Kanoko Nagai Designer Portfolio
SaaS Platform for Animal Shelters
FurEver
Role
UI/UX Designer
Project Overview
FurEver is a centralized platform that helps animal shelters manage animal care, daily operations, and communication across staff, volunteers, and adopters. By connecting information around each animal in one place, FurEver aims to reduce administrative work and make everyday shelter operations more efficient.
The concept was inspired by user research and my own experience volunteering at an animal shelter, where I saw firsthand how information and responsibilities can become scattered across different people and tasks.
Final Product (Desktop & Web)
The desktop experience is primarily designed for animal shelter staff, focusing on efficient administrative work and quick access to essential animal information. Tasks, My To-do, and the Animal List are brought together in one dashboard to support daily operations.
Each animal card organizes four key categories of information, with responsibilities assigned to the appropriate staff member. This helps staff stay on top of essential care tasks and reduces the risk of anything being missed.
Final Product (Mobile)
The desktop experience is primarily designed for animal shelter staff, focusing on efficient administrative work and quick access to essential animal information. Tasks, My To-do, and the Animal List are brought together in one dashboard to support daily operations.
Each animal card organizes four key categories of information, with responsibilities assigned to the appropriate staff member. This helps staff stay on top of essential care tasks and reduces the risk of anything being missed.
Tasks to Solutions
Based on the research findings, I identified several “How might we…?” questions and translated them into practical solutions to address the key challenges.
How might we reduce the time Hannah spends on repetitive administrative tasks?
FurEver reduces administrative work by bringing information and communication into one centralized platform. Role-based access ensures that staff, volunteers, and adopters can view the information they need without duplicating work, such as re-entering handwritten notes or reorganizing information for different users.
How might we improve communication between staff and volunteers?
Volunteers can access essential animal information as soon as they start their shift, allowing them to get to work without waiting for staff. FurEver also provides a centralized messaging system, replacing scattered communication across multiple WhatsApp groups.
How might we help potential adopters find the right animal more easily?
FurEver helps adopters find suitable animals through detailed filters based on their preferences and lifestyle. A lightweight questionnaire can also suggest potential matches, making it easier to discover animals they may not have considered. By screening must-meet conditions from both the animal and adopter sides, the system can also help staff identify suitable matches more efficiently.
Research
Sitemap and Wireframe
Next Steps
This iteration focused primarily on animal shelter staff, but the research also revealed pain points in the adopter experience. Some adopters were uncomfortable sharing sensitive personal information before being shortlisted, and this could discourage them from continuing the process.
As a next step, I would explore a more approachable adoption flow that balances adopter privacy with the shelter’s need to find the right family. Improving this experience could ultimately benefit both adopters and shelter staff.
Deliverables
UI/UX Design/ Prototype