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ALAGA

Designing for social good.

*This project is a passion project and may or may not be developed in the near future. The prototype shown here is based on our vision and research, but it may differ from the actual product if it ever gets launched. The project is not affiliated with or endorsed by any client, and it does not necessarily reflect any organization’s views or policies.

 

ALAGA (Animal Lovers And Guardians Association) is a nonprofit company dedicated to the well-being and protection of animals. Based on a foundation of love and guardianship, we advocate for the rights of animals and strive to create a world where every animal is treated with care and respect. ALAGA operates with the belief that by raising awareness, promoting responsible pet ownership, and advocating for animal rights, we can make a positive impact on the lives of animals.

View Prototype*

The development of the ALAGA app is estimated to take approximately 4-6 months. Please note that this is an ongoing passion project, and the duration may vary depending on the progress and additional features incorporated.

The Product:

Loops & Scratches is a local company from the Philippines that offers custom pet portraits. Our artists create unique pieces that capture the personality and spirit of pets. We provide a luxury experience that is also affordable and has a staff available to answer any questions.

Duration:

The project duration for the development of the website for Loops & Scratches is currently estimated to be 3-4 months. Please note that this is an ongoing project and the duration may change as the project progresses.

The Problem:

ALAGA recognized a need to address the various issues that affect animal welfare in the Philippines, such as cruelty, neglect, overpopulation, homelessness, and trafficking. They aimed to create an app that would serve as a tool for education, action, and support. The challenge was to design an app that reflected ALAGA’s compassionate and responsible values while prioritizing the core goals of improving animal well-being, reducing animal suffering, and protecting animal rights.

The Goal:

The objective of the ALAGA app is to provide a user-friendly platform that connects users with information, services, and opportunities to help animals in need. We aim to create an impactful app that offers educational content, facilitates animal rescue and adoption, and enables users to make donations to support our programs. The app will embody ALAGA’s vision, inspiring users to become more responsible and proactive in animal welfare, and creating a more compassionate society for all living beings.

My Role:

As a UI/UX designer for ALAGA, I am responsible for conducting user research, creating user personas, and designing the app’s interface. I collaborate with the development team to implement the design and continuously improve the user experience.

My Responsibilities:

  • Conduct user research, including interviews and usability testing, to understand the target audience’s needs and preferences.
  • Create user personas, user journeys, and wireframes to guide the design process.
  • Design the app’s interface, selecting colors, fonts, icons, and images that align with ALAGA’s branding.
  • Collaborate with the development team to implement the user interface design and ensure a seamless user experience.
    Iterate on designs based on stakeholder feedback and user testing.

Understanding the user.

  • User Research
  • Personas
  • Problem Statements
  • User journey maps

User Research: Summary

We want to create an app that would reflect ALAGA’s compassionate and responsible values while addressing the various issues that affect animal welfare in the Philippines.

We also want to help them raise awareness, promote responsible pet ownership, and advocate for animal rights. We initially thought that our target audience mainly cared about finding information, services, and opportunities to help animals in need.

But our research revealed that they also faced difficulties in finding suitable adoption opportunities, making secure and hassle-free donations, and accessing spay and neuter services in some areas.

These insights will enable us to better address and satisfy the needs of our target audience, and to craft an app and marketing strategy that is more relevant and impactful to them.

User Research: Pain points

ALAGA aims to address the potential pain points that users may encounter.

  • Providing comprehensive information: Many users lack awareness and access to reliable sources and data about animal welfare issues, responsible pet ownership, and available resources. ALAGA will provide educational content and expose cases of animal cruelty and abuse, raising awareness and inspiring action among users.
  • Facilitating animal rescue and adoption: Finding suitable adoption opportunities and trustworthy shelters can be difficult for animal lovers. ALAGA will connect users with a wide range of rescue and adoption listings, simplifying the process of finding loving homes for animals in need.
  • Enabling secure and hassle-free donations: Users may face obstacles when it comes to supporting animal welfare causes through donations. ALAGA will offer a streamlined and secure donation process, making it easy for users to contribute and make a positive impact.

User Personas:

Maria Santos is a 25 year old teacher at a public elementary school in Quezon City.

She has always loved animals since she was a child, and she believes that teaching children to respect and care for animals is an important part of their education. She often incorporates animal-related topics and activities in her lessons, such as reading stories about animals, showing videos about animal welfare, and inviting guest speakers from animal welfare organizations. She also encourages her students to adopt pets from shelters instead of buying them from pet shops or breeders.

She herself wants to adopt a dog or a cat from a shelter, but she has not found the right one yet. She also wants to support animal welfare causes through donations or volunteering, but she does not know which organizations are reliable and trustworthy. She wishes there was an app that could provide her with more information, options, and opportunities to help animals in need.

Mark Reyes is a 32 year old veterinarian who runs his own clinic in Cebu City.

He loves his job and he enjoys helping animals and their owners live healthier and happier lives. He provides veterinary services to both pets and strays, such as vaccination, deworming, grooming, check-ups, surgery, etc. He also advocates for spay and neuter programs to control the population of stray animals and prevent unwanted births.

He often participates in spay and neuter initiatives organized by animal welfare organizations or local government units. He also wants to collaborate with other veterinarians and animal welfare organizations to share best practices, exchange information, and coordinate efforts.

He wishes there was an app that could help him reach out to more pet owners, strays, veterinarians, and animal welfare organizations.

Anna Cruz is a 28 year old journalist who works for a national newspaper in Davao City.

She is interested in writing stories and articles about animal welfare issues and solutions, such as dogfights, horse fights, wild animals being used for entertainment, spay and neuter programs, adoption opportunities, donation opportunities, etc.

She wants to expose cases of animal cruelty and abuse that are happening in the country, as well as highlight the efforts of individuals and organizations that are working to protect and promote the welfare of animals.

She wants to use her voice and platform to raise awareness about these topics and inspire people to take action for animal welfare causes. She wishes there was an app that could provide her with reliable sources and data about animal welfare issues and solutions.

Leo Garcia is a 21 year old student at a university in Baguio City.

He is an animal lover and he wants to find ways to help animals in need. He wants to learn more about animal welfare and responsible pet ownership, such as the benefits of spaying and neutering, the proper care and feeding of pets, the prevention and treatment of diseases, etc.

He also wants to find a pet that suits his lifestyle and personality, preferably a dog or a cat that he can adopt from a shelter.

He also wants to contribute to animal welfare causes through donations or volunteering, but he does not have much money or time to spare. He wishes there was an app that could provide him with more information, options, and opportunities to help animals in need.

User Journey Map:

This user journey map shows the steps and emotions that customers go through when they interact with the business and its products. It helps us identify the pain points and opportunities for improvement in the customer experience.

Starting the design.

  • Ideation
  • Sitemap
  • Wireframes
  • Low-Fidelity Prototype
  • Usability Studies

Ideation:

Sitemap:

Lo-Fi Prototype:

The Lo-Fi prototype can be viewed here:

View Prototype

Usability Study: Findings

We tested our app prototype with 10 users and found four key insights to improve our design.

  • The adoption process could be made clearer by providing more guidance and step-by-step instructions.
  • The content could be made more engaging by using more visuals and interactivity.
  • The donation options could be expanded to offer more flexibility, such as allowing users to choose the amount and frequency of their donations.
  • The donation history could be made more transparent by allowing users to view their past donations and see how their contributions have made an impact.

Refining the design.

  • Mockups
  • High-Fidelity Prototype
  • Accessibility

Hi-Fi Prototype:

The Hi-Fi desktop prototype can be viewed here:

View Prototype

Accessibility Considerations:

Some of the ways that my design accounts for accessibility are:

  • Using clear and simple language to make our content easy to understand and follow.
  • Using contrast and color to highlight important elements and avoid using color alone to convey meaning.
  • Using responsive and adaptive design to adjust our app according to the device’s screen size and resolution.
  • Using feedback and testing to evaluate and improve our app’s usability, performance, and satisfaction.

Moving forward!

  • Takeaways
  • Next steps

Impact:

Some of the impacts that I might do for ALAGA are:

  • Increase user engagement and retention by creating a user-friendly and intuitive interface that allows users to easily access the app’s features and content.
  • Increase user satisfaction and trust by creating a responsive and adaptive design that adapts to different devices and screen sizes, and provides feedback and guidance to users.
  • Increase user advocacy and participation by creating a persuasive and emotional design that appeals to users’ values and emotions, and motivates them to join ALAGA’s community and cause.

Takeaways:

Working as a UI/UX designer for ALAGA was a fun and rewarding experience.

Designing the app for ALAGA was a rewarding and challenging experience that taught me how to create a user-centered and engaging app that supports animal welfare. I used user research, usability testing, design tools, and design systems to create high-fidelity designs and prototypes that reflect ALAGA’s brand identity and values. I also learned how to document my design process and decisions in a portfolio or case study.

Next steps:

  1. Conduct more user research and testing to evaluate the effectiveness and satisfaction of the design and prototype. This would help to identify any issues or areas for improvement, and to validate the assumptions and hypotheses made during the design process.
  2. Refine and iterate on the design and prototype based on the feedback and data collected from the user research and testing. This would help to enhance the usability, functionality, and aesthetics of the design and prototype, and to ensure that they meet the needs and expectations of the users and the business.
  3. Create a style guide and a design system to document and standardize the visual and interactive elements of the design and prototype. This would help to ensure consistency and coherence across all platforms and devices, and to facilitate the collaboration and handoff between designers and developers.

Let’s connect!

Working on this project was a valuable and enjoyable learning experience for me. I was able to apply the skills and knowledge I gained from this course to a real-world problem and solution. I was also able to practice and improve my design thinking, research, prototyping, and communication skills.

I am proud of the outcome of my design and prototype, and I am excited to continue working on this project and other UX design projects in the future.

If you’d like to see more or get in touch, my contact is provided below:

https://behance.net/jerichoprince/

https://linkedin.com/in/jerichoprince/

[email protected]

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