EASING THE EMOTIONAL JOURNEY OF PET CARE THROUGH EMPATHETIC DIGITAL DESIGN

The CHALLENGE

In the moments of a pet crisis, emotions can run high and decisions feel urgent. A leading veterinary care network wanted to understand how to better support pet owners during these emotionally-charged experiences. While their in-clinic care was trusted and compassionate, they saw an opportunity to ease stress through smarter, more empathetic digital communication.

The client asked us to identify the “moments that matter most” in specialty and emergency care—those times when reassurance, clarity, and communication could transform an anxious experience into a confident one. They wanted to know when and how to proactively connect with owners to reduce emotional strain, while keeping care efficient and compassionate.

The APPROACH

We leveraged our Gravity Points framework to better empathize with pet owners across these highly emotional journeys. We conducted a series of in-depth qualitative interviews with pet owners, both existing and non-clients, who had recently navigated specialty and emergency veterinary care. Through their stories, we mapped two distinct journey frameworks, one for specialty care and one for emergency visits, to visualize the emotions, expectations, and digital interactions at each stage.

Aligning to our Gravity Point framework, we introduced the concept of “emotional mass” to identify moments when anxiety and uncertainty peaked, revealing opportunities for digital communication to provide calm and confidence. These maps highlighted where technology could meaningfully enhance the human connection: pre-visit registration to reduce stress, real-time updates to ease waiting, and personalized follow-up to reassure owners that their pets were in capable, caring hands.

The competitive landscape also helped shape recommendations. By assessing leading veterinary brands, we identified emerging best practices—such as patient portals, digital queue systems, and transparent billing tools—that could differentiate the client through empathy-led innovation.

The OUTCOME

Our teams delivered a clear, emotionally-attuned roadmap for the client’s digital experience. The journey maps and empathetic layer of Gravity Points revealed that technology can strengthen, not replace, the human touch when it reflects compassion, transparency, and partnership.

Our recommendations helped the client prioritize moments for proactive communication and digital support, ensuring that every message and interaction serves both practical and emotional needs. From pre-registration to post-care follow-up, pet owners now experience a journey that feels more supportive, less overwhelming, and fully aligned with the brand’s promise of care.

This insight-driven foundation is now informing future digital investments, helping the brand create not just a more efficient process, but a more human one—where empathy is designed in at every click, call, and touchpoint.