Designing a digital platform to unify pet healthcare
An 8 week project where I designed and prototyped a pet healthcare app, based on landscape analysis, user interviews, and user testing.
Client
Personal Project
Duration
8 Weeks
Team
Josh Kotel
Role
UX/UI Design
Research
The Challenge
While so much of life has gone digital, vet care remains stuck in analog systems. Pet owners still rely on phone calls for appointments, manage a mix of scattered paper and digital records, and track communications across a mix of digital and paper documents—meaning lost medical records, forgotten doses, and missing health information when it's needed. What's lacking is way for pet owners to control their pet's healthcare all from one place.
“ Typically I rely on the vet to let me know—they keep track.”
– Donna, Dog Mom
The Insight
Pet owners trust vets to manage their pet's health, but this trust exists without transparency or autonomy. They're dependent on systems they can't access and availability they can't control—"what happens if there's an emergency?" The opportunity here isn't to replace this relationship, but to extend it. Preserving the familiar vet experience in digital form gives pet owners a level of control and cohesion missing from the current system.
What I Did
Led the project from concept to prototype, conducting user interviews and usability testing throughout. Owned all research efforts to inform design decisions and validate solutions.
More control over their pet’s care – less work.
The dashboard houses essential tools like being able to easily upload Records, get medication and visit Reminders, and track your pet's Health Chart, all in one place.
Here it was important to display valuable information for users to scan.
Verification, Specialties, Licensure, and User Reviews are highlighted for scannability.
Features like Live Chat and Find a Provider mean quick answers are just a tap away.
Next Steps
With more time, I would build out of key pages, and perform more usability tests. Beginning with the visit history page, including visit breakdowns and smart-integration for invoice explanations. Also a build out of the chart page, as well as calendar integration for appointment and medication reminders.