VETSTER REDESIGN
UX/UI
For this project I was tasked with the redesign of an application. I initially wanted to do a redesign of a telehealth veterinarian application. I wanted to do this due to the passing of my dog around the time of this application and a telehealth app could have been a great help to him. So to begin this project I did some research on applications in need of a redesign and found this one named Vetster. This redesign is strictly a visual concept redesign. I first began analyzing the application and created a Pain Point Summary.
CONTENT ISSUES
One main problem with a lot of these veterinarian applications is the lack of extra content regarding general information or FAQs especially this one. It was a very bare bones application that mostly focused on user input. The application did not really focus on the reason you are there which is the care of your pet. Another thing I felt would be essential would be the addition of a pet profile. This would solve the content problem surrounding pets and veterinarians as well. Furthermore, this application was not very usable for everyone. There are a wide variety of pet owners in many different demographics so this type of app should be able to be usable for older as well as younger pet owners.
TECHNICAL ISSUES
Next, another thing I analyzed was the technical side of the application. The app was very slow and choppy when transitioning in between screens. The response time of buttons and screens are relatively slower than needed. One big thing I thought was a bit awkward was the app constantly signing the user out after the application was closed.
USABILITY ISSUES
There were many usability issues when looking at the application. The app was very bare and puts different buttons and tabs in but does not give the user any prompts or instructions on how to use them. There is no user engagement that would keep them there and I feel as if the application asks too much when trying to create an account for the app. It could cause some users to turn away from it when they ask for First Name, Last Name, Address, Phone Number, and Email. Furthermore, there is no way to customize your application in order to fit your preferences which is something I really wanted to focus on with the redesign.
ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES
The app was organized very haphazardly. There are many buttons on the landing page that also have their own tab on the navigation bar which could overload the user. Some examples are the appointment screen. The appointments screen has a button to book an appointment that takes you to the actual booking screen which already has its own button on the navigation bar which is very redundant. The appointments tab does not need to be the second button on the navigation bar when it is merely there to check upcoming appointments.
VISUAL DESIGN ISSUES
The app's visual design is poor due to the lack of hierarchy and tone. One main thing I saw that limits usability is the lack of a dark mode. This makes the legibility really hard especially under hard light. Furthermore, the hierarchy is off in many places especially the buttons. They do not utilize different weights in order to give the user an easier reading and user experience. Tone is a big thing especially for this application. The app feels cold and unfriendly simply due to the style of illustration and how they treat the type and photography. This is a veterinarian app so it would be a benefit to make the user feel comfortable when using it. Some other very specific problems found with the application are screen transitions after tapping buttons are very abrupt making the app seem rushed or unfinished. The calendar scroller when scheduling appointments is a bit too small and requires a lot of clicking in order to move between days and months. Furthermore, when getting the main concern of your appointment the pop-up menu is very bare and only gives checkvboxes with no explanation as to what some of these symptoms are.
TASK FLOW
After analyzing the pain points of the application and documenting them it was time to improve the task flow and make it more concise and helpful. The main task of the application is to book a virtual telehealth appointment.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
After the creation of the new task flow it was time to look at competitors to see how my application is positioned in the veterinarian sphere.
