Cat in a Flat: the third project at Ironhack UX/UI Design Bootcamp was redesign a real app. The challenge was individual and you would choose an app that you liked, but though you could improve.
OVERVIEW
As a cat owner, I usually hire people to look after my cats while we are away. Last year I discovered the site and app Cat in a Flat and loved the idea. You can hire cat sitters near your home. They are verified, rated and you can choose them by proximity, price, experience, reviews and if they are also cat owners. You can also apply to become a cat sitter.
The app Cat in a Flat is exactly the mobile version of the website. Even the advertisement to download the app stills. So, let's to redesign it!
PROBLEM
I did a research on the App Store and found many pet sitter apps. But most of them are focused on dogs, although some also accept cats and other animals.
The only cat-specific one was Cat in a Flat and as a cat owner myself, I very much appreciate this distinction because cats don't like changes in their routine and generally don't like going out (especially if they live in apartments).
The heuristic analysis for user interface design is based in Jakob Nielsen’s 10 general principles for interaction design. For this case, most problems are about aesthetic and minimalist design. You can see more details in the case study published on Medium.
Solution
While I believe that the app has some room for improvement, I like the colors and style.
So I tried to keep the color palette; I just changed the proportion among them on my version of app.
The idea is to communicate comfort (because the cat sitter go to your home), care, friendliness, safety and convenience.
Prototype
We built a Hi-Fi prototype to test a user flow. You can see it below.
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What is next?
The main lesson from this challenge was how important an experienced point of view is in providing feedback. I'm very grateful for José Victor for the opportunity and insights.
We didn't have time (because next challenge is already underway), but in real life, next steps would test the app with potential users and gather feedback to improve the redesign.
Want to know more?
You can read full case study on Medium. Just click the botton below.