Abstract
This study presents Petpal+, an integrated service-design proposal for long-term pet care, developed through exploratory interviews (8 owners, 2 veterinarians) and validation sessions (2 owners, 2 veterinarians). The resulting artefacts include: (1) a mobile app with IoT-enabled devices for home monitoring, (2) a Medical Decision Handbook to guide treatment discussions, and (3) a Clinic Website to centralize care resources. These tools collectively address information gaps between owners and vets, support their shared decision-making, and reduce caregiver burden. Beyond functional outcomes, the study reveals divergent information needs between owners and veterinarians, positioning progressive disclosure as a key design strategy and contributing to Research-through-Design knowledge. Limitations include a small, selective validation sample, reliance on proactive caregivers, and exploratory use of AI-generated personas. Future work should broaden stakeholder involvement and evaluate the system in clinical settings to advance transferable insights in veterinary and healthcare service design.
Keywords
Service Design; Pet Care; Stakeholder Engagement; Customer Journey Map; Mobile App Design
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.893
Citation
Chang, Y., Chen, Y.,and Tung, F.(2025) Petpal+ With You: An Integrated Service Design for Long-Term Pet Care, in Chang, C.-Y., and Hsu, Y. (eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 02-05 December, Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.893
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Track 10 - Design Practices & Impacts
Petpal+ With You: An Integrated Service Design for Long-Term Pet Care
This study presents Petpal+, an integrated service-design proposal for long-term pet care, developed through exploratory interviews (8 owners, 2 veterinarians) and validation sessions (2 owners, 2 veterinarians). The resulting artefacts include: (1) a mobile app with IoT-enabled devices for home monitoring, (2) a Medical Decision Handbook to guide treatment discussions, and (3) a Clinic Website to centralize care resources. These tools collectively address information gaps between owners and vets, support their shared decision-making, and reduce caregiver burden. Beyond functional outcomes, the study reveals divergent information needs between owners and veterinarians, positioning progressive disclosure as a key design strategy and contributing to Research-through-Design knowledge. Limitations include a small, selective validation sample, reliance on proactive caregivers, and exploratory use of AI-generated personas. Future work should broaden stakeholder involvement and evaluate the system in clinical settings to advance transferable insights in veterinary and healthcare service design.