Plants have different needs, and react to sunlight, water, and fertilizer in a variety of ways. Many wish to grow plants at home but lack tools and knowledge to care for their plants effectively.
my role in this project:
UX Design
User Research
Market Research
Wireframes And Prototypes
UI Design
Preliminary Research:
what plant care apps are there?
how do they help the user take care of plants?
what features do they include?
Who is the target audience?
What are some common problems people face while taking care of plants?
Market Research:
As part of my research I studied several plant care apps that offer Individual care schedule and reminders for your plants, recommendations, guides, identification, light meter and more, in order to learn what are the most common features, and how to best combine them into one app.
pros
Uses image recognition to identify plants
can identify insects and mushrooms
calculates individual care of the plant based on available conditions
vacation mode to allow someone else to care for your plants while you are away
when identifying plant from camera diagnose plant health at the same time
cons
require subscription to premium to enjoy full features
only sort by outdoors/indoors no specific location inside the home
main audience are Americans - based on measuring units
**Editor’s Choice & App of the Day 2022**
on the App Store
pros
user-friendly interface
Provides customized care advice
keep track of the room light intensity (premium users only)
search plants by light requirements (premium users only)
adjust care based on the weather in your area (premium users only)
cons
Requires a subscription for full access to all features, without premium the use of the app is very limited
**Google Play Best of 2022**
pros
guide and articles section
keep track of the light conditions in the room
get notifications when to water and care for your plants
show weather in your area
cons
some features available only for premium users, although the app is decently usable even without paying for premium
no option to search plants by light requirements
seem to give only general care advise with no option to edit individual care
doesn’t seem to adjust care based on the weather in your area, even though the app uses device location to display local temperature
user interface somewhat cluttered and difficult to navigate
main audience are Americans - based on measuring units
the Research
User research:
As part of my user research I tried to ask questions that would help me better understand the pain points and needs of my target audience when it comes to plant care. I published a questionnaire in Various gardening groups, and 30 people have answered to give me the following insights:
conclusions
Conclusions from my research
01
israeli audience don’t use a care app for their plants
02
target audiences for each app is slightly different
03
most apps use the imperial system measuring units with no option to switch to metric units
04
all apps researched require registration to a paid premium program in order to experience full usability of all their features
05
Users struggle to remember watering schedules, struggle with pest and disease management, and lack a centralized resource for plant-related information
06
Users face several challenges when it comes to caring for their plants. The core problem identified through research is the lack of a convenient and accessible tool that offers guidance and reminders for plant care
User Personas:
Based on my research I set up two personas. I referred to them throughout the entire product development process.
user flow:
Based on the user research and survey, I created a rough story-line. As part of this user flow, I started to map out the screens each persona would see:
Information Architecture
app structure:
Based on the insights gained from the research, I defined the architecture of the app.
my goal:
To design a plant care app that caters to the specific needs and challenges of users in the Middle East. The app should provide a seamless and intuitive user experience, enabling users to effectively care for their plants and overcome the common obstacles they face. By addressing these pain points and providing valuable features, the app aims to encourage users to adopt plant care routines and enhance their gardening experience.
sign in / sign up
onboarding
home screen
diagnose
user profile
search
plant card
guides and blog
wireframes
After defining the structure and information architecture of the app I laid out all of the pages so I could visualize how each piece related to one another and how a user would access each workflow.
Clean and intuitive user interface
The app aims to simplify plant care routines and provide users with the necessary knowledge and tools to maintain healthy plants, with a clean, seamless and intuitive user interface.
design
Diagnose your plants
Easily diagnose plants from your device's camera and get professional tips and recommendations.