THE problem
Operational Overload
Small-scale ranchers often rely on paper records, spreadsheets, or memory to manage herd data, financials, and daily tasks—leading to disorganization, missed opportunities, money loss, and added stress.
THE solution
Streamlined Management
HerdCTRL is a streamlined livestock management platform designed specifically for small-scale ranchers. It simplifies data tracking, provides real-time insights, and organizes daily tasks in one easy-to-use interface—helping users stay on top of their operations.
overview
HerdCTRL is a digital platform designed to help small-scale ranchers manage their operations with less stress and more confidence. Built specifically for users who may not be tech-savvy, the interface is clean, intuitive, and focused on simplicity—making complex tasks like herd tracking, financial planning, and task management feel approachable and manageable.
KEY FEATURES OF THE PLATFORM
Herd Data Management
Financial Insights
Task Management
MY DESIGN Process
The design of HerdCTRL began with user research—I conducted interviews with small-scale ranchers to understand their daily routines, frustrations, and what tools (if any) they were using to manage their herds. From there, I created user personas and journey maps to pinpoint pain points and opportunities for improvement.
I sketched early wireframes and built low-fidelity prototypes to test key flows like tracking livestock, viewing sale barn prices, and managing to-dos. Feedback from usability testing guided my refinements, helping me simplify the interface and prioritize what mattered most to users.
HERD DATA MANAGEMENT
This feature is the foundation of HerdCTRL, giving ranchers a centralized, easy-to-use place to track key details like breed, age, weight, health status, and sale readiness. I designed a hybrid layout combining a simple table with expandable cards to balance quick overviews with deeper detail—mirroring the familiarity of spreadsheets while improving clarity and structure.
To keep things approachable, I used rancher-friendly language and avoided technical jargon. Filtering and sorting tools help users quickly find animals based on things like vaccination status or sale dates. The interface was also designed mobile-first, with large touch targets and clear spacing for use in the field. Visual tags and color-coded indicators surface key info at a glance, helping ranchers make faster, more confident decisions.
FINANCIAL INSIGHTS
This feature provides ranchers with a clear, real-time overview of their operation’s financial health. The dashboard is broken into three essential categories: Income, Expenses, and Deaths—each reflecting key aspects of ranching that need to be tracked regularly.
Income allows users to log livestock sales, along with any other sources of revenue, to maintain an up-to-date record of earnings.
Expenses tracks costs such as feed, veterinary care, equipment, and other essential expenditures.
Deaths records any livestock losses, which is vital for both tracking herd health and providing accurate financial reports.
