Lead UX/UI Designer | 12 Months | Launching mobile app | 5,300 app downloads in the first 30 days
Overview
People struggled to find relevant pet care content, share experiences, and connect with other pet parents in an engaging way. The existing product lacked structure, relevance, and real community traction.
Scritch is a mobile social ecosystem created to unify fragmented pet care. I shaped a dual-purpose experience—both a utility tool and a social network—that eases the mental load of pet ownership while building community.
Impact
- 📱 Launch the new pet social app to the pet industry
- 🎯 5,300 app downloads in first 30 days
- 📉 21% in retention Rate in first 30 days
- ⭐ App Store Ratings 4.1 in first 30 days
Project Details
- Client: AON Affinity Pet Service
- Platform: iOS / Android / Web
- Role: UX Designer (End-to-End)
- Duration: 12 Months
- Tools: Axure RP, Figma, UserTesting.com, and Google Analytics
My Role
I led the project end-to-end, from problem validation through experimentation and measurement.
Responsibilities
- Preliminary user study, such as card sorting and low-fidelity UI testing.
- UX whiteboard exercise and journey map creation
- Designed interactive prototypes in Figma and Axure
- Planned and moderated qualitative usability tests via UserTesting.com
- Synthesized insights into actionable UX principles used across the dashboard
Challenge: Fragmented Pet Care
Research showed pet parents often used three or more apps: one for medical needs, Instagram for photos, and Facebook groups for advice—resulting in app fatigue, sporadic engagement, and distrust in any single solution.
The Core Tension
How might we collect enough information to personalize the experience—without making onboarding feel like a tedious chore?
Research Insights: Beyond the “Cute Factor”
After we obtained market research data, I led 200 moderated interviews with active pet parents to understand needs and problems, competitors, and industry dynamics, and to uncover drivers of retention and engagement.
- 80% of the new pet owners mentioned they feel 'parenting guilt' when looking at influencer pet accounts.
- 60% of participants return to the social app due to other people's reactions (comments or likes).
- 100% of participants were overwhelmed by the request for personal information at the front.
The “Aha” Moment
Users didn’t want another generic social feed.
“I don’t just want to see cute dogs—I want to know if that local park is safe for my puppy.”
Key Findings
- Comparison Anxiety: New pet owners felt intimidated by highly curated, Instagram-style feeds and preferred smaller, interest-based communities.
- The Utility Hook: Users downloaded the app for tools (reminders, care tracking) but stayed for people (advice, reassurance).
- Onboarding Friction: Asking for detailed medical history before demonstrating value caused immediate drop-offs.
Strategic Solution: Designing for Early Wins
The design strategy focused on helping users experience value as early as possible—emotionally and functionally.
1. Value-First Onboarding
I designed the onboarding experience with progressive disclosure to make entry easier.
Users enrolled with their email and first and last name, and added a layered approach to capture pet info and person info over time as they use each service.
2. Solving the “Cold Start” Social Feed
I added interest-based segmentation during signup to avoid a generic first experience.
Users picked simple preferences—like puppy training or hiking—to shape their feed and pet service map settings. With this auto-personalization approach, we delivered a relevant, localized feed—so they can access the pet services they need.
3. The Hybrid Daily Dashboard
I built a dual-purpose daily task at the top of the feed.
This encouraged completion of care tasks and boosted daily app use—social or not.
Final Impact & Metrics
The initial launch show positive engagement.
- 5,300 app downloads in first 30 days
- 21% in retention Rate in first 30 days
- App Store Ratings 4.1 in first 30 days
Reflection & Learnings
- Utility hooks users; community keeps them. Apps solve problems, but connection retains users.
- Warm illustrations and empathetic micro-copy make reminders feel like care, not chores.
Strong UX reduces anxiety before adding features—especially in care-focused products.