I began with an extensive audit of the existing website, assessing usability, content organization, and accessibility. A key issue identified was information overload—the site had grown into a dense collection of resources without a clear hierarchy, making it difficult for users to quickly access key actions such as pet adoption, fostering, or clinic services.

To better understand how to improve the experience, I executed a structured research process:

• Competitive analysis of similar organizations, including ASPCA, World Wildlife Fund, The Humane Society of the United States, and One Tail at a Time, identifying best practices in content organization and navigation.

• Heuristic evaluations to assess usability flaws.

• User interviews to understand pain points and behaviors.

• Affinity diagrams to synthesize insights.

• And updated user personas to ensure the design reflected actual audience needs.

Using research insights, I restructured the information architecture to create a more intuitive layout. This involved:

• Developing a new site map

• Analyzing competitor navigation structures

• Conducting card sorting exercises to understand how users naturally categorize and navigate information

• Creating scenarios, storyboards, and user journey maps

• Sketching multiple layout concepts

• Designing low-fidelity wireframes and user flows

The goal was to ensure a streamlined experience that aligns with user expectations, making it easier to adopt, donate, or get involved with PAWS Chicago.

Once the wireframes were developed, I built interactive prototypes and conducted three rounds of usability testing. These tests helped refine the following:

• Navigation patterns to reduce click fatigue

• Optimizing content hierarchy to highlight the most important information

• Mobile responsiveness for an improved experience across devices.