Paws for Seniors
Paws for Seniors is a small non-profit based in Northern Virginia whose mission is to pair seniors in their community with adoptable pets. Because of their small team and limited resources, they were in desperate need of an updated website that better communicated their mission and goals.
By working with stakeholders and users, our team was able to design a new website from the ground up. The redesign process revolved around building something simple and intuitive for users, while still being attractive and easy to maintain.
As a small non-profit, Paws for Seniors has had a very limited ability to invest in their online presence.
For over a decade, one of the founding members of PfS has been slowly building their online presence piece by piece, resulting in a confusing and unreliable website.
Currently, Paws for Seniors needs a more reliable website with better search functionality so older users can consistently find information and animals available for adoption.
How might we make it easier for users to learn about the history and mission of Paws for Seniors?
How might we show off the animals in the shelter?
How might we better guide users to important information about fostering or adoption?
How might we communicate the best parts of adopting an older pet for users?
The largest problem that needed to be addressed was clarity. Stakeholders had no problem explaining what it was the organization did verbally, but most users felt confusion when navigating the current website.
For example, it was very common for people to be unsure whether PfS paired aging people with pets, aging pets with people, or a combination of both even though this piece of information is central to PfS’ operations.
We conducted a series of interviews to get a better understanding of how the website currently functions and where it needs to be improved.
We interviewed the stakeholders about their desires for the website, as well as current and potential users.
The information we gained from these conversations built the foundation for our redesign.
The focus of the redesign was to build something simple and welcoming. The vast majority of users are either older adults searching for a companion or friends and family using the website on behalf of someone older.
We used warm colors, serif typefaces, and floral elements to create a vintage feel, alongside clear descriptors, large font sizes, and large photos to ensure clarity.
Additionally, we redesigned the Paws for Seniors branding language to better match these qualities.
The first designs began on paper and then transferred to Figma as we progressed.
At each stage, changes were made based on feedback from users. Designs shifted to better address old problems or to fine-tune improvements.
Accessibility was an especially important concern, and we wanted to ensure that anyone would be able to use the site without difficulty.
The final version of the Paws for Seniors page is an attractive and intuitive website that features:
Clear mission and goals
Instructions for donors and volunteers
A searchable database for available pets
Consistent style
Links to events
and more!
Our research and testing drove this new format that provides graphics and photos to create comforting pages that are warm and inviting for potential adopters, fosters, volunteers and donors.
Text was minimized. Photos were chosen with care. We felt that success stories and clear messaging were key to encouraging involvement from the Paws for Seniors community.
Thank you Paws for Seniors for allowing us this opportunity!