(Preview)
Rescuing the Retail: Reviving Four Dogs' Online Shop
Four Dogs Pet Supplies isn’t just a store—it’s a heartfelt extension of, Founder, Betsy’s lifelong passion for animals and her dedication to her community. As a former Great Dane rescuer, Betsy cultivated a loyal following through personal connections, local collaborations, and a thoughtful in-store experience that kept customers coming back.
However, as her business grew, her e-commerce site failed to deliver the same level of care and quality her brick-and-mortar shop was known for. Confusing navigation, broken links, and reliance on external e-commerce pages disrupted the online shopping journey, leaving customers frustrated and often driving them away.
Recognizing the disconnect, my goal was to create a seamless and inviting digital experience that reflected the heart of Four Dogs Pet Supplies. Through thorough research, iterative design, and usability testing, I transformed the e-commerce site into a user-friendly extension of Betsy’s mission, ensuring her customers felt as valued online as they did in-store.
(Original Site)
(Research Methods)
To better understand the needs of Four Dogs’ online customers, I conducted multiple phases of research that included
4 User Interviews: To explore how customers shopped for pet supplies online.
2 Usability Tests: To observe real users interacting with the existing site.
1 Persona Creation: To help center design decisions around the needs, goals, and frustrations of Four Dogs’ typical online customer.
Card Sorting: To test intuitive product categorization.
Competitive Analysis: To benchmark Four Dogs against small local stores and large online retailers.
Heuristic Evaluation: To identify usability issues across the site.
Each method brought me closer to identifying the core issues and opportunities for aligning Four Dogs’ online experience with the trust and care its brand represents.
(Affinity Mapping)
The insights gathered through research and synthesized using affinity mapping revealed a clear picture of customer needs, frustrations, and opportunities for improvement. These findings became the foundation for my design decisions:
1. Convenience and Speed
Brand Loyalty
Pet owners were deeply attached to specific brands, especially for food and treats, and relied on small, local businesses for trusted guidance.
Transparency and Trust
Clear, accessible information about product quality, sourcing, and safety was essential for building and maintaining customer trust.
In-Store vs. Online
The personalized recommendations and expertise customers valued in-store were missing online, creating a disconnect that left them feeling unsupported.
To put a face to the insights uncovered during research, I created a persona that embodied the typical Four Dogs’ online customer. This persona helped humanize the data, guiding design decisions to ensure they addressed real user needs and pain points.
Meet Connor, a busy professional and devoted pet owner who values supporting local businesses. He relies on trusted recommendations for his pet’s health and prefers shopping at Four Dogs for its personalized in-store experience. However, Connor’s packed schedule often forces him to shop online, where he feels frustrated by confusing navigation and the lack of clear product information.
Connor’s needs and goals highlighted the importance of creating a user-friendly site that reflects Four Dogs’ core strengths—trust, transparency, and a community-focused approach. By focusing on his challenges, the redesigned site aimed to balance convenience with the warmth and reliability customers experience in-store.
The high-fidelity prototype captured the essence of Four Dogs’ in-store experience: trust, care, and community. It addressed every issue uncovered during research, from broken links to confusing navigation, while introducing new features like:
Categories and Filters Tailored to Customers Needs
Integrating Staff Recommendations into the homepage, as well as into PLP filtering
Clear and Informed Product Descriptions that Build Trust
Caloric information, quick ingredient access, and detailed customer reviews build transparency and confidence. Reviews now include dog breed, size, and ratings, helping users find the best products for their pets while reinforcing trust in Four Dogs Pet Supplies.
Reinforcing Community and Values
The final design integrates features that reflect Four Dogs' community-driven ethos. By enabling donations to the Humane Society at checkout, the redesign brings the spirit of the brick-and-mortar store online, fostering a deeper connection between the brand and its customers. This addition not only supports animal welfare but also strengthens the shared values and trust that define the Four Dogs experience.
