Rover

Year

July 2023
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Services

Solo UX researcher, UI designer, User Testing

Summary

In the world of pet care, where it's all about quality and convenience, Rover has quickly become the go-to pet service app, snagging the top spot in the market.

As more and more folks jump on the Rover bandwagon, there's this growing worry about their one-way verification system.

I led the end-to end direction of the cost effective client/pet verification integration.

THE WHY

The message was loud and clear

Across different review platforms, as well as coffee chats with walkers, while there were plenty of pros about the app, the cons were similar.

GENERAL STATS

> 54%

of users are comprised of females under 34 years old, majority within the 25-34 range, which means there is a higher concern for safety as females are at higher risk for foul play.

50%

of users mentioned that they just have to trust the app blindly and let their loved ones know/track their whereabouts.

This is a problem..

With over half of the workers being female and half the public reviews shouting the same concern, something HAS to be done!

Safety is clearly a concern.

STARTING WITH WHAT WE HAVE

Overview of the current process

Below is what a sitter/walker goes through when viewing a new request from a potential client.

1. More details!

Descriptions are written by the pet owner and can be as descriptive or as vague as the owner pleases. Care information pertains to mainly day care services, there is limited information on how the pet performs on a walk, one of the Rovesr most popular services.

2. A profile image can go a long way..

The current design does not require clients to have a photo nor do clients go through a verification process however including a face helps provide peace of mind when the face matches their own preliminary research or during a meet and greet.

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

Understanding the market

Now that I understood what gaps users wanted filled, I took a look at the market. It was imperative for me to understand what already exists and if there is a gap for innovation.

IDEATION STATION

Sketching low-lift ideas

Taking their quarterly goals into consideration, I decided to list out ideas and then narrow down by effort/cost to implement.

SOLUTION

Everyone gets a profile

The new design creates a profile for the owner that can be verified upon receiving their first sitter review.

Client Profile

This design also introduces the verification of pets behaviors, encouraging clients to provide more accurate descriptions of their furry friends.This design creates solutions are both feasible and effective in building trust without being overly invasive for the client or burdensome for the company.

Caregiver reviews are public

Instances of bias in descriptions are not uncommon; however, establishing mechanisms for identifying such discrepancies is crucial. Presently, the system relies entirely on trusting the client.

ADDITIONAL DESIGNS

Wrapping up loose ends

Taking it a step further, I took a look at the feedback form on Rover to ensure my account design made sense, as well as see if any improvements could be made to encourage all parties to leave reviews.

Make feedback shorter

Making the feedback shorter and easier to fill out can increase the likihood of a review.
> Toggles replaced the Yes/No CTA's to save space and give the illusion of a shorter review process.
> Private feedback was removed as it is a duplicate question that is also asked on the clients feedback questionnaire.

5 Star Service or nah?

The common 5 start rating system was implemented as it is a popular and easy way to assess performance.

FINAL PROTOTYPE

THE FINAL BREAKDOWN

Below is a step by step breakdown of this case studys results.

IF I HAD MORE TIME

This project went from trying to solve one problem to trying to solve a few and then having to refocus on the initial goals of this project. If I had more time or if I was to ever work with Rover (HELLO- if Rover is seeing this), below are some other things I would love to improve.

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Clear(er) Inbox

Revisions to the inbox to include labeling to clearly define what group of messages the user is looking at

‍Let me reject you! (kindly)

Archiving inquiries helps keep the inbox clean but some times the pet owner isn't notified of the rejection. A clear CTA that would trigger a notification to the user would cut down on a lot of "Unfortunately, I am unable to fulfill your request. I hope you find someone soon!" or something similar.

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Note: if I was to change anything on the client-side, I would make it mandatory to alert sitter when their request is fulfilled. Getting ghosted is frustrating for EVERYONE!

RETROSPETIVE

What went well

Being resourceful! Talking to random people with dogs in hopes of find a Rover caregiver is strange, but finding reviews on the app store and taking the 10 randomized ones was a creative approach.

What could have been improved

If I had more resources, I would have loved to send out a survey to caregivers for more accurate feedback.

What I learned

Party of 1 designer is difficult on many levels. This project was a constant battle to make sure my bias was set aside, FAR from this projects.

For the future

This was a fun passion project that blossomed from an idea and one conversation. In the future, continuing to explore these ideas and execute them could help me stay fresh as a designer.