Abstract
With the increase of online shopping, animal shelters can use websites to allow potential adopters to view adoptable animals and increase the number of adoptions. However, little research has evaluated the information needs of this user group. This study conducted a user needs analysis to determine the types of information potential adopters want when searching for a new pet, specifically a cat or dog. Twenty-six participants ranked different behavioral and physical characteristics based on the level of importance and identified their top five overall characteristics. In general, cat adopters ranked the cat’s personality and behavior to be very important and dog adopters found physical characteristics highly important. This study shows the importance of understanding potential adopters’ needs to provide relevant and valued information on online pet adoption profiles. The recommendations and insights can be used to develop pet profiles that meet adopters’ needs and help adopters find the right pet.
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