Fur Majesty is fictional locally owned pet store serving pet enthusiasts in the central New Jersey area. The store’s target audience is dog and cat owners, but it does carry a small assortment of products for small animals and birds. Products currently stocked include dog and cat food, toys, treats, bowls, collars and leashes, pet apparel, beds, cat furniture and scratching posts, grooming tools, nutritional supplements, and gift items.

Rather than compete with big box stores, Fur Majesty strives to provide personalized service, knowledgeable staff, a balance between basic pet supplies and boutique type products, as well as services such as a photography studio, dog wash, and a pet bakery. Both owners and staff have backgrounds in animal care and are knowledgeable about the products they sell.

The store currently has one retail store, easily accessible from major highways in the area. However, the owners would like to begin selling some products online in order to stay competitive,  reach a broader audience, and continue to serve current loyal customers who may no longer be able to make it to the store.

Competitive Review

Three pet stores were chosen for a competitive review. All are located in the central New Jersey area and are similar to Fur Majesty in terms of products and audience. All have from one to three retail stores and at least a minimal online presence. Two currently sell products online.

The competitive review analyzed the classification schemes, UI design patterns, and target audience of the three selected pet stores.

Full competitive review

Personas

Primary persona - Lynn Smith

Full set of personas

Card Sort

Screenshot from the card sort pilot - a monitored walkthrough with one participant.

Outline Site Map

Visual Site Map  (created with Cacoo)

Wireframes (created with MockFlow)

The wireframes highlighted here are a first pass at design for three selected pages within the Fur Majesty site. The navigation and field labels are not finalized. They are based on a review of initial card sort responses.

HomePage

Navigation Sample

Product Gallery

Single Product

Prototype (created using MockFlow)

The url below links to a sample clickable prototype for one navigation menu: Products. It allows a user to click on the Products option in the main navigation, view a dropdown menu of options, and select one. It is not a complete clickable prototype, but a selected example of one menu option.

http://app.mockflow.com/view/feca8b53c05b2d1d4cf459aad75df9f1