Background
Rover is an app that connects pet owners with local Pet Sitters and Walkers. Operating in 10 countries they have a large community of Pet Sitters who will, board, walk, house sit. or just drop by to check in on people’s pets.
PS - This is a case study, I am no way affiliated with Rover.
Problem
Rover's current booking process requires Pet Owners to cold message Sitters and is a time intensive process. Research showed a lot of Sitters respond that they are unavailable or completely ghost the Pet Owners. (Read more how I got this understanding below). By overhauling the existing process, Rover can provide a more fluid process for both Pet Owners and Sitters.
tools
• Figma
• FigJam
• Handsketch
• After Effects
deliverables
• User Interviews
• New & Existing Site Maps
• Information Architecture
• Hi-Fi Wireframes
03
Design
Wireframes
The following wireframes show the development of the booking process from the Client's perspective of creating a Job Card, and contact with the Pet Sitter. It also shows screens of the Pet Sitter receiving a notification and reviewing the Job.
Client creates a Job Card for a Home Sit
04
Design Iteration
Usability Insight
5 participants
Ages 27- 50
3 tasks - create a Job Card as a Pet Owner, review Job Card as a Sitter, then message Sitter
Testing revealed a few insights for the of the design. Users found the process easy to use and needed a few minor changes to make the instructions a little clearer.
Improving the Home screen
Depending if the user a pet sitter or pet owner, Rover's current design has two Home pages. Research showed that most pet sitters also use Rover to as a client, and vise versa. Instead of having two Home screens the user is given a CTA.
Adding a simple carousel of relevant topics creates a sense of community.
Improving the Sitter's Experience
Rover's current systems pings Pet Sitters with an auto-populated message sent by the client with details about the job. Unfortunately this message is disorganized and does not display the information clearly. A lot of the information is repeated in different areas, with no consistency between them.
The way in which information is presented can make all the difference. Using a Job Card format with the essential details laid out in a clear visual cues using the 4 of the 5Ws (who, what, where, and when) generating an effective hierarchy.
Original
New
05
Prototype
Take a look at the Figma prototype in action!
Looking back
Lessons
The time spent scouring through reviews for secondary research was well spent. These findings were critical in pinpointing the right problem to solve for the largest user gain.
Also, without the aid of those close to me who participated in testing, research, (and encouragement) I wouldn't have been able to make this project happen, I am forever in their debt.
Next Steps
I would like to pass these findings and solutions off to the team at Rover and hopefully they can implement some of my findings into their app.
