Designers
Hajra Mansoor
Year
2026
Category
New Talent
Country
United Kingdom
School
Kingston University
Teacher
Jayaramakrishnan Kiruthika
Three questions to the project team
What was the particular challenge of the project from a UX point of view?
The primary UX challenge was balancing the variety of user needs identified through research with the need for a simple and focused experience. Interviews revealed interest in features ranging from emotional wellbeing insights and remote comfort interactions to veterinary support, emergency contacts, care guidance, and activity tracking. The challenge was determining which information and interactions were most important during moments of concern, while avoiding unnecessary complexity. This led to a prioritisation process that focused the initial concept on wellbeing monitoring and emotional reassurance, with additional features proposed for future development.
What was your personal highlight in the development process? Was there an aha!-moment, was there a low point?
My biggest aha! moment came during market research when I discovered the Halo Collar, which uses vibrations to guide dogs away from virtual boundaries. It made me realise that technology could do more than monitor pets, it could also provide comfort! This inspired the idea of using haptic feedback within the collar to reassure cats while their owners were away. It was also rewarding to see interview participants validate the need for the concept. The most challenging part was understanding how the different technologies could work together as a connected system. However, real-world testing of the haptic feature is proposed as future work as it fell outside the project scope.
Where do you see yourself and the project in the next five years?
In five years, I hope to continue working at the intersection of UX design and emerging technologies, creating solutions that are both innovative and human-centred. For FeliPal, I would like to see the concept evolve beyond a prototype into a tested product, beginning with validation of the haptic comfort feature through collaboration with veterinary behaviourists. Future iterations could include personalised AI insights, support for multi-cat households, activity trends, wellbeing reports, and data sharing with veterinary professionals. Ultimately, I see FeliPal contributing to a new generation of pet technology that focuses not only on monitoring, but also on emotional wellbeing and connection.
