Project Overview

Mirroring wellness trends in general, pet health is an increasing concern for owners, with 70% of owners purchasing medications in the last year.

The increased focus on pet wellness represents a growth opportunity in the marketplace, and adds a layer of complexity to pet care for owners, vets and caretakers.

Rexly, a fictional mobile app for busy pet owners, addresses pet owners' need for an all-in-one tool to managing their pets’ medications, featuring refilland dosing reminders, task sharing, and messaging.

User Research

I conducted surveys of 20 pet owners, including one professional pet sitter and one veterinarian, to identify common challenges within the medication delivery space.

Affinity mapping allowed me to identify the key user pain points that arose with multiple users, summarized in the chart below, while ChatGPT aided in summarizing responses and identifying trends.

The primary issue for our users was medication adherence, with information sharing a close second; these pain points became the focus of our onboarding process.

User Personas

Survey data showed that pet owners with more than one pet, and/or a pet with a complex medical history, are likely to be juggling multiple medications with different timeframes and delivery methods.

Caretakers such as pet sitters and other household members may also be involved in delivering medication, while veterinarians are key resources for dosage advice and reliable, trusted medication.

Four user personas were created: Pet owners are the primary users, while household members, pet sitters/walkers and veterinarians are included in the secondary user group.

Competitor Research

In our competitor analysis, we found a niche gap in the marketplace - Most of the apps for handling pet meds focused on shopping, and provided extremely cluttered, poorly designed, discount-focused experiences.

No application put pet health as the top priority over retail functions, nor did any the apps allow for sharing information with household members and sitters, which was a primary pain point for our user base.

User Flow

User flow development was centered around user pain points and driving users to the key benefits of medication reminders and shared notifications.

Helping the pet owner, our primary user, access the app’s key features as quickly as possible was the top-of-mind goal.

Delaying a notifications request until the user sets the dosage reminder, together with optional account creation for medication reminders for a single pet, allow the user to access the benefits of the app immediately.

Wireframe Sketches

Initial quick sketches focused on guiding users through the steps to set up medication reminders. This process helped to identify common UX design patterns for forms and to create a familiar and user-friendly experience.

This is key when a lot of information is needed for the initial set-up — Streamlined inputs encourage interaction and create a more engaging experience.

Low-Fidelity Wireframes

Wireframes for scheduling prescription reminders show the key aspects of streamlining the user's set-up process:

• Minimizing the amount of typing required

• Ensuring quick, easy ways for user to input data

• Allowing for camera use to scan prescription label

• Providing predictive autocomplete for medication names

• Breaking steps onto multiple screens to avoid fatigue

• Requiring only the information needed for set-up

A trustworthy, friendly brand image

Market research indicated that millennials are the leading users in the pet wellness category; the brand image inspiration brings in millennial appeal with playful visual elements, 
friendly colors, and a clean design style.

The resulting moodboard serves as a roadmap for the design system and related components, establishing a consistent brand look and feel.

High Fidelity Screens

The resulting screen designs followed our brand look with a clean, happy, warm feel. Notifications, shown below, are also a key part of the app's functionality.

Prototyping & Testing

How could we create a smooth, frictionless onboarding process for new users? This could be a challenge when some setup is required to access the app's key features - medication reminders and task sharing.

After creating an initial working prototype, I tested the flow with three users. It became clear that the onboarding screens could be structured to better prepare the user for the setup process.

Below is an overview of the original prototype and the changes made based on user feedback:

Prototype Video

Learnings

Given the high rate of drop-off for mobile apps in general, with 75% of users abandoning an app within one day of use, a cohesive and engaging onboarding process is a top priority for mobile design. Creating a user-friendly and delightful experience from the jump is something I explored here in the Rexly app.

Further user testing would center around the medication reminder and sharing experience, to give users access to the app's best features. A progressive model of onboarding would be a reasonable approach, using design tools like tooltips, hotspots, and overlays, to educate users about the app's functions without creating overwhelm.

I'd love to hear your feedback on this project! Drop me a note if you have comments.