Cell Dogs

Overview

During 1 academic year, I designed a comprehensive internal database website for Cell Dogs, a non-profit organization aiding in the rehabilitation of inmates through dog training programs. Collaborated with a team to conduct market research, prototyping, and user validation. I worked on this project while under Commit the Change, a student-led volunteer organization at UC Irvine that produces high-quality software for nonprofit organizations in Orange County.

Problem Space

NPO was struggling with data management, and previously kept all organization data in a spreadsheet that was prone to error, difficult to search, and difficult to update.

Key Project Requirements

1. Easily enter and store all dog information into the database

2. Allow users to easily search for dogs and program facilities

3. Have multiple secure administrator logins

Market Research

We started off by dedicating an entire design sync to completing a competitive audit. We researched other existing data management software products in order to better understand the best way to display our client’s data effectively. 

In addition to the competitive audit, we also made user personas and customer journey maps to better understand our main users, the Cell Dogs team administrators. 

Key takeaways From Market Research

1. Color-coded chips/tags for every dog for effective categorization along with visual appeal

2. Dog profile views which would display all the information of the dog (aka have some less frequently used information hidden away)

3. Side-drawer for search filters within the database

How did we actually implement these designs?

Together as a team, we worked through the initial ideation process. We came up with sketches for the key user flows for our final designs. I worked mainly on the Login user flows and use cases, assisting others as needed. 

Note: We worked with the Chakra UI Figma kit in order to standardize our designs and facilitate developer handoff.

Usability Testing

After creating our first drafts of the Hi-Fi wireframes and Figma prototype, we reached out to our main users for user validation and testing. I helped lead the usability testing with a couple of my other team members. During the usability testing phase, we presented the Cell Dogs representatives with a series of tasks aimed at evaluating the functionality and user-friendliness of our database website. The feedback we received provided valuable insights that shaped our design iterations and ultimately improved the usability of the platform. 

Some example tasks:

1. Login: Can you walk me through how you would use your username and password to log into the Cell Dogs website? How would you reset your password? 

Purpose: This task revealed areas where the login flow could be streamlined and clarified. 

2. Searching for a dog and edit their graduation status: How would you search for a dog that is female and a Husky? How would change this dog’s status to graduated from the OC probation facility? 

Purpose: Through this task, we identified areas where the data entry process could be optimized for efficiency and accuracy. It also highlighted how we needed to refine our search filters. 

Incorporating Feedback

Overall, the usability testing sessions were successful, with users able to complete tasks with relative ease. However, we received valuable feedback that prompted several design iterations:

1. Adjusting the display of a dog's age to reflect their graduation age from the Cell Dogs program, rather than their actual age.  

2.  Enhancing the dog profile view to include details about the specific unit they trained under at their respective facility.

3. Adding a column to the facilities table to display key facility contacts, providing users with essential information at a glance.

Finalizing the product

By incorporating this feedback into our design iterations, we were able to enhance the user experience and ensure that the final product met the needs of the Cell Dogs organization effectively.

As a part of our handoff to the client, my team and I also worked to prepare a comprehensive user manual for the Cell Dogs administrator team's reference, detailing all of the software features and functionalities. The manual was created using Gitbook and contains step-by-step instructions. 

Note: I cannot display the user manual publicly since it contains sensitive and private internal Cell Dogs team information. 

Thank you video

After successfully delivering our final product, we received a thank you video from the Cell Dogs organization. It was a heartwarming reminder of the meaningful impact our work had on our organization and motivated me to continue working on creating impactful solutions for other non-profit organizations like Cell Dogs!