Pet Health Care Powered by AI
Pawssistant — Designing Pet Health Care Platform
My Role
Product Designer
Led end to end redesign project 0-1
Team
Two UX/UI Designers
Timeline & Impact
4 Months
Through user interviews and a decision matrix, identified 5 major friction points that informed the design of an interactive triage tool, enhancing clarity in emergency situations and simplifying decision-making in pet health.
Overview
Pawssistant is a pet care platform powered by Generative AI, offering real-time support and turning complex health data into actionable insights. Designed to ensure a seamless experience for pet caregivers, it partners with veterinary professionals to provide reliable guidance.
I led the end-to-end design direction alongside two talented designers, under the mentorship of the Salesforce AI team.
Problem
When is the right time to see a vet?
Knowing when it’s the right time to visit a vet can be one of the toughest decisions as a pet caregiver. We all want to provide the best care for our pets, but vet bills can add up quickly, and a single visit doesn’t always solve the problem. While seeing a vet offers peace of mind, it’s important to weigh the cost against the urgency of the situation. So, how can you tell when it's truly necessary to make that call? It’s about finding the balance between your pet’s well-being and being thoughtful about the expenses. Let’s dive into how you can make that decision with confidence.
4o mini
Final Design
A pet healthcare platform provides users
with a seamless, multimodal experience across various devices.
AI Consultation
When users encounter accidental situations with their pets, they can seek decision-making assistance through AI technology. The AI analyzes images or videos to assess severity and provides recommendations based on calculated probabilities.
Long-term Care Plan
A wearable device alerts users to check their pet's condition and seamlessly connects to a chronic disease management dashboard. This dashboard offers actionable insights and stores data for long-term analysis.
Community Support
Based on location, users can find pets in similar situations and connect with their owners. This feature allows users to access advice and receive emotional support.
Lifelong Care Plan
Users can gain an overview of their pet's lifelong well-being, assess potential consequences and costs, and compare different actions for informed, personalized decisions.
Research
To identify current needs and pain points, and uncover opportunities, we conducted desktop research, user interviews, subject matter expert interviews, and shadowing
66% of U.S. households owned a pet, but only 3% had pet insurance, and 25% faced financial barriers to veterinary care.
Key Challenges in Pet Healthcare: Unreliable Information, Unclear Urgency, and Chronic Care Needs
Unreliable Information: Unreliable sources lead to confusion in diagnosing pet symptoms.
Unclear Urgency: Caregivers struggle to determine when professional care is necessary, especially for non-urgent symptoms.
Chronic Care Needs: Chronic conditions require ongoing monitoring and consistent care, adding to the burden.
Shadowing
Observed pet caregivers in their daily routines to understand how they manage pet health, make care decisions, and respond to uncertainties.
Expert Interviews
Spoke with veterinarians, pet groomers, and daycare teachers to identify common pain points and concerns from industry professionals.
User Interviews
Conducted in-depth interviews with six pet caregivers to map their care routines, decision-making processes, and key challenges.
Ideation
Through sketches, value proposition, and decsion matrix, it comes down to 5 feature groups pet healthcare platform
A pet healthcare platform crafted to alleviate decision-making burdens, offering clarity on situations with recommended actions, and providing peace of mind.
Sketches
Created 30 rapid "Prankenstein" sketches, categorizing them into four distinct feature groups.
Value Proposition
Analyzed how users benefit from each feature to ensure alignment with their needs.
Decision Matrix
Prioritized features based on user value, focusing on the most impactful solutions.
Wireframe
Usability Testing
To refine the dashboard, we conducted four usability tests focusing on two key tasks
Users seek immediate actionable insights and next steps.
Excess data becomes overwhelming and tiresome.
Users want to compare consequences before making decisions.
Iteration
To continuously meet user needs and expectations, we iterated on the designs based on usability testing.
Health Records: Highlight Key Insights with Icons and Boxes for Clarity
Prioritize Insights with Icons and Boxes: Separate key insights visually at the top using icons and boxed sections. This design clearly highlights what matters most, enabling users to quickly grasp important information without sifting through excessive details.
Switch to Horizontal Layouts with Dropdown Menus: Transition from a vertical to a horizontal layout, presenting data in a more organized, side-by-side format. This makes the information easier to scan and gives users the ability to control how much data they wish to explore. Summarize each dataset, and use collapsible dropdown menus to allow for deeper dives into additional information when needed.
Lifelong Plan: Enhance Navigation with Horizontal Layouts and Slide Buttons
Showcase Key Insights Directly: Design with a focus on presenting actionable insights upfront. Use boxes and icons to clearly highlight critical takeaways, making it easy for users to immediately understand the next steps without having to sift through excessive data.
Minimize Clicks with Slide Buttons: Replace multiple clicks with intuitive slide buttons, enabling users to swipe and navigate effortlessly through information. This design choice reduces friction, providing a smoother and faster user experience.
Design System
Reflection
Users Won’t Give Straight Answers
One key lesson was that users don’t always articulate what they need. Uncovering their real pain points required deeper exploration, making the process both challenging and rewarding. The journey of discovering these insights ultimately made the experience even more engaging.
Prioritizing Usability Testing from the Start
Iteration was central to our process. Weekly feedback from pet caregivers, AI engineers, and Salesforce designers helped refine our ideas. Looking back, I see the value of incorporating usability testing earlier, especially during the wireframing phase. Moving forward, I’ll prioritize structured usability testing from the start to identify pain points early and build a stronger user-centered foundation.
Building a Stronger Design System
As we built our screens, our design system evolved, but frequent updates led to inconsistencies. This experience reinforced the importance of a structured system, especially in team collaborations. In future projects, I’ll focus on establishing a more robust design system from the beginning—one that balances consistency with flexibility. By creating clearer guidelines and documentation, we can streamline workflows and enhance collaboration.