Designing for disappointment

Most digital journeys are designed with an end destination in mind. Search, discover, decide, convert - done. The experience is considered complete the moment someone gets what they came for.

At PetRescue, that destination is a rescue pet finding a loving home. For a long time, that's where our efforts focused. When we examined what actually happens across that journey, we discovered that the most consequential design moment wasn't only the search or finding a match. It was what happened next. Given that a pet can only be united with one household, something easily neglected was the journey for the unsuccessful applicant.

Someone wanting to adopt a pet is emotionally invested and has imagined this pet as a loving companion in their life. With 100 applications for a single rescue pet not being uncommon, the unsuccessful 99 people who inevitably miss out are faced with a decision on what to do next, while feeling heightened emotions often including a form of grief and deep disappointment.

This disappointment can be compounding and lead to a pathway of turning to backyard and unsafe sources - methods which face less barriers - the exact opposite outcome of what the rescue sector exists to prevent. Emotion doesn't stop when a journey ends. It fuels whatever comes next.

This presentation is about how PetRescue is deliberately designing for disappointment - to hold and support people through it, keep them encouraged on the journey, and protect the decision that follows. It's also an acknowledgement to a continued work in progress (it's not completely solved yet!), and an invitation to look at your own products differently: not just at the moment someone succeeds, but at what you've designed (or haven't) for everyone who doesn't.