This project was a collaborative effort, aimed at gaining an understanding of the emotions and decision-making processes that lead people to acquire their pets and the ways that they chose to acquire them. Using design research methods such as a survey and one-on-one experience mapping sessions with pet owners, our group was able to identify current behavioral patterns within pet owners which has the potential to fuel future research. Through this project, I gained important insight into participant recruitment processes, data analysis, as well as experience working collaboratively with an interdisciplinary group of graduate students.
In one-on-one sessions, participants were asked to reflect on the decision making process they experienced when acquiring their pet. Using their own images, supplied stock images and symbols, each participant populated a timeline and verbally walked through the process and experience.
