Building AI Solutions to Support Pet Care: Insights from a Summer at Nala
This case study explores how I designed early AI-driven features for Nala, a pet health app, to help guardians navigate daily care with more confidence. By introducing hydration tracking and vet visit support, I focused on turning vague concerns into clear, supportive actions.
Product Design Intern
10 Weeks; Summer Internship
Figma
OVERVIEW
Over 10 weeks at Nala, I designed and prototyped AI-powered features to help pet guardians feel more confident managing care. I led the UX for two tools:
– Vet Visit Support: A guided assistant to help prep, capture, and summarize vet appointments.
– Hydration Tracker: A smart feature that detects early signs of low water intake and shares personalized tips.
I also conducted user research, mapped journeys, and explored ethical approaches to AI for sensitive health moments.
OVERVIEW
Nala
Nala
Nala
As the sole product design intern, I worked on early design explorations, information architecture, and weekly visual updates. I collaborated closely with my manager and received feedback from the broader team weekly.
As the sole product design intern, I worked on early design explorations, information architecture, and weekly visual updates. I collaborated closely with my manager and received feedback from the broader team weekly.
THE PROBLEM Is this normal... or should I be worried?
Pet guardians often face unclear symptoms, ambiguous behaviors, and the emotional pressure of getting care right, especially without medical training. Two critical pain points surfaced during early discovery:
01. Preparing for vet visits feels rushed, reactive, and emotionally loaded
02. Tracking behavioral health cues like water intake feels imprecise and often ignored
These gaps ead to anxiety, delayed care, or miscommunication with vets. Nala saw an opportunity to step in with AI-powered tools that could organize the noise, reflect personalized insights, and build trust over time.
RESEARCH + FRAMING The Gap Between Care + Confidence
I started by mapping common friction points across the pet care journey, particularly around vague symptoms, vet decisions, and passive health tracking. We discovered users often relied on guesswork or scattered notes to assess whether something needed attention.
Hydration became our behavioral signal focus because it’s subtle, easy to overlook, and often the first sign of illness, especially in cats, where the idea was first validated.
Hydration became our behavioral signal focus because it’s subtle, easy to overlook, and often the first sign of illness, especially in cats, where the idea was first validated.
RESEARCH + FRAMING Health Questions Don’t Happen on a Schedule. Our Users Need Support That Feels Immediate and Reassuring
I developed personas based on early user research and internal interviews. These helped ground our design decisions and prioritize features that would resonate with our audience.
THE SOLUTION From Vet Prep to Water Tracking, the AI Experience Helps Bridge Gaps Between Concern and Clarity
01. Vet Visit Companion
Pre-visit symptom logging with AI prompts
Smart summaries for sharing with the vet
Follow-up care nudges post appointment
02. Hydration Tracking
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Bowl-visit pattern recognition
-
Weekly trend summaries compared to norms
- Real-time alerts for unusual changes
SETTING UP A STYLE GUIDE
FINAL DESIGNS
Vet Visit Support
UX Benefits:
UX Benefits:
-
Reduces anxiety and uncertainty
- Helps users feel heard and prepared
- Encourages follow-through with clear next steps
- Builds trust in care decisions
UX Benefits:
- Surfaces early signs of dehydration
- Offers peace of mind without manual tracking
- Builds awareness of a critical but invisible behavior
- Enables habit formation around wellness
Prototype Screens
WHAT I LEARNED
How this project helped me grow.
- Good design holds space for emotion, not just action
- AI should feel helpful, not intrusive
- Trust and context are just as important as clarity
- Small details (tooltips, alerts, graphs) shape emotional confidence