In 4 Months from Brief to Silicon Valley
Role
Fractional Head of Product
Industry
Software, Healthcare, IT, SaaS, Pet Care, Pet Tech, Veterinary, HealthTech, Telemedicine
Business Model
B2B2C, SaaS
Executive Summary
Branding, Product, UX/UI & Prototype in 4 Months
When I joined PetAid, an Austrian startup with two founders and a CTO, they had one live product (a standalone digital pet health record) and a plan to build a full SaaS ecosystem for veterinary care. They were shifting from B2C to B2B2C, aiming to launch a telehealth consultation platform that would serve both pet owners and vets.
In just 4 months, I designed and delivered a high-fidelity prototype. One they used to successfully pitch across Europe and Silicon Valley, bringing new stakeholders and investors on board and laying the groundwork for future products in their suite.
Challenges
Tight Timeline,
No Access to Legacy Files
We Needed a Roadmap Fast
With a Silicon Valley pitch just four months away, the clock was ticking. PetAid had no design infrastructure, no system to scale with, and no access to the files of their first product. The legacy platform was outdated. But yet worse, also locked away.
We had to start from scratch. With no time to waste, I built a roadmap from the ground up. It would anchor every decision, align the team, and carry us through out the process.
Approach
Every design intervention starts with 1) the business and 2) the users
Research
After being crystal clear about the business goals we wanted to prioritze in this sprint, we ran deep user research across both sides of the platform: interviews with pet owners and veterinarians. We then, take a close look at our competitors, before we started to map our workflows.
Two User Groups
One of the challenges was designing for two user groups: pet owners and vets. Each had different needs, contexts, and expectations, but they had to meet in the same digital space.
Pet Owners
For pet owners, the biggest potential friction point we could identify was booking a consultation. We carefully observed the user journey, designed the flow, simplified the onboarding experience, and used clear, empathetic UX writing to make each step feel effortless and more like care than admin.
Vets
For vets, our main priority was reducing cognitive load. The dashboard surfaced what mattered: upcoming appointments, new consultation requests, and ernings through virtual consultations. Another focus point were in-session notes (Dx, Rx), right where they needed them, without requireing after-session bureaucracy. We based every decision on giving time back.
Prototyping
From Sketch to
Stakeholder Buy-In
High-Fidelity Prototype
With the flows in place, I roughly sketched out the screens of each. I then built a scrappy prototype for a first round of usability testing. Testing showed a few areas of improvement, and after iterating the most evident ones, I built a high-fidelity prototype. It included live interactions, microcopy, and real data logic to simulate the full experience.
That prototype became the centerpiece of PetAid’s investor pitch.
Results
A Scalable System Saving Time And Money
For startups managing tight budgets, design systems translate to real savings and faster launches. Without a component library, designers are recreating the same buttons, devs are duplicating code and your brand looks slightly off in every product and deck.
Studies furthermore show, that scalable systems make a difference when it comes to efficiency. With pre-built, tested components, your team moves faster. [⇗]
Faster Time-to-Market
More Efficient Design
More Efficient Development
New Investors and Stakeholders on Board
The foundes used the prototype to pitch across Europe and Silicon Valley and it worked. Investors who previously were hestitant, now saw not just a concept, but a company ready to ship. PetAid received new grants and now relies on a system that helps them keep building future products faster than ever.
