Bryan Reveron
Plantae is an advanced app designed to enhance plant care, connecting seamlessly with a soil monitoring device to streamline watering schedules. It provides personalized tips and reminders for maintenance, maintains a history of watering and soil care, and offers insights into plant growth progress.
Client:
Personal Project
My Role:
Researcher & Product Designer
Year:
2023
Service Provided:
App Design, Product Design
The Problem
Individuals encounter challenges in discerning the precise requirements of their plants, encompassing factors such as optimal watering intervals and quantities, as well as maintaining a consistent schedule for these essential tasks.
The Hypothesis
Through the utilization of a mobile application seamlessly integrated with a soil monitoring and automatic watering system, individuals will be relieved of concerns regarding the potential demise or insufficient watering of their plants during periods of absence. This integration is anticipated to culminate in enhanced plant vitality, fostering a more gratifying and positive plant ownership experience for users.
The Research Objective
Our goal is to comprehend the daily challenges and pain points experienced by users who maintain plants in their homes. This understanding will serve as a foundation for identifying opportunities to enhance the well-being of their plants.
The Execution
We conducted five user interviews with individuals who either currently own or express an interest in owning houseplants. The interviews were meticulously structured, comprising a minimum of eight open-ended questions designed to delve into the frustrations experienced by the users.
A selection of queries posed to the individuals we interviewed:
How do you currently keep track of the watering schedules or sunlight requirements of your plants?
How do you decide what type of care a plant needs and when?
What are some, if any, specific challenges or obstacles that you have encountered while taking care of your plants? How did you solve the problem?
User Research Takeaways
Our users struggle with the challenge of harmonizing their hectic lifestyles with the responsibilities of plant care, frequently overlooking the essential tasks of watering and maintenance. A prevalent sentiment among users is a perceived deficiency in the requisite knowledge and skills for effective plant care.
The User
We employed a user persona to gain a deeper understanding of the insights gathered from our research and interviews. This tool facilitates an exploration of the user's thoughts and actions, enabling us to pinpoint their pain points and subsequently strategize solutions.
The Journey
Through our research, we identified that users experienced difficulties in plant care stemming from insufficient knowledge about their plants' specific requirements and a need to manage their watering schedule and history. In response, we aimed to develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) centered on a specific user journey. This MVP would offer users personalized care advice, watering reminders, and a comprehensive care history tracker. By maintaining conciseness in our user journey and prioritizing these essential features, our design aimed to effectively alleviate the primary pain points identified during our research.
Lo-fi Design / Feedback
Through the user testing of our low-fidelity prototype, we observed that participants navigated the application relatively smoothly, expressing appreciation for the personalized care advice and reminders. However, certain testers raised concerns regarding the size of the buttons and the need for more intuitive navigation, particularly expressing difficulty in accessing the 'History' button. In response to this valuable feedback, we made targeted adjustments in our subsequent iteration to rectify these issues and enhance the overall user experience. Our commitment to incorporating user insights and iteratively refining our design aims to ensure the development of an application that aligns with the specific needs of our users, providing a valuable and enjoyable plant care experience.
Hi-fi Design / Solution
Introducing Plantae, an innovative application designed to deliver tailored care guidance by discerning each plant's unique requirements. Equipped with personalized watering reminders and expert care tips, Plantae seeks to enhance the plant ownership experience by empowering users with the requisite knowledge and resources for effective and successful plant care.
Outcome
Originally envisioning an app for automated plant watering during absences, our research revealed a prevalent issue: plant owners lacked knowledge or struggled to remember watering schedules. By refocusing on a singular user flow, our solutions address this root problem. The result is a user-friendly system promoting effective and confident plant care, fostering healthier and more vibrant plants.