afeiçoa-te

December 2021 – March 2022

afeiçoa-te’s main focus is to ensure conscious and responsible adoptions through a two‑phase process. Phase one assesses the adopter's capability to adopt, while phase two matches them with animals fitting the adopter's profile. Moreover, the app educates adopters comprehensively, preparing them to care for their forever companion.

Interaction

Academic Project

Interaction Design, Web and Games Specialization Course, Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Porto

Design Tools

Figma |
Adobe Illustrator

Development Technologies

HTML & CSS |
JavaScript (JQuery)

The image shows a smartphone displaying an app interface for the adoption process. On the screen, there are cartoon illustrations of a cat and a dog, both looking friendly. Above them is a speech bubble that reads, “Olá! Antes de encontrares o teu companheiro, precisamos de saber se estás à procura de um gato ou de um cão.” Below, there are two red buttons labeled “Gato” and “Cão,” allowing users to select their preferred pet.

The image shows a mobile phone screen displaying the beginning of a questionnaire from the pet matching app 'afeiçoa‑te'. A sitted cartooon cat asks, 'Que distância estás disposto a percorrer para adotares o teu companheiro? Terás que visitar o abrigo múltiplas vezes.

Project Motivation

Every year in Portugal around 30.000 animals are abandoned

From these only 35% find a new family (Sic Notícias, 2021). Associations are overcrowded and unable to answer to the demand of wandering animals that need rescue (Lusa, 2021). Adoption not only gives an abandoned animal another chance, but also allows the animal shelters to free a space that can be occupied by another animal in need.

If in Portugal the pandemic crises increased animal abandonment, the lockdown and its solitude also led to an increase in adoption requests (Costa A., 2020). Therefore, there is an increase in the interest of the portuguese population to adopt animals.

A small black kitten with striking green eyes is looking through metal bars of a cage. Its fur is shiny, and it has a curious expression. One paw is resting against the bars, suggesting a desire for interaction.

User Research

In the adoption process there are two stakeholders involved: the adopter and the institution that shelters the animal. It was important to understand both of their perspectives and involvement in this process.

The Adopter

A questionnaire was developed aiming to comprehend what drives people to adopt and what’s their decision process when choosing their forever companion.

The Institution

An interview was conducted and analyzed to assess the role institutions’ members play in this process and what’s required and expected from the adopter.

User Persona

The data gathered through the questionnaire enabled the creation of a user persona that describes a primary user of the application: a person interested in adopting an animal.

Leonor Silva, 22yrs

Matosinhos, Porto

A young woman with curly brown hair and a bright smile is pictured. She is wearing a loose white shirt and a feather earring. She rests her chin on her hand, conveying a cheerful demeanor.

Description

Leonor is a student at the Faculty of Economy, University of Porto. She lives with her parents and depends on them financially.

She wants to add a cat to her family, but she never had a pet and doesn’t know what it implies. She wants to adopt, and not shop but isn’t familiar with the adoption process.

Leonor talked with her parents about her wish to adopt and convinced them to accept a cat in their family. Leonor’s parents don’t mind paying the costs inherent to having a pet, but are still apprehensive.

She isn’t looking for specific characteristics in the cat and doesn’t exclude the possibility to adopt an animal with disability or disease. However, she doesn’t want an aggressive cat, that isn’t sociable, since she doesn’t have any experience and doesn’t believe she’s fit to integrate it with her family.

Through friends, Leonor found the social media of some associations, however she doesn’t want to limit herself by visiting just a few animals. She believes that when she adopts her cat, it will be because she felt a strong emotional connection.

Goals

Learn the implications of having a cat

Find her forever pet

Go through an easy adoption process

Motivations

Give a cat another life

Provide a home to a cat in need

Find a cat to keep her company

User Scenarios

Learn About Cats

Leonor wants to adopt a cat so she installs the app. Since she doesn’t know much about the implications of having a cat, she uses it to learn more.

Find a Matching Cat

Leonor feels ready to adopt. She opens the app in search of a cat that matches with her. She is matched with several cats, and although it’s a tough choice, she chooses the oldest cat because she knows it’ll have an easier adaptation to its new home.

Adopt a Cat

Leonor shows her parents the cat that she picked and explains to them the several steps they’ll have to take before they can bring it home. Together they decided to go through with the adoption. Leonor uses the app to contact the institution that fosters the animal.

Post-Adoption Follow‑Up

Leonor already has her new companion with her. However, she still uses the app to send pictures to the institution where the cat was, so they can follow up on the adoption.

Requirements

Based on the conducted user research a list of requirements was compiled encompassing functional, informative, context and experience requirements of the application.

Download Requirements

Information Architecture

With this research it was understood that there are several phases that Leonor has to go through in the app to adopt an animal.

First, she has to take an adoption ability test, so the institutions are sure she’s ready to adopt. Second, she has to take a matching questionnaire, since different animals require different needs from their owners. Afterwards she chooses one animal from five that matched with her and starts the adoption process.

It was also understood that Leonor has to have access to the adoption guide and profile at any given phase, and not just in the beginning of this journey

Wireflows

To ensure consistency, the homepage maintains a uniform structure throughout the adoption process, with the only variation being the action triggered by the main button and its label, which adapts according to the user’s current adoption phase.

A key objective of this project was to prioritize animal well‑being, therefore the animal is the central focus of the application. Depending on whether the user is adopting a dog or a cat, a corresponding mascot guides them through the entire adoption process.

Hand-drawn wireflows of the mobile app 'afeiçoa-te', depicting a series of screens and interactions. The flow is divided into five stages: 1. Primeira Utilização, 2. Guia de Adoção, 3. Verificação, 4. Compatibilidade, and 5. Conta. Each stage is represented by a set of screens connected by arrows, indicating the user's journey through the app. The screens contain sketches of various UI elements, such as buttons, text fields, and icons.

Figma Prototype

Usability Testing

The project was tested with five potential users. During the tests it was comprehended that there were needed changes.

For instance, a progress bar is needed so the user doesn’t worry about losing their progress, reassuring them that it is saved.

In terms of the adoption test, it was comprehended that it should be more fluid, allowing the user to have a full view of everything they need to do or know before adopting, so they can prepare for it in a single moment, instead of bit by bit.

It was also understood that the navigation between the different matched animals would have to be possible through swiping.

Furthermore, it was understood that the decision to choose an animal can’t be made inside the application. The main reason for that is that the user needs to have an opportunity to meet the different animals in person before making a decision.

A screenshot of the Afeiçoa-te prototype, showing a mobile app screen with a welcome message to a user named Leonor. The message explains that the app needs to verify the user's readiness for adoption and suggests consulting the guide on the left side before testing their knowledge. A cartoon cat is displayed below the message, and a progress bar is visible at the bottom of the screen.