Buddy Booker
Creating a mobile app for assigning service dogs to volunteer work
Due to the confidential nature of the original work for TSA's K-9 project, I recreated screens on Figma and altered information wherever necessary.
Role: UX researcher and UX designer
Duration: May 2025 – July 2025
The opportunity
The TSA's K-9 unit tasked us with modernizing and creating a mobile portal for their current scheduling application. Their main objective was to have a modern version of their app for both desktop and mobile devices, but they prioritized creating a mobile portal first because they did not currently have one. The plan was to then use the mobile-first approach to translate updated workflows and components over to the desktop portal.
We were given three months to understand their needs and deliver a product that solved this challenge:
How might we create a mobile portal for an app that assigns dogs the most ideal working schedules and locations?
The process
We first met with our stakeholders and the small development team that was already working on modernizing a few of the desktop pages. We reviewed the workflows in the desktop application and clarified user requirements for a mobile version.
Three requirements stood out:
1. Users wanted a way to specify which date and time frame to create a schedule for. The current system automatically created schedules for the next available day.
2. Users wanted a visual map of which locations were closest to them, including a way to indicate preferences for certain locations.
3. Users wanted a way to easily edit profile details on their own, as they currently have to send requested changes to admins to process.
Ideation & Design
Since there was no existing design library, we established one using React Bootstrap 5 components. We customized the color palette according to user preferences and ensured that we were meeting Section 508 and WCAG guidelines.
We then created low-fidelity wireframes to nail down user preferences on feature placement, navigation, and workflow efficiency. After reviewing these with both our stakeholders and developers, we got to work on enhancing them into high-fidelity mockups.
The Results
By the end of the project, we delivered high-fidelity mockups that addressed core user needs and laid the groundwork for a modern, mobile-first experience.
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Smarter Scheduling: Users could now choose specific dates and time frames, giving them more control than the auto-generated schedules. They also had the new feature of editing existing schedules, which they did not have before.
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Location Mapping: A visual map helped users see nearby service locations and mark their preferences more easily.
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Profile Updates: We designed a self-service profile page so users could keep their profile updated without going through an admin.
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User Delight: I sought to incorporate new features that would bring users joy, like the badge on the profile page showcasing how many years a dog has been in service.
The final designs were well-received by stakeholders and aligned closely with user feedback. Our mobile-first approach and design system also made it easy to scale the designs to desktop later on.
My Reflection
Working on this project was a fast-paced experience that really pushed me to grow as a designer. With a short timeline and a lot to deliver, I had to make quick, thoughtful decisions, especially when it came to visual design. Leading the effort to build a design system from the ground up helped me get more comfortable with setting visual direction, staying consistent, and designing with both users and developers in mind.