The National Veterinary Associates (NVA), a California-based consortium of veterinary clinics and hospitals across the U.S., sought to streamline its growing acquisition strategy. With a business model centered on acquiring clinics from retiring veterinarians, NVA faced challenges in managing disparate digital systems, including websites, patient management tools, and customer relationship platforms. The goal was to create a unified, modern digital ecosystem that could scale with their expansion while maintaining regional relevance and operational efficiency.
Transforming Digital Strategy for Scalable Growth
National Veterinary Associates
The Client Project
The Challenge
The primary business challenge was managing the complexity of integrating multiple acquired clinics, each with its own digital infrastructure. This led to high costs, inconsistent user experiences, and inefficiencies in updating critical information like regional storm warnings or clinic hours. The client needed a strategy to consolidate these systems into a cohesive platform that could support diverse services—from pet care to farm animal treatment—while enhancing customer engagement and operational agility.
The Solution
We adopted a phased, research-driven approach to address the business challenges. Key steps included:
- Market Research: Analyzing pet ownership trends, demographics, and industry-specific software to identify opportunities for differentiation.
- Technology Audit: Evaluating existing systems to understand integration challenges and opportunities for streamlining.
- User-Centric Design: Developing a flexible design system that balanced uniformity with regional customization, ensuring a personalized experience for pet owners.
- Mobile-First Strategy: Emphasizing responsiveness and accessibility to meet modern user expectations.
- Data-Driven Insights: Synthesizing market and web analytics to guide decision-making and prioritize features like pet insurance promotion and wellness reminders.
The Outcome
The project delivered a comprehensive digital strategy that aligned with growth goals for NVA. By presenting a unified yet customizable platform, we enabled NVA to reduce operational costs, improve customer engagement, and scale efficiently. The client was particularly impressed with the mobile-first approach and the emphasis on personalization, which addressed regional needs without overburdening clinic staff. This strategic foundation set the stage for future design and development phases, ensuring NVA remained competitive in the evolving veterinary care market.
My Role
As the Strategy and Research Lead, I spearheaded market analysis, competitive benchmarking, and stakeholder interviews to uncover key insights. I collaborated with cross-functional teams to synthesize data into actionable recommendations, ensuring the strategy aligned with NVA’s business objectives. My role also involved presenting findings to the client, advocating for a mobile-first, responsive design, and mapping out a product roadmap to guide future phases. This project highlighted the importance of research-driven decision-making and iterative collaboration in solving complex digital challenges, ultimately positioning NVA for long-term success.
Client
National Veterinary Associates
Industry and Location
Veterinary Medicine
Westlake Village, CA
Westlake Village, CA
Project Highlights
- Market Research
- Technology Audit
- User-Centric Design
- Mobile-First Strategy
- Data-Driven Insights
My Role
- Strategy Lead
- Market Analysis
- Stakeholder Interviews
- Data Synthesis
- Product Roadmap
SUMMARY
Experienced Researcher and Digital Strategy Lead with a proven track record in design thinking, user research, and data-driven design. Skilled in quantitative and qualitative research methods, market research, prototyping, customer engagement including surveys, focus groups, and remote/in-person testing. Expertise in product development, user experience design, and digital transformation with a strong technical aptitude in RStudio, Figma, responsive Web frameworks, Unreal Engine, and Unity. Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams, deliver scalable solutions, and communicate insights effectively to diverse stakeholders.
