The Problem
Animal Tracks was created to solve the very real issue of lost pets, most specifically focusing in on Oxford, Ohio. This is a problem that millions of families go through every year, and a problem I was faced with this year. In Late January, I found a lost pet in Oxford, Ohio. After going through the proper steps, or at least what I was led to believe the proper steps were, I encountered many obstacles in this process. To start much of this process was handled simply through various Facebook and neighborhood groups, with a few viable options available online. I was also met with conflicting information from various groups such as the Oxford animal control and the Butler County Humane Society. This led me to creating Animal Tracks, a mobile friendly website that would be an all encompassing tool to help pet owners find their family, and people finding pets to get them home.
The Solution
Once this step was completed I was able to move on the the main component of my project. That would be the prototype of the website itself. As I previously stated, much of this process was found within Facebook and other social platforms. I think social media is a great tool to help, but it should not be the only solution to this problem. Another one of the issues I encountered was the clutter I was met with while trying to find information or lost pet listings. This app needed to be efficient and clean.
Using my already created brand elements, and my wireframing, I was able to create the mobile website, and fully flesh out its features.
Once the website was completed the next step was to make sure that the brand had a larger and better reputation, so that it was trusted and people would think of it when they lose or find a pet. To do this I created a small scale marketing campaign which included social media ads that would run in the same places you would find neighborhood listings, as well as printed advertising that would be placed in and around Oxford.
The Future
This project was originally created with only Oxford, Ohio as its target audience, but if this solution seems viable, I think it could certainly stretch outside of that boundary. Millions of pets go missing every year in the U.S. alone, and if an all encompassing tool such as Animal Tracks can help reunite just one pet with their family, than I believe it is worth it.
