-to-navigate digital space. The website will highlight the shelter’s commitment to animal welfare, featuring detailed profiles for animals in need of homes, information on how to support the shelter, and educational resources about responsible pet ownership. The design will prioritize clarity, emotion, and action, encouraging site visitors to engage with the shelter’s cause, whether through adoption, donations, or volunteer work.

My role

UX/UI designer, UX researcher.

Responsibilities

Performing interviews, creating paper and digital wireframes, developing both low and high-fidelity prototypes, executing usability studies, ensuring accessibility considerations, and iterating on designs.

Designed pages

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Home page

Our dogs page

Dog’s page

Volunteer opportunities page

Accents on dogs and ways to help.

Presents the list of all dogs at the shelter.

Gives opportunity to know more about a dog and book an appointment to meet in real life.

Gives more details about ways to help the shelter.

Design process

User research: summary

For the dog shelter website design, I engaged in extensive user research to understand the specific needs of potential pet adopters and volunteers. By conducting interviews with current and prospective pet owners, as well as shelter staff, and analyzing engagement data, I created a comprehensive user persona spectrum. This research highlighted the importance of a compassionate, informative, and user-friendly platform for facilitating pet adoptions. These insights were instrumental in developing a website that prioritizes ease of navigation and transparency, showcasing detailed pet profiles and the shelter’s adoption process. The end result is a digital environment that not only promotes pet adoption but also educates and builds a community around animal welfare, reflecting the values and concerns of users who are integral to the shelter’s mission.

Design strategy: addressing pain points

In designing the new dog shelter website, I was tasked with converting a conventional and possibly outdated web presence into a modern, engaging online platform for animal adoption. The goal was to inject the site with warmth and approachability that resonates with prospective pet adopters and volunteers. To accomplish this, I meticulously outlined the user journey, identifying key interactions where informative content could be introduced to simplify the adoption journey. My approach was focused on creating an intuitive and emotionally engaging experience for visitors looking to connect with and possibly adopt a new pet, ensuring the website serves as a bridge between homeless pets and loving homes.

Starting the design

During the development of the dog shelter website, I integrated valuable insights from initial user testing sessions. This feedback was crucial in refining the website’s user interface to enhance user engagement dramatically. Special focus was given to simplifying the navigation and prominently featuring available pets and adoption services. The intent was to ease the user’s search process, enabling potential adopters and volunteers to quickly find and access the information they need, thereby improving the overall experience on the site.

Laying out the content

In crafting the content architecture for the new dog shelter website, I began with detailed wireframing to methodically organize the content into clear, intuitive sections. The primary objective was twofold: to align with the shelter’s mission of encouraging user interaction with key features like pet search tools, donation systems, and volunteer registration; and to meet user needs by providing transparent information on how the shelter’s services can aid in finding their new companion. This strategic layout was designed to foster an environment where users can easily navigate and engage with the site, facilitating a connection between potential adopters and animals in need of a home.

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UI Design

For the dog shelter website design, I selected the Lato typeface from the Google Fonts library for both headings and body text. This decision was guided by the need for a friendly yet professional aesthetic that reflects the shelter’s compassionate ethos. Lato, with its humanist sans-serif characteristics, conveys a sense of warmth and reliability, key attributes for a platform centered on animal care and adoption. Its high readability across various devices ensures that detailed information about the shelter’s services, adoption processes, and pet care tips is easily digestible. The typeface’s welcoming and modern look enhances the site’s user-friendliness, aligning with the goal of making the adoption journey as smooth and approachable as possible for all visitors.

Final look

Here are the final designs for the webpages, after applying the visual identity.

“Collaborating with Alesia on the creation of our dog shelter’s new website was an absolute pleasure! Her exceptional ability to capture the heart and soul of our mission in a visually stunning and user-friendly online space was remarkable. Alesia showed an outstanding understanding of our specific needs, translating our vision for animal welfare into a tangible and inviting experience for visitors. Her dedication to excellence shines through every detail of the site, from the engaging pet profiles to the seamless navigation that guides potential adopters through their journey. I am thoroughly impressed with the results and wholeheartedly recommend Alesia to anyone in search of a passionate and skilled UX/UI designer who can make a meaningful impact.”

Liza Carter

Owner

Results and future steps

Since unveiling our website for the dog shelter, the feedback from our community has been extraordinarily positive. Visitors have praised the improved user experience and the warm, inviting design touches. Moving forward, we will maintain our commitment to regularly gather and analyze user data and feedback, which will guide us in evolving the website. This ongoing process will allow us to adjust to the changing needs of our adopters and supporters and to continue leading the way in the animal welfare space. Our objective is to ensure that our platform remains the go-to resource for those looking to adopt, foster, or learn more about pet care, mirroring the latest advancements and expectations in digital animal welfare services.

Conclusion

The new website for our dog shelter has revolutionized our online presence, turning it into a vibrant and welcoming interface. This transformation has greatly enhanced the visual appeal and user experience, making it far more accessible and user-friendly. The design thoughtfully weaves elements that echo the compassion and energy of our mission, highlighting the joy and journey of pet adoption. The outcome is a more interactive and captivating platform that not only meets the expectations of the pet-loving community but also advances our shelter’s goals in the vital cause of animal welfare and adoption.