Case Study
Case Study
Case Study
Indy Pets
Indy Pets
Indy Pets
Project Overview.
Project Overview.
Project Overview.
Indy Pets is one of the UK’s only platforms dedicated to showcasing animals in need of loving homes, sourced from small and independent charities.
Many grassroots charities lack the resources to maintain their own websites, making it difficult to showcase rescued animals and connect with potential adopters. The Indy Pets platform unites these organizations under one digital ecosystem, making adoption more accessible while allowing charities to retain their unique identity.
Indy Pets is one of the UK’s only platforms dedicated to showcasing animals in need of loving homes, sourced from small and independent charities.
Many grassroots charities lack the resources to maintain their own websites, making it difficult to showcase rescued animals and connect with potential adopters. The Indy Pets platform unites these organizations under one digital ecosystem, making adoption more accessible while allowing charities to retain their unique identity.
The Problem.
The Problem.
The Problem.
Smaller rescue organizations often rely on a fragmented mix of social media, word-of-mouth, and outdated websites to advertise pets.
This inefficient process leads to:
Volunteers spending more time marketing than caring for animals.
Limited visibility for lesser-known charities.
Users struggling to find and adopt pets through a streamlined process.
Goal
To design a user-friendly, centralized adoption platform that:
Showcases animals from multiple small charities.
Simplifies the adoption process with intuitive search and filtering.
Retains each charity’s brand identity while ensuring equal visibility.
Smaller rescue organizations often rely on a fragmented mix of social media, word-of-mouth, and outdated websites to advertise pets.
This inefficient process leads to:
Volunteers spending more time marketing than caring for animals.
Limited visibility for lesser-known charities.
Users struggling to find and adopt pets through a streamlined process.
Goal
To design a user-friendly, centralized adoption platform that:
Showcases animals from multiple small charities.
Simplifies the adoption process with intuitive search and filtering.
Retains each charity’s brand identity while ensuring equal visibility.
Smaller rescue organisations often rely on a fragmented mix of social media, word-of-mouth, and outdated websites to advertise pets.
This inefficient process leads to:
Volunteers spending more time marketing than caring for animals.
Limited visibility for lesser-known charities.
Users struggling to find and adopt pets through a streamlined process.
Goal
To design a user-friendly, centralised adoption platform that:
Showcases animals from multiple small charities.
Simplifies the adoption process with intuitive search and filtering.
Retains each charity’s brand identity while ensuring equal visibility.
Research & Findings.
Research & Findings.
Research & Findings.
To understand the challenges faced by charities and adopters, I conducted:
User interviews with small charity representatives.
Competitor analysis of existing platforms like Pets4Homes, Gumtree, and large charities.
Adopter surveys to identify pain points in the adoption journey.
Key Findings
Charities Lack Proper Tools: Many relied on a mix of Facebook, email, and fundraising sites, which were not designed for structured adoption listings. This increased the workload for volunteers.
Visibility Concerns: Some charities feared that being listed on a shared platform would mean competing for attention rather than benefiting from increased visibility.
Users Struggle with Search: People looking to adopt often found it difficult to filter by location, breed, or animal type, leading to frustration.
Trust & Bias Issues: Larger platforms often prioritize paid placements or featured listings, which could make smaller charities feel overshadowed. To solve this, Indy Pets needed to be an inclusive and unbiased space where all organizations were equally represented.
To understand the challenges faced by charities and adopters, I conducted:
User interviews with small charity representatives.
Competitor analysis of existing platforms like Pets4Homes, Gumtree, and large charities.
Adopter surveys to identify pain points in the adoption journey.
Key Findings
Charities Lack Proper Tools: Many relied on a mix of Facebook, email, and fundraising sites, which were not designed for structured adoption listings. This increased the workload for volunteers.
Visibility Concerns: Some charities feared that being listed on a shared platform would mean competing for attention rather than benefiting from increased visibility.
Users Struggle with Search: People looking to adopt often found it difficult to filter by location, breed, or animal type, leading to frustration.
Trust & Bias Issues: Larger platforms often prioritize paid placements or featured listings, which could make smaller charities feel overshadowed. To solve this, Indy Pets needed to be an inclusive and unbiased space where all organizations were equally represented.
Design Approach
Design Approach
Design Approach
Ensuring Equal Visibility & Branding
The UI was structured to balance both charity identity and user experience:
Animal-Centric Listings: Each pet profile clearly displayed its charity, without prioritizing one over another.
Filtering System: Users could search by location, breed, or charity to find the best match.
Charity Profiles: Clicking on an animal led to a dedicated page for that charity, ensuring visibility while maintaining the platform’s neutrality.
Local & Related Animals Sidebar: To further support cross-charity adoption, nearby animals and similar breeds from different organizations were suggested to users.
Ensuring Equal Visibility & Branding
The UI was structured to balance both charity identity and user experience:
Animal-Centric Listings: Each pet profile clearly displayed its charity, without prioritizing one over another.
Filtering System: Users could search by location, breed, or charity to find the best match.
Charity Profiles: Clicking on an animal led to a dedicated page for that charity, ensuring visibility while maintaining the platform’s neutrality.
Local & Related Animals Sidebar: To further support cross-charity adoption, nearby animals and similar breeds from different organizations were suggested to users.
Ensuring Equal Visibility & Branding
The UI was structured to balance both charity identity and user experience:
Animal-Centric Listings: Each pet profile clearly displayed its charity, without prioritising one over another.
Filtering System: Users could search by location, breed, or charity to find the best match.
Charity Profiles: Clicking on an animal led to a dedicated page for that charity, ensuring visibility while maintaining the platform’s neutrality.
Local & Related Animals Sidebar: To further support cross-charity adoption, nearby animals and similar breeds from different organizations were suggested to users.
Implementation & Features.
Implementation & Features.
Implementation & Features.
Intuitive Pet Listings:
High-quality images, clear adoption statuses, and direct contact options.
The homepage emphasizes “Discover the Joy of Adoption”, reinforcing the emotional connection to potential adopters.
Advanced Filtering & Search:
Users can refine searches by animal type, breed, location, or specific charities.
Adoption journeys are made simpler, as shown in the “Your Journey to Forever Friends” section of the homepage.
Future Consideration - Messaging System:
Initial feedback suggested a built-in messaging system to facilitate faster communication between adopters and charities.
This feature was not included at launch to avoid disrupting existing workflows but was marked as a potential future enhancement.
Intuitive Pet Listings:
High-quality images, clear adoption statuses, and direct contact options.
The homepage emphasizes “Discover the Joy of Adoption”, reinforcing the emotional connection to potential adopters.
Advanced Filtering & Search:
Users can refine searches by animal type, breed, location, or specific charities.
Adoption journeys are made simpler, as shown in the “Your Journey to Forever Friends” section of the homepage.
Future Consideration - Messaging System:
Initial feedback suggested a built-in messaging system to facilitate faster communication between adopters and charities.
This feature was not included at launch to avoid disrupting existing workflows but was marked as a potential future enhancement.
Outcome & Impact
Outcome & Impact
Outcome & Impact
Positive Reception: Early prototypes received enthusiastic feedback from charities, particularly for its ease of use and neutral presentation of all organizations.
Increased Adoption Efficiency: The centralized platform reduced the time spent on marketing, allowing charities to focus on animal care.
Community Growth: The homepage newsletter signup fosters ongoing engagement between adopters and rescue organizations.
Positive Reception: Early prototypes received enthusiastic feedback from charities, particularly for its ease of use and neutral presentation of all organizations.
Increased Adoption Efficiency: The centralized platform reduced the time spent on marketing, allowing charities to focus on animal care.
Community Growth: The homepage newsletter signup fosters ongoing engagement between adopters and rescue organizations.
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
Key Takeaways
User-Centric Design is Essential: Understanding the unique needs of both charities and adopters helped shape an experience that benefited all stakeholders.
Balancing Branding with Equality: The design successfully ensured that smaller charities weren’t overshadowed, creating a collaborative, not competitive, ecosystem.
Iterate Based on Real Needs: Features like internal messaging and adoption process integrations were considered for future iterations, ensuring the platform evolves with user feedback.
User-Centric Design is Essential: Understanding the unique needs of both charities and adopters helped shape an experience that benefited all stakeholders.
Balancing Branding with Equality: The design successfully ensured that smaller charities weren’t overshadowed, creating a collaborative, not competitive, ecosystem.
Iterate Based on Real Needs: Features like internal messaging and adoption process integrations were considered for future iterations, ensuring the platform evolves with user feedback.
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