Current Problem Through research, Skitter has found that the difference between a pet receiving excellent care and a pet receiving mediocre care is most often one of two things: A lack of information, or hesitance over a pricetag. Sometimes, the two combine into one overpowering uber-problem, leaving pet parents or prospective pet parents lost, frustrated, and reluctant to commit to any one solution for their pet. This problem does not end with pet parents, either, extending even to pet store employees tasked with selling pets and making sure they leave the store with all the necessities for a happy, healthy life. Of the seventeen pet parents asked as part of the research that went into Skitter’s creation, only three felt that they were genuinely prepared to care for their new pet upon leaving the store with it. To make matters worse, of sixteen pet parents asked, Skitter found that only four actually trusted the stores from which they bought their animals. They often turned to the internet for information about their animals, and found themselves frustrated by either a lack of information, or too much information, both very real, very diffi cult problems to sort through. With pet parents’ distrust of pet stores and their habit of turning to the internet kept in mind, Skitter evventeen pet pare hh that went into fe ffor their new pet upon make matters worse, , Skitter found that elt hat the or th eir new ake m pon s wors kitter found that stores from which hei es from which hey often turned to trned to ey often turned to b bout their animals, at ated by eith nf nfor mation, o so throu es and eir ha ated by either a lack nformation, both ver ck o sort through. With tores and their habit t in mind, Skitter mind, Skitter ery h venteen pet parents t wen felt that they were carried on to interview employees of major pet store chains about their feelings regarding their own jobs, and found some startling information: of the ten employees spoken to, only two felt that their training was adequate when it came to preparing them to actually educate customers about the pets that they buy. After hours of research and interviews, the problem boiled down to its simplest expression became clear: Pet parents and pet store employees alike were frustrated by confl icting or lacking information, and with the high cost of some starting supplies for exotic pets, customers were hesitant to commit to something they were not sure was best for their pet in the fi e was et in the fi rs re hesitant to commit to sommething they wg not sure was best for their pet in the fi rst place. wer not tt sure was best for their petr their 16
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