OVERView
OurGarden is a mobile app that helps users monitor the health and growth of their plants and enables them to build cooperative connections with other local gardeners.
PROBLEM
Going outside and getting your hands dirty in a garden is a great way to destress and connect with nature. Growing things like fruits, veggies, and herbs also makes it easier and more affordable to incorporate fresh produce into your daily diet. But, with busy schedules and small living spaces many people living in big cities don’t have the time, space, or horticultural knowledge to maintain a garden. Those who are able to successfully grow something often end up with too much of one thing which can lead to waste.
My Role: ViSual + UI Designer
● User Research
● Concept Testing
● Ideation
● Wireframing
● User Testing
● Visual Design
Design Goals
● Transform frustrated novices into confident, successful gardeners
● Help users figure out ways to utilize their own spaces (big or small) to grow produce
● Help users to easily monitor the health and growth of their plants
● Enable users to connect with other local gardeners to share and swap the food they grow
FiEld Research
I started by going out and doing some ethnographic user research. I visited a handful of friends and neighbors who grow fruits and veggies at home and spoke with them about their gardening experiences. My goal was to test my assumptions and understand the pain points, needs and goals that I needed to address in my design solution.
Online Survey
In addition to the ethnographic research and face to face interviews, I also created on online survey to gather more information about gardeners' thoughts and behaviors. I posted the survey on several Facebook gardening groups in order to reach a wide, diverse group of respondents.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that:
● the majority of people responded positively to the idea of connecting with other friends and neighbors who enjoy gardening
● all respondents were open to the idea of sharing or swapping the things that they grow
● most respondents reported that they already grow edible plants including herbs, veggies, and fruit
Insights
Small Spaces → Lack of Variety
"I wish I could grow more things but my patio is tiny”
● People expressed frustration over the limitations imposed by their small living and outdoor spaces.
● They had a desire to grow more so that they could enjoy a wider variety of fresh produce at home.
● Several of the people I spoke with were not fully utilizing available growing spaces and were unsure of the best way to set up their gardens.
Overabundance → Food Waste
“Apple tarts, applesauce, apple juice... I love this tree but I do get a little sick of apples”
● Two of the people I spoke with talked about having way more produce than they could use when their lemon and apple trees hit peak harvest
● People with too much of one thing tried to share with friends and get creative with recipes but ended up letting a lot of fresh produce go to waste
● Most participants expressed interest in the idea of sharing or swapping what they grow with other local gardeners
Guessing + Forgetting → Dead Plants
“I either forget to water them or I overwater them... it’s kind of a guessing game”
● All participants admitted that they often forget to water or tend to their plants unless they set some kind of reminder (on phone or notepad)
● Several admitted to getting frustrated and giving up when they saw a plant wilt and wither away
● Many participants were unsure of how to keep track of which plants need more water and TLC than others
Overall, my research helped me feel more confident that there is a market of people who would be interested in using an app like OurGarden to connect with people and share the food they grow.
Personas
Based on my research and the insights that I gathered, I created two personas to represent the people I would be designing for.
Journey Map
I created a journey map in order to define an ideal path that users will take when engaging with the OurGarden mobile app.
Pivot Point
Initially, I mapped out a flow (pictured below) that included an e-commerce component where users can buy an IoT sensor and other gardening supplies in an in-app store. Ultimately, in order to create a simple, focused MVP I decided to hold off on the e-commerce component and focus on the garden care and social swapping aspects of my concept.
Wireframe Sketches
Prototype
Testing + Iteration
After designing my prototype, I conducted usability tests with 5 participants. Then, based on insights gathered from these tests, I made a few changes to improve the usability and functionality of the app.
3 out of 5 users expressed confusion regarding the green progress bars around the plant icons on the Home Screen. In order to maintain visual simplicity and avoid distracting or confusing the users, I decided to remove the progress bars from the home screen altogether. I left the progress bars on the Plant Detail screens with added text (e.g. 85% growth) to ensure that users can still keep track of how much their plants have grown and how close they are to being ready to harvest.
After hearing from a user that they are unsure of how seasonal changes affect should influence their gardening behaviors, I decided to add season specific push notifications. Alerts that lead to articles like the one pictured above, will help users stay informed and feel confident that their gardens will be healthy and productive all year round.
What I Learned
Throughout this process I learned a lot about the importance of research and testing. Initially I began designing this application as a solution to my own problem but I quickly learned that in order to create a practical, useful product for a wide user base I needed to interview a diverse variety of potential users. By going out and talking to people in their gardens, I was able to engage in casual, candid conversations. These conversations helped me gather meaningful insights and define my design goals more accurately. Talking to strangers can be intimidating but speaking with people and hearing about their love of gardening made me feel inspired to create a great product!
Next Steps
Design E-Commerce Feature
● continue mapping out and designing an e-commerce component that will enable users to buy recommended gardening products
● conduct concept testing interviews to gauge potential users' interest in using this feature
● design a system that would provide custom recommendations based on each users specific living spaces and gardening goals
Integrate AR
● integrate augmented reality functionality that will enable users to use their mobile phone camera measure their space and map out their garden setup
● give users the ability to visualize their ideal home garden
Screen Flow
PATTERN LIBRARY
Throughout the design process I compiled and updated a pattern library. This document helped me maintain consistency as I expanded and iterated my wireframes. I knew that designing the mobile app screens with consistent styling was essential to crafting a clear, simple and enjoyable user experience. Utilizing symbols and text styles in Sketch also helped me streamline my iteration cycles.
