Shetland Duck Conservation Responsive Website and App
Shetland ducks are a critically endangered species and there are some duck breeders who are trying to save the species. I designed this app and website to help them by being able to keep track of the ducks, breeding, and being able to connect with other breeders.
Project duration: February 2024-March 2024
Project Overview
The Problem:
Shetland ducks are critically endangered and there are breeders trying to bring the breed back from the brink of extinction. Breeders need to keep track of which ducks breed with which to prevent too much inbreeding, connect with other breeders, and be able to share knowledge as there is not much known about this breed.
The Goal:
My goal is to be able to make an app that helps breeders be able to keep track of each duck, how many eggs it lays, be able to connect with other breeders, and see which ducks are mating with which. The website is to also have these features, but also have actual information on the ducks so that others might be able to get involved and find it as a good resource.
User Research: Summary
When first going into this, I had no idea that information on this breed would be so scarce. So, to research, I met with a breeder that I knew of, joined a facebook group dedicated to it, and looked up as much information as I could. I asked what it was that they needed that would help them in their mission to save the ducks and received a lot of fantastic feedback.
I also talked to other bird conservationists to get more information about what was needed to be designed and done to make this successful. I went to other types of bird conservationist and even a lot conservation society as well.
Persona: Josh
Problem Statement:
Josh is a busy farmer
who needs easier ways to keep track of his flock and connect with other breeders
because he wants to expand the population and cut down on inbreeding.
Personas
Age: 23
Education: College
Hometown: Denver, CO
Family: Single
Occupation: Famer
“These ducks look like they’re wearing tuxedos!”
Goals:
Grow his flock of shetland ducks
Educate people on the existence of the shetland ducks
Find more people to breed ducks with
Frustrations:
Difficult to keep track of how many eggs each duck lays
Hard to find other breeders
Josh is a farmer who tends to stay close to home to tend to his farm. His farm is rather small and runs it with little help. He gained interest in Shetland ducks because he read about them by chance when he stumbled across an article and found some eggs so he could begin his own flock. He’d like to be able to connect with other breeders and also educate others about them to expand their numbers.
Persona: Sam
Problem Statement:
Sam is a work from home homesteader
who needs an easier way to keep track of genetic traits, how many eggs each duck produces, and wants to be able to reach out to other breeders
because she is trying to save the shetland ducks.
Personas
Age: 30
Education: College
Hometown: Harmony, PA
Family: Single, 2 children
Occupation: Translator
“Save the viking ducks!”
Goals:
Keep track of how many eggs each duck produces
Grow her flock
Connect with other breeders
Frustrations:
Worries about inbreeding
Needs to be able to note which ducks have bad genetic traits so she can stop letting those eggs hatch
Sam is a work from home mom with two high school aged children. She likes to raise farm birds and grows a garden in her spare time as well as practices homesteading. Sam wants a way to keep track of which ducks have bad genetic traits so she knows not to hatch those eggs, wants an easier way to keep track of how many eggs each duck is laying, how many hatch, and wants to be able to connect with other breeders.
Information Architecture
Paper Wireframes
I started off by making various paper wireframes to figure out what I would best suit the users needs.
I created profiles for each duck in a flock so that a photo could be uploaded, measurements taken and compared to the standard, and eggs could be tracked.
Information on the measurements to keep track if the duck meets standards.
Digital Wireframes
Photo of a duck in a user’s flock, with identification.
The prototype allows users to navigate to the following:
Home
About page
Menu
Profile
Duck profile pages for your flock
Low-fidelity Prototype
Usability Testing Results
Users want to also be able to keep track of undesirable traits, also known as defects, and weather they are major or minor in the ducks. They also want to have section dedicated to listing the breed standards.
Users would like a chat function to be able to chat between each other.
Users would like to have a classified section for eggs.
Mockups
After user feedback, I added a way to add ducks to the farm and the logo for the app and website.
After user feedback, I removed the neck, head, and body fields for a single field for just coloration. I also added a logo and a button at the bottom that allows the user to return to the profile page.
Before usability Study
After Usability Study
Before usability Study
After Usability Study
Accessibility Considerations
Color contrast was used to make sure that no matter the setting, anyone can still view and use the website.
Sufficient contrast between foreground and background was used to aid in visual disabilities.
Provided clear and consistent navigation options.
Takeaways
Impact:
My testers really liked the final designs and the ability to keep track of the duck traits, eggs, and find eggs and ducks for sale. They also really liked that there was plenty of information about breed standards and the breed itself.
What I learned:
I learned that helping with conservation efforts can be challenging but very rewarding. I also learned that having the opinions of multiple sources from outside of just one place is very useful when it comes to design.
Run additional studies after launch to see what else should be added or could be changed to improve the app and website.
Next Steps
Expand app to be adjusted and available to other bird conservation groups.
Find other additional things to add to help with the conservation efforts.