Designers
Yihui Hua, Ruolin Tu, Haonan Chen
Year
2025
Category
New Talent
Country
United States
School
Arizona State University, University of Southern California, Columbia University
Teacher
John Takamura
Three questions to the project team
What was the particular challenge of the project from a UX point of view?
The key is balancing comfort with sensitivity in honoring departed pets as brave astronauts exploring the universe, helping owners process their loss. While this metaphor aims to provide solace, we're careful not to make anyone uncomfortable, recognizing the deep grief of losing a beloved companion. Every design element—from graphics to buttons to colors—is thoughtfully chosen. We've tested multiple versions of the onboarding and profile pages.
For donations, we focus on simplicity while providing clear guidance and positive feedback. Rather than building a complex platform, we collect donation information and share essential shelter details like contact info, location, and hours to facilitate better communication.
What was your personal highlight in the development process? Was there an aha!-moment, was there a low point?
We experienced both a low point and an aha! moment at the end of our profile-page design process. We deliberated over its format for a week. Initially, we tried a regular user-profile design, but it seemed to make the pet feel more virtual, making it harder for the owner to move on. We also tested a boarding-pass layout to match our cosmos-exploration theme. However, it was too long and required rotating phones. After extensive research into various product profile-page designs, we still found nothing suitable. Finally, during our trip to Mexico, while passing customs, we suddenly realized we could use a passport layout. It perfectly fit our theme and served as a record of the pet’s existence.
Where do you see yourself and the project in the next five years?
All three of us will have graduated—or will graduate by 2025—from our master’s programs and plan to bring this meaningful product to life, whether through collaboration or on our own. We want to see it operate effectively, providing help and comfort to users. We also envision fostering a supportive community of pet lovers, sharing their experiences and supporting one another through loss. Over time, we hope to introduce a circular economy for pet toys and supplies, extending our mission of love and care to even more pets.
