- Generative User Research
- Usability Testing
- UX Strategy
- Information Architecture
Creating a unified digital hub for veterinary professionals
Outcomes
- Uncovered the needs and priorities of veterinary professionals through qualitative user research
- Validated and stress-tested a proposed unified digital hub before wider investment and rollout
- Established a research-backed foundation for future international expansion and service design
Project overview
Virbac wanted to redesign their B2B websites to better support veterinary professionals throughout their day-to-day work. Before progressing with development, they wanted to validate whether the new proposed platform genuinely aligned with how vets work, and understand what would encourage adoption.
Graphite conducted qualitative research with UK veterinary professionals, combining exploratory interviews with moderated usability testing of a functional prototype. Alongside evaluating the proposed experience, the research explored how vets search for information, make clinical decisions, and interact with manufacturer websites in the context of their everyday work.
The findings gave Virbac clear evidence to refine the platform, sharpen its information architecture, and align the experience with real user behaviour - helping shape subsequent service design work and plans for international rollout.
Understanding how veterinary professionals actually work
Rather than testing the prototype in isolation, the research explored the wider context in which vets access information and make decisions. This included the habits, pressures and workarounds that shape whether a new tool actually gets adopted.
The study included a mix of companion animal and farm vets, revealing real differences in workflow and priorities. All participants worked under significant time pressure. Every single one reported checking product information or data sheets regularly, while requirements around clinical evidence, nutrition guidance, offline access and client education varied more by practice type.
Understanding these behaviours meant design recommendations could address genuine working needs, not just interface usability.
AI-enabled research, powered by human expertise
To maximise efficiency, Graphite embedded AI throughout the research process — accelerating discussion guide development, participant screening, interview preparation and initial transcript analysis. This allowed our team to deliver the project faster, while maintaining the depth and quality of the research, unlocking real time and cost savings for the client.
But this project also reinforced where human expertise remains essential. AI was genuinely useful for organising information and spotting initial patterns, but it struggled to reliably distinguish between a usability problem and a simple behavioural preference, to prioritise findings against what actually mattered to the client's objectives, and to catch the subtler behavioural and contextual cues that only emerge from moderated, human-led sessions.
By combining AI with experienced UX researchers, Virbac benefited from both faster delivery and richer, more actionable insight than either could have produced alone.
Building a scalable foundation
Beyond improving the immediate experience, the research surfaced wider opportunities for Virbac's digital ecosystem, including how account structures should reflect the reality of clinical decision-makers and those making product orders.
The findings also fed directly into plans to adapt the platform across international markets while keeping a consistent core experience. By validating the approach early with real users, Virbac was able to move forward with greater confidence and a stronger evidence base for the next phase of investment.
Want to talk to us about your animal health digital experiences?
We help animal health organisations create digital experiences that deliver greater value for veterinary professionals and other key audiences.
Through customer research, experience strategy, product design and design systems, we help teams understand what their audiences need, improve the decisions behind their digital experiences and deliver them consistently across brands, markets and channels.
