Background / Project Overview
Whenever I mention my passion for gardening and plant care, the common response is, "I can never keep a plant alive," or something similar. This sparked an idea: what if technology could make plant care easier and more accessible for everyone?
For this project, I aimed to create an app that enhances the plant parenting experience by helping users care for their plants more effectively. My responsibilities included conducting surveys and user interviews, developing personas, and overseeing the overall visual design of the app.
For this project, I aimed to create an app that enhances the plant parenting experience by helping users care for their plants more effectively. My responsibilities included conducting surveys and user interviews, developing personas, and overseeing the overall visual design of the app.
Problem
Users have a difficult time caring for their plants.
Solution
To find a solution, I made it a priority to stay mindful of the challenges plant parents face. Recognizing the difficulties in plant care, I aimed to understand the specific struggles of other plant owners. By involving users throughout the design process, I ensured the app would truly meet their needs and provide an effective solution.
Proto-Persona
Name: Tim
Age: 29
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: Full-time employment
Age: 29
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: Full-time employment
Behaviors: Tim leads a busy lifestyle, balancing work and other personal commitments, which leaves him with little time to care for his plants. He enjoys having plants around but often forgets to water or tend to them regularly due to his hectic schedule. He prefers systems that make life easier and values simplicity and reminders to stay on top of tasks.
Frustrations: Tim often finds himself frustrated with the challenges of plant care, especially when he isn’t sure when or how to deal with common issues like overwatering, under-watering, or pests. He feels uncertain about his plant care knowledge and worries that he might not be providing the best environment for his plants, leading to them suffering or dying.
Needs/Goals: Tim wants a solution that helps him keep his plants alive and thriving without requiring too much time or effort. He needs a system that provides regular reminders for watering.
Surveys
The survey I conducted had 23 questions and 26 participants. Some of the questions I asked in the survey included the following:
- What do you find most satisfying about growing plants?
- Which of the following challenges have you encountered while caring for plants?
- What types of plant care information are you most interested in?
- Do you enjoy a challenge when it comes to taking care of plants, or would you prefer plant care to be easy and low-maintenance?
Findings
Preference for easy plant care: A majority preferred easy plant care over more challenging methods.
Equally valued care recommendations and reminders: Both care advice and reminders were considered equally important by most respondents.
Equally valued care recommendations and reminders: Both care advice and reminders were considered equally important by most respondents.
Persona
The proto-persona for Tim was initially drafted before conducting any research. However, after receiving feedback from users, no significant changes were identified, allowing me to proceed with the design based on the finalized persona of Tim.
Wireframes
After conducting research, I drew wireframes as a starting point before designing a high fidelity prototype.
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Prototype
When creating the prototype, I used insights gathered from survey participants to prioritize features that were most valuable and important to them. It was clear that users not only wanted a watering schedule and reminders, but also desired easy access to detailed plant care information. Additional features requested included the ability to identify plants and search for specific plant types.
Next Steps
As the next step in the design process, I would conduct usability testing with actual users to evaluate whether the project goals have been successfully achieved. This phase would involve observing users as they interact with the prototype, gathering feedback on their experience, and identifying any pain points or areas of confusion. The main focus would be to assess if the design is intuitive and user-friendly, ensuring that users can easily navigate the platform and access key features such as the watering schedule, plant care information, and plant identification tools. Additionally, the testing would help determine if the platform meets users' needs and expectations, allowing for any necessary iterations and improvements!
