Connecting people and pets through empathy, clarity, and storytelling.
Overview
FetchFeed is a conceptual mobile app that reimagines the pet adoption experience by combining intuitive UX with social storytelling. The platform connects adopters, shelters, and animal enthusiasts through personalized pet matches, AI-driven recommendations, and short-form video content that highlights real animals, daily shelter life, and user-generated stories.
Challenge
Most pet adoption experiences are transactional and lack emotional connection. Users scroll through static listings with minimal context, while shelters struggle to maintain engagement and visibility. The absence of personality, video, and storytelling makes it difficult for adopters to feel confident in their choices.
Solution
FetchFeed bridges clarity and empathy by pairing clean UX design with familiar, social-style interactions. Users can browse adoptable pets, watch authentic video content from shelters and animal lovers, and receive personalized recommendations powered by AI. The app also provides shelters with tools to manage listings, post content, and connect directly with potential adopters.
Goals
✓⃝ Design a pet adoption platform that feels dynamic, emotional, and human
✓⃝ Integrate video storytelling to increase transparency and engagement
✓⃝ Simplify pet discovery through streamlined navigation and personalized filtering
✓⃝ Empower shelters with content tools and analytics dashboards
✓⃝ Use AI to enhance pet-user compatibility and search efficiency
User Research
FetchFeed’s research began by exploring how users currently search for adoptable pets and engage with animal-related content online.
Key Insights
✓⃝ Users trust video and social content more than static listings when making adoption decisions.
✓⃝ Potential adopters want personalization but often feel overwhelmed by long filters and fragmented data.
✓⃝ Shelters value exposure but lack easy ways to update listings and share authentic, behind-the-scenes content.
Research Synthesis
Empathy maps and journey mapping revealed two primary personas:
The Seeker: A compassionate, curious user who wants to find a pet that fits their lifestyle and personality.
The Storyteller: A shelter or content creator seeking tools to share animal stories and connect authentically with potential adopters.
This duality led to a hybrid app model — part adoption platform, part social network — merging discovery with storytelling. These insights defined the app’s north star: “Design for connection, not just conversion.”
Information Architecture
FetchFeed’s IA was structured around two cohesive user flows. The “For You Page” (FYP) blends pet listings and short-form videos, helping users engage emotionally while maintaining usability. Every navigation decision is focused on speed, simplicity, and emotional continuity.
Two primary flows: one for adopters discovering pets and one for shelters creating content and managing listings.
Adopter Journey
- Launch App opens to welcome/onboarding
- Select Pets User chooses cats, dogs, or all
- Location & Preferences Radius, lifestyle, kids, other pets
- Personalized Feed Mixed pet cards + video content
- Pet Profile Photos, video from shelter, CTA to contact
- AI Assistant Refines search, suggests similar animals
- Save / Share / Apply User takes action or bookmarks
Shelter Journey
- Dashboard Snapshot of pets, messages, analytics
- Add / Edit Pet Name, age, temperament, adoption status
- Upload Video Short-form content to boost visibility
- Publish to Feed Content appears in adopter “For You” feed
- Messages / Inquiries Respond to interested adopters
- Analytics Views, saves, adoption pipeline
- Account Settings Team members, shelter info, integrations
Wireframes
I created low-fidelity wireframes to explore different layout options and test information hierarchy before moving into visual design.
Prototypes & Testing
Low-fidelity wireframes were first developed to validate navigation and content hierarchy, followed by high-fidelity prototypes in Figma that introduced motion, color, and interaction concepts.
Since FetchFeed is a conceptual project, usability testing was conducted through informal peer reviews and simulated user journeys rather than live product deployment. These evaluations helped refine the overall flow and visual clarity.
Key Insights
✓⃝ Users engaged longer with listings that included video elements and microinteractions.
✓⃝ Simplified onboarding and filtering improved comprehension and perceived ease of use.
✓⃝ The AI Assistant concept was well-received for reducing decision fatigue.
✓⃝ Adjustments to spacing, color contrast, and CTA hierarchy enhanced readability and flow.
Design Systems
Foundational styles for FetchFeed to keep screens consistent across adopter flows, shelter dashboard, and video content surfaces.
Color Tokens
Typography
Headline / H1
Design that connects people and pets.
Title / H2
Pet profile overview
Body
Clear, task-focused copy for forms, filters, and dashboard content.
Suggested stack: “Inter”, “SF Pro”, system-ui
Core Components
Primary Button
Secondary Button
Pet Card
Max
Results & Impact
FetchFeed demonstrates how empathetic UX and engaging visual storytelling can transform digital adoption platforms into community-driven ecosystems. By merging discovery with social interaction, the app concept elevates both emotional connection and functional usability.
This project strengthened my ability to integrate UX strategy, visual design, and motion thinking into one cohesive experience — creating not just an app, but a story users want to be part of.
