Melissa Guimaraes Design Portfolio

VetWise - Veterinarian App

VetWize is a comprehensive mobile application that provides pet owners with access to veterinary appointments, medication, supplies, and advice to help them manage their pet's health.

Problem Statement

Pet owners often face challenges in managing their pets' health care, including scheduling

appointments with veterinarians, keeping track of medical history and medication, and accessing reliable information and advice on pet care.

Goal

To create a veterinarian app that makes it easy and convenient for pet owners to manage their pets' health care needs, from scheduling appointments and ordering medication to accessing reliable information and advice on

pet care, all in one place.

The app should be user-friendly and accessible to a wide range of pet owners, including those with disabilities or limited access to veterinary care.

Research

For this UX Design project, I conducted informal interviews with friends and colleagues to understand the needs and behaviours of pet owners. I used this information to create personas and journey maps based on a diverse group of people.

Aside from confirming that pet owners have a lot of concerns when it comes to the health of their pets and keeping track of them, I also found that other features could be added to make their lives more convenient, easier, and well informed about their pet's needs.

Personas

Lucas

Age: 34
Location: Norwich
Occupation: Songwriter
Pets: Two dogs
Tech Proficiency: Advanced

Lucas is blind but tech-savvy, independent, and values his dogs' companionship. He seeks a user-friendly app that accommodates his accessibility needs while allowing him to manage his dogs' health effectively.

Creative

Independent

Outdoor Lover

Tech-Savy

Goals

Use an accessible vet app with voice-over and large text features.
Track his dogs' medical history and vaccinations.
Easily make vet appointments.

Frustrations

Limited veterinary options in his rural area.
Most vet apps aren't designed with blind users
in mind.
Struggles with appointment scheduling and tracking medications.

Lucas

Age: 34
Location: Norwich
Occupation: Songwriter
Pets: Two dogs
Tech Proficiency: Advanced

Lucas

Age: 34
Location: Norwich
Occupation: Songwriter
Pets: Two dogs
Tech Proficiency: Advanced

Creative

Independent

Outdoor Lover

Tech-Savy

Goals

Use an accessible vet app with voice-over and large
text features.
Track his dogs' medical history and vaccinations.
Easily make vet appointments.

Frustrations

Limited veterinary options in his rural area.
Most vet apps aren't designed with blind users in mind.
Struggles with appointment scheduling and tracking medications.

Mary

Age: 75
Location: London
Occupation: Retired
Pets: Husband and a cat
Tech Proficiency: Advanced

Mary is active in her community, managing a foundation, and is highly committed to caring for her cat, who requires ongoing treatment. She seeks a simple, reliable way to manage her cat’s health efficiently despite her busy schedule.

Caring

Busy

Responsible

Moderate Tech User

Goals

Manage her cat's recurring medication and appointments easily.

Access reliable information about her cat’s
illness and treatment.
Find a convenient way to get prescribed medication.

Frustrations

Difficulty tracking her cat’s medication and vet appointments.

Vet apps are confusing and lack necessary information.
Long wait times when contacting the vet clinic.

Mary

Age: 75
Location: London
Occupation: Retired
Pets: Husband and a cat
Tech Proficiency: Advanced

Mary

Age: 75
Location: London
Occupation: Retired
Pets: Husband and a cat
Tech Proficiency: Advanced

Mary is active in her community, managing a foundation,
and is highly committed to caring for her cat, who requires ongoing treatment. She seeks a simple, reliable way to manage her cat’s health efficiently despite her busy schedule.

Caring

Busy

Responsible

Moderate Tech User

Goals

Manage her cat's recurring medication and appointments easily.

Access reliable information about her cat’s
illness and treatment.
Find a convenient way to get prescribed medication.

Frustrations

Difficulty tracking her cat’s medication and vet appointments.

Vet apps are confusing and lack necessary information.
Long wait times when contacting the vet clinic.

User Journey Map

Mapping Mary’s User Journey when she is:

Ordering a weekly medicine for her cat's ongoing illness

revealed opportunities for improvement or development of new features on different stages of the process.

Mapping Mary’s User Journey when she is:

Ordering a weekly medicine for her cat's ongoing illness, revealed how helpful it would be for users to have access to a dedicated veterinarian app.

Mapping Mary’s User Journey when she is:
Ordering a weekly medicine for her cat's ongoing illness,
revealed how helpful it would be for users to have access to a

dedicated veterinarian app.

Pain Points

Health Tracking Challenges

Pet owners struggle to keep track of their pet’s vaccination schedules, medication, and vet consultations.

Time Constraints for Working Adults

Busy schedules make it hard for working adults to book appointments and regularly pick up medication.

Limited Emergency Support

During emergencies, it’s often difficult to find a veterinarian or book a consultation quickly.

App Accessibility Issues

Many apps are confusing to navigate and lack essential accessibility features for users with special needs.

Many apps are confusing to navigate and lack essential accessibility features for users
with special needs.

Market Research

Competitive Audit Overview

As part of the product development process, I conducted a comprehensive competitive audit to identify key players in the market, understand their positioning, and uncover gaps and opportunities for innovation. The audit provided insights into competitor strengths, weaknesses, and market trends, which informed our design strategy.

Indirect competitors

Key Takeaways

Goal of the Audit

The audit aimed to analyse competitor's app functionality, user experience, and market positioning to find opportunities to differentiate this product.

Key Competitors Analysed

Competitors from various market segments were evaluated, focusing on both direct and indirect competitors.

Product Evaluation

Competitor's apps and websites were assessed based on features, accessibility, ease of use, and the quality of user interface and user experience design.

Market Positioning

I also analysed how each competitor presents themselves within the market, including their brand messaging, target audience, and tone of communication.

Strenghts & Weaknesses

Each competitor's unique advantages and shortcomings were summarised, highlighting areas where they excel or have unique features, and where opportunities for improvement exist.

Gaps & Opportunities

Through testing and competitive analysis, I identified areas where this product could capitalise on unmet needs, such as underdeveloped features or accessibility challenges competitors had not addressed.

Ideation

The ideation phase is a crucial part of the design process where I focus on generating a variety of creative solutions to address the project’s challenges. This stage involves exploring different ideas, testing design concepts, and identifying key features that align with user needs and project goals.

Crazy Eights

The Crazy Eights method allowed me to rapidly sketch out multiple potential designs, which I then refined by selecting preferred elements from each.
For this project, some of the main features I decided to keep were the large introduction header, clear CTA buttons on the main screen, and a simple logo bar at the top to maintain visual clarity.

One of the key decisions was prioritising features like "Booking Appointments" on the homepage, ensuring easy access for users.
As I wanted to incorporate a wide range of features into a single app,
I focused on organising them in a way that made navigation intuitive for pet owners, allowing them to access everything they need in a user-friendly structure

Wireframes & Prototypes

The wireframes and prototypes for this project were created to map out the user journey and ensure a smooth, accessible experience. Through iteration, I refined the design to prioritise key features such as easy appointment booking and pet health tracking.

Low-Fidelity Wireframes

The initial low-fidelity wireframes focused on structuring the core functionalities of the app, such as creating pet profiles, tracking medication, accessing the online store, and simplifying the user journey for booking appointments. The intuitive flow was anchored by a prominent call-to-action button on the homescreen, streamlining access to these key features.

Interactivity Map

High-Fidelity Wireframes

In the high-fidelity prototypes, I refined the app’s visual appearance and user experience by cleaning up the layout, making interactions more intuitive, and aligning the overall design with the branding.

I focused on enhancing key features like appointment booking, medication tracking, and the pet profile screens, ensuring they were easy to navigate and visually engaging.

The cleaner look involved simplifying UI elements, improving visual hierarchy, and optimising the user journey for a more streamlined experience.

Design System

In developing the design system for the app, we established a cohesive visual identity that enhances user engagement and promotes accessibility. The color palette features soft, inviting hues that create a friendly atmosphere while ensuring sufficient contrast for readability. We selected a modern, legible font that complements the app’s overall aesthetic and enhances user experience. Additionally, the incorporation of charming illustrations aligns with the app’s theme, adding a touch of warmth and personality. This thoughtful approach to the design system ensures a consistent and appealing look across all screens, reinforcing the brand's identity while making the app approachable for users.

Testing & Validation

To validate the effectiveness and usability of the app's core functions, I conducted an unmoderated usability study with a group of diverse participants. The focus was on how pet owners interacted with features such as booking appointments, managing pet profiles, and identifying subscription services. After the study, I created an affinity board and an insights document to identify key themes and user pain points.

Usability Study

Methodology

Unmoderated usability study.
Four participants, each completing the study on their own.
Each session lasting 30 min.

Key Performance Indicators

Conversion rate
Time on task
Drop-off rates
SUS

Participants

Participants are all pet-owners. Each one owning a different kind of pet: dog, cat, bird and fish.
One male, two females, and one non-binary participant between 19-75 years old.
One participant with vision impairment.

Research Questions

How easy is it for the user to book an appointment?
Where is the user getting stuck or having difficulties proceeding?
How many consultations are being completed?
Is there any difficulties when booking local vet appointments?
What is the percentage of medication prescriptions that need a local appointment first in order to be prescribed?

Affinity Board

Themes

Participants want to see their upcoming appointments on the homepage.

3 out of 5 participants had difficulties finding the upcoming appointments.
2 participants were expecting to see the upcoming appointments on the homepage.

"I was assuming that upcoming appointments would show up at the top of the homepage.”
Participant C

Multiple pet personalisation.

Participants expressed the need of having more tools to accommodate different number of pets.
When booking an appointment or checking their pet’s health, users want to be able to choose between their pets.

"I have multiple pets. How come I can’t choose between them?”
Participant A

Accessibility Considerations

The app's colour scheme has been carefully tested
to ensure there is
suﬃcient contrast between colours to make it easy to use for people with visual impairments.

The app's colour scheme has been carefully tested to ensure there is suﬃcient contrast between colours to make it easy to use for people with visual impairments.

The app's structure has been built with screen readers in mind, making it possible for visually impaired users to navigate and use the app with ease.

The app includes
alternative text
descriptions for images,
which helps users with
visual impairments to
understand what is being conveyed visually.

The app includes alternative text descriptions for images, which helps users with visual impairments to understand what is being conveyed visually.

Insights & Recommendations

Improve Upcoming Appointments Visibility:

Moving upcoming appointments to the homepage

Multiple Pet Profiles

Adding tools to allow easier switching between pet profiles.

Prescription Regulations

During the usability study or in discussions with veterinary experts, it was identified that prescriptions, cannot legally be purchased without a veterinarian’s prescription after a consultation.

Key Iterations

Adding the user's next booked appointment details on the homepage and calendar pages for more transparency and visibility.

The app's colour scheme has been carefully tested to ensure there is suﬃcient contrast between colours to make it easy to use for people with visual impairments.

Giving users the possibility to add and choose between multiple pets when getting to their detail pages.

Final Designs

Outcomes & Reflections

Project Impact

The veterinarian app received highly positive feedback from study participants, who appreciated its intuitive design and functionality. Users found it easy to navigate, especially when booking appointments, managing multiple pet profiles, and tracking their pets’ health.
The convenience of having all key features—like appointment scheduling and pet health information—easily accessible in one place greatly enhanced user satisfaction.

These improvements led to a smoother user experience, higher engagement, and increased confidence in managing their pets' health needs through the app.

Takeaways

Throughout the design and testing process, it became clear that users prioritised ease of access and personalisation over additional functionalities, such as the online store.

The usability study highlighted the importance of keeping key information like upcoming appointments on the homepage, and how critical it is for pet owners with multiple pets to easily navigate between profiles. We also learned the necessity of legal and regulatory understanding, as certain features—like medication ordering.

These insights underscored the value of involving diverse user perspectives early and testing the app in real-world scenarios to identify unseen challenges.

Throughout the design and testing process, it became clear that users prioritised ease of access and personalisation over additional functionalities, such as the online store. The usability study highlighted the importance of keeping key information like upcoming appointments on the homepage, and how critical it is for pet owners with multiple pets to easily navigate between profiles. We also learned the necessity of legal and regulatory understanding, as certain features—like medication ordering—were subject to restrictions we hadn’t fully anticipated. These insights underscored the value of involving diverse user perspectives early and testing the app in real-world scenarios to identify unseen challenges.

Next Steps

Analyse user feedback

I will review the insights from the usability study to identify areas for improvement.
By spotting patterns in user feedback, I can prioritise enhancements that will have the most significant impact on the overall experience.

Iterate and Refine

Based on the feedback, I'll implement design changes and iteratively refine the app.
These adjustments will be tested with users to ensure they improve usability and functionality.

Conduct Further Research

To continuously address user needs, further research will be conducted. The insights gained will guide future design decisions and refinements, ensuring that the app evolves based on user behaviour and expectations.

Thank you for exploring my design journey!

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Appreciate your visit!
Do not hesitate to reach out regarding any
kind of projects, or if you just want to say hello.

Let's Connect!

melissa.v.guimaraes@gmail.com

Appreciate your visit!
Do not hesitate to reach out regarding any
kind of projects, or if you just want to say hello.

Let's

Connect!

melissa.v.guimaraes@gmail.com

Appreciate your visit!
Do not hesitate to reach out regarding any
kind of projects, or if you just want to say hello.

Let's Connect!

melissa.v.guimaraes@gmail.com