CuidaPet
Redefining the digital experience for animal welfare NGOs
2025
Timeline
UX/UI Designer
Role
Introduction
CuidaPet is a system created to organize, centralize, and optimize the routine of NGOs dedicated to animal care. Developed from scratch, the project aimed to build an intuitive and accessible platform that would simplify the work of volunteers and managers, placing animal care at the center of the experience.
Main goal: To facilitate the use and management of information, reduce manual tasks, and allow teams to dedicate more time to what truly matters: the well-being of the animals.
Challenge: NGOs faced difficulties in managing registrations, vaccines, donations, and volunteers due to the lack of a centralized and user-friendly system. CuidaPet emerges as a response to this need, offering a clear, functional solution adapted to the routine of these institutions.
Research and Diagnosis
To understand the real needs of the partner NGOs, a diagnostic questionnaire was administered to volunteers and managers. The objective was to identify the main challenges in their daily care and management routines, as well as to understand the current level of digitalization of these organizations.
The responses revealed that the use of technology is still quite limited. NGOs rely exclusively on social media (100%) and WhatsApp groups (100%) for communication and dissemination. Half use spreadsheets and institutional websites (50%), but none have an internal management system, which highlights a significant gap in the organization and centralization of information.
The graph below illustrates this technological landscape, showing how there is still a strong dependence on basic communication tools and a total absence of internal management systems.
Currently, the adoption and fostering process takes place through forms in links in the bio, social media, and in-person events. Information about the animals is scattered across spreadsheets, presentations, and messages, making the process slow, manual, and difficult to monitor, both for NGOs and interested parties.
When asked about what they expect from a technological solution, the NGOs highlighted:
Problem Definition
Based on the responses from NGOs, it was possible to identify that the current adoption process is manual, fragmented, and difficult to track. Information about animals and adopters is scattered across spreadsheets, messages, and social media, making it difficult to monitor the stages and control the data.
Furthermore, the absence of an internal system means that NGOs depend on multiple channels, which increases rework and reduces management efficiency. These challenges highlight the need for a centralized, collaborative, and intuitive solution that organizes the adoption flow and facilitates the work of volunteers and managers.
Wireframes and Internal Testing
In this phase, the objective was to translate the needs identified in the research into functional and testable workflows, ensuring that the navigation and information hierarchy were clear before applying the visual design.
Medium-fidelity wireframes were developed to represent the main screens of the system.
After creating the medium-fidelity wireframes, we conducted a validation session via video call with volunteers and managers from the partner NGOs. The objective was to confirm that the flows and labels were aligned with the users' real routines before proceeding to the visual design.
Main results of the validation
They both clearly understood the purpose of the platform;
Main compliments: "well presented and easy to use", "excellent usability";
Specific suggestions: update the ID number field to CIN (new unified document).
Visual Design and Style Guide
Based on the validated workflows, we began the Visual Design phase, applying the CuidaPet brand identity in a way that conveys trust, empathy, and ease of use.
This project reinforced the importance of:
Designing with empathy and social purpose;
Validating workflows with a focus on those who actually use the system;
Creating sustainable and scalable designs that evolve along with the product.
Usability testing and Handoff
After developing the final screens, we conducted usability tests using the Maze platform, with the aim of evaluating the clarity of the workflows and identifying potential points of friction in the user experience.
Main goals:
Methodology - Mobile
The tests were conducted via Maze, in a screen-based format, with 4 participants who work in NGOs and are familiar with animal adoption and care processes. Each participant performed six tasks within the navigable prototype, while Maze automatically collected data on duration, success rate, misclick rate, and dropout rate.
General insights
The prototype performed excellently, with 100% success in the tasks and no dropouts. Suggested improvements involve adjustments to the visual hierarchy and optimization of buttons and labels to reduce clicks in long workflows.
Key takeaways
Clear icons and colors facilitated interactions;
Users quickly understood the modules;
The "Register employee" workflow was considered very intuitive;
Small adjustments to accessibility and visual feedback can further enhance the experience.
Conclusion
The test showed that the new CuidaPet design made it more efficient and reliable to use. The 100% success rate confirms the effectiveness of the workflow and design system. The next step is to correct areas with more misclicks and test accessibility and performance.
Methodology - Desktop
The tests were conducted via Maze, in a screen-based format, with 4 participants who work in NGOs. The tasks involved consultations, registrations, and edits within the desktop prototype, covering the main workflows of the administrative system.
General insights
The test performed very well, with an 85% success rate and no dropouts. The average execution time was efficient, especially in queries and navigation.
Key takeaways
The information architecture was well understood;
Editing and registration tasks need better visual feedback and button distinction;
Users showed more confidence in the desktop version;
The visual consistency between mobile and desktop was well-evaluated.
Conclusion
The tests showed that the navigation was light and easy to understand. The metrics indicate excellent performance in queries and minor adjustments needed in the editing and registration flows. The next step is to apply the insights to the tasks with less success and perform a new validation. The result confirms that CuidaPet is an empathetic, accessible, and adaptable system on both mobile and desktop.
Final considerations
CuidaPet was a transformative experience for us. We experienced firsthand all stages of the UX/UI process, from research to usability testing on Maze. We learned a lot about empathy, collaboration, and how design can generate real impact. Working together solidified our knowledge and strengthened our partnership as designers.
Project impact
• Increased visual clarity and fluidity in user workflows;
• 100% success rate on tasks tested on mobile;
• 85% success rate on desktop, with clear insights for future improvements;
• Zero dropouts in both tests, showing engagement and a good understanding of the interface;
• Noticeable reduction in the average task execution time and improvement in visual and semantic feedback.
CuidaPet taught me that good solutions are born when we listen to those who actually use the product, and when design is used in service of the purpose.
Next steps
• Implement the improvements identified in the desktop and mobile tests, including adjustments to button visibility, interactive hierarchy, and areas with a higher frequency of misclicks;
• Conduct a new round of validation after the adjustments;
• Expand the system with new modules, such as donation tracking and financial reporting for NGOs.
Closing
CuidaPet helped us grow as designers and understand the real impact of user-centered design. More than just a digital solution, it represents our purpose of creating experiences that generate positive impact and facilitate the work of NGOs.
