DOGS TRUST - WEBSITE

DOGS TRUST - WEBSITE

DOGS TRUST - WEBSITE

Dogs Trust.org

Dogs Trust

I helped deliver a BIMA award-winning website for Dogs Trust that drives action and supports people through every stage of dog ownership. Designed around real user needs, it helps the UK’s largest dog charity protect more dogs from harm and find them the happy homes they deserve.

The challenge

Dogs Trust briefed Aer Studios to redesign their website to better support their mission. The outdated dog search lacked key features expected from a modern site, while content focused mainly on adoption, offering little help for other stages of dog ownership. A fragmented design system also left the experience feeling inconsistent and confusing.

My Role:

Lead UI/UX designer

Product:

Website

Produced at:

Aer Studios

Target Audience:

First-time owners to experienced adopters, donors, volunteers, and those needing advice or rehoming help

The Solution

We adopted a user-centred design approach, driven by research, iteration, and testing, to create a transformative website for Dogs Trust.

Discovery phase

To understand the charity’s needs and audience, I facilitated workshops with teams across Dogs Trust, from leadership and operations to fundraising and customer support, capturing business goals, user assumptions, and the organisation’s vision.

In parallel, I conducted user research, using surveys, Google Analytics, and Hotjar to uncover user goals, pain points, and behaviour patterns. This data shaped our understanding of the audience and their key journeys.

Define phase

I designed and tested an interactive prototype for the new dog search, using real user feedback to refine the experience. To guide decisions, I developed nine digital personas, reflecting diverse user needs, from first-time adopters’ excitement to the emotional distress of those giving up a dog. I mapped detailed user journeys, identifying goals, actions, and opportunities for adoption, ownership, and relinquishment scenarios.

Working closely with our developers and Dogs Trust, I translated insights into user stories, prioritised features, and helped shape the MVP and backlog.

Design phase

I began by crafting low-fidelity wireframes for all key pages, taking a mobile-first approach informed by analytics insights. These wireframes evolved into a sleek, user-friendly UI with flexible page templates and components aligned with the refreshed Dogs Trust brand.

To ensure scalability and consistency, I developed a global design system and component library, which supported the creation of a 400+ page responsive website.

Motion design and micro-interactions were thoughtfully integrated to enhance usability and inject moments of brand delight.

Post-launch enhancements

Following the MVP launch, we implemented continuous improvements to the site and I’ve helped to facilitate numerous co-design workshops at Dogs Trust HQ. Most recently, the dynamic National Dog Survey, the UK’s largest dog census. This tool collects valuable data on dog health, behaviour, and demographics, helping Dogs Trust shape welfare programs and policies.

The survey uses personalised questions, dynamic logic, and gamified elements like dog animations to engage users and reduce drop-offs. Recognising returning participants and referencing their dogs by name further enhanced the experience.

The results

Through an iterative, user-centred approach, the Dogs Trust website has become a scalable, engaging platform that that caters for audiences at all stages of dog ownership journey and advances the charity’s mission of improving the lives of dogs and their owners.

  • 10,000+ dogs re-homed annually.

  • 330% increase in total page impressions.

  • 65% growth in Help & Advice page views.

  • 34% rise in website-driven income.

  • 400,000+ participants in the National Dog Survey (a 20% increase).

The website also won a BIMA design award in 2024. I produced our BIMA award submission, including writing the award response and storyboarding, and directing the filming and production of a 

case study video that told the story of this project.