How Ark Works

Select what type of animal a user is looking for. Look through all of the available animals within their area in a system similar to dating apps like tinder. Let's say the user chose cats, they could even be as specific as wanting an orange cat. Individual bios and pictures of each animal would be presented with a yes or no feature with the ability to click for more information on the animal. If the user selected yes it would be added to their interest page and they could set up an appointment for an arc employee to safely and not dramatically bring the pet to the user’s house so that they could meet them and decide if they wanted to adopt them. 

User Research

In my research, I found no similar applications. The majority of delivery services for pets were food, medications, and supply needs. An interesting discovery in my research was finding pet adoption transport & relocation services. Pet transport is the transfer of adoptable pets from over-populated areas to regions of the U.S. where demand for adoptable pets is high. The ultimate goal of pet transport operations is to address the imbalance in the supply and demand of pets nationwide. Generally speaking, transport pets originate in the southern United States and travel north to receiving shelters, rescues, and fosters. In most cases, pet transport is conducted on a shelter-to-shelter basis. For my project, I thought this information was valuable because Ark could partner with those southern relocation services and help them adopt animals for people in other states.

Brand Assets

Naming

As a sophomore in my first UX design class, I was taught to make word maps. I basically like to write out the first things that come to mind on a topic. Write down every association that you can think of and edit the ideas from there. For animal rescue, I wrote down shelter, delivery, rescue, van, dog, etc. I started trying to visualize inspiration for animal rescue. The idea clicked in my head that it would be like Noah’s ark. I liked the idea of animals all being saved and the boat “delivering” them. It was simple, catchy, and an easy association to understand the meaning of the brand. 

Designing the Logo

With the name solidified in my head, I started sketching thumbnails of all different kinds of boats. When I first completed the project as a sophomore, I had decided on an origami paper design. I really liked the appearance of it, but when I was recreating the project now, I realized that it wasn’t exactly cohesive with the brand. I started sketching again and thought there needed to be some element of animals in the illustration. I was fixated on the idea of creating either a replica of a biblical-looking ark or a sailboat. I started trying to incorporate paw prints. I then had the idea of making the sail of a simple boat be a dog’s paw print. I think it reads like a boat, but also portrays that this company is involved with pet care. 

Adoption Research

Adoption Fees and Contract:

• Is there an adoption contract? (There should be, and you should receive a copy electronically prior to finalization and payment.)

• Are transport fees included in the adoption fee of the pet?

• Are there any additional fees or costs added to the adoption fee?

• Are fees paid in full at the point of adoption, or will additional fees be due when the pet arrives?

• Will the transport person ask for any compensation at the meeting place?

• What does your adoption fee cover? Does it include:

  • Spay/Neuter

  • Vaccinations

  • Flea/Tick Treatment

  • Heartworm Test/Monthly Prophylactic

  • Microchip

Veterinary care

• All transport pets should have a veterinary health certificate to travel across state lines. This will certify that the pet is in good health and is safe to travel.

• Virtually all pets in a transport program should be spayed or neutered prior to transport. (The only exclusions to this list are puppies and kittens too young for sterilization. In those instances, the pet is likely too young for transport as well.) Be sure to ask if your transported pet is spayed or neutered, and require proof of surgery prior to finalizing any adoption.

• All transport pets should have vaccinations prior to transport. At a minimum, vaccination from Rabies is required. Best practices would also include vaccines for Bordatella and Distemper.

The rescue, group or individual sending the pet should be able to confirm that the pet is traveling with a complete veterinary history that contains the date and type of care administered by a licensed veterinarian. You should request and expect that these records can be shared with you electronically prior to transport of the animal.

Transport process:

It is important that transport pets are transferred safely, legally and with reasonable accommodations. Prior to finalizing a transport adoption, confirm:

• How far the pet will be traveling.

• If pets will be checked periodically for health and stress during transport (every 2-4 hours is the minimum best practice with access to water during each check).

• If the trip is multi-day, where and how will animals be housed overnight. No more than twelve traveling hours in a day is best, and not holding animals in the transport vehicle overnight. (Unloading, boarding overnight, then reloading is best practice.)

• If pets are housed in individual spaces during transport, or grouped together (individual spacing is best practice).

• If pets are provided ample space (the pet should be able to stand up, turn completely around and lay down within the space provided).

• If a process is established for emergencies along the transport route (i.e. emergency veterinarians identified along the transport route, a veterinary technician on the transport team, etc.)

What happens if the adoption doesn’t work out?

Prior to finalizing your transport adoption, be sure to ask about the rescue’s return policy. In the event that this pet does not bond with you or your family, lifestyle, schedule, or other pets, what is the group’s preference or process to surrender the pet?

Many (most) shelters and rescues require that any pet adopted be returned to the same shelter/rescue if the adoption does not work for any reason. For pet transport, this becomes logistically difficult. Make sure you fully understand the group’s expectation for the surrender of a transport pet.

• Should the pet be returned to the group? If so, how?

• Does the group have a local foster network to accept surrenders?

• Who pays for return transport?

• How long does it take to return a pet?

Extending the Brand.

When speaking with my art director, I was trying to figure out a way to add more to the brand identity for collateral. We discussed adding brushstrokes, stripes, or some kind of image gradient map to put on the products. I was inspired by high-end companies making pattern prints out of their logos. I think this brick-style pattern works well and creates its own visual identity.

Conclusion

Thank you for your consideration and time in viewing this application concept. I believe in the future a service like this could become even more valuable because more and more people won’t own cars in cities. As a passionate animal lover, I want to find solutions for animals to be cared for and adopted. Using my knowledge and abilities with technology creates a plausible service like Ark to become a reality.