Plantr
THE PROBLEM:
People want plants in their home but they don’t have the knowledge to care for them. Sometimes when life gets busy, people forget to take care of them. This often results in overwatering, further distressing the already unhealthy plant.
THE SOLUTION:
For the knowledge seeker: Identify plants using photo identification and provide easy care instructions. When plants get sick, the diagnostic tool is there to help provide remedies.
For the forgetful serial plant killer: Naming plants and keeping plant diaries will foster an emotional bond with their plants. This bond helps users remind themselves to check on and care for their plants. Be proud of your plant babies!
MY ROLE:
UX/UI Designer
Team:
Barbara Wolfe, Mendy Gee, and Nicole Song
Discover
Our team began by putting together a screener survey to find current plant owners who also use smartphones. From that group we interviewed seven users, each with varying levels of plant care knowledge and expertise.
We asked users about their plant care routine, past experiences with house plants, and where they go to learn more to understand their opinions, behavior, and needs.
After gathering information from the interviews, we synthesized our research using an Affinity Map. This helps us group data and turn them into insights about our target audience.
Below are samples of the insights we uncovered about our users:
People choose house plants based on appearance and level of maintenance.
People want to know more about how to care for their plants.
People don’t really use reminders on their smartphones.
People learn more about plant care from the internet, people they know who are great with plants, and from trial and error.
People have strong emotional connections with their plants.
Persona
Our team formed a primary persona based on the insights we uncovered after synthesizing our user interviews. We based our design decisions based on what Laura would want in a houseplant care app.
Competitive Analysis
Our team conducted a competitor analysis to evaluate other apps that are currently out in the marketplace. We compared features to figure out how Plantr can set itself apart from other houseplant care apps.
Based on the competitive analysis, we notice that … Also, most apps on the market are geared more towards outdoor gardening.
Wireframes
Main focus of app at this point was on keeping the plant alive. That is why our team decided to put emphasis on care instructions, help, and watering reminders.
Usability Testing
Our team created scenarios and tasks to make sure our app makes sense to users.
Scenario 1: You were in Home Depot and saw a cute houseplant. You bought it and noticed there is no plant identification tag on the pot when you got home.
Task 1: You already have an account with this app. Add the plant into your “Garden,” and make sure to finish the process.
Iterations
We took the feedback from our usability testing and implemented changes to make the app easier to use. The largest change we made was after our first usability test. We felt like we were making Google calendar reminders for people’s plants, something any smartphone can already do. We went back to our research and discovered what set intermediate and expert level plant caretakers apart from the novices. People who have an emotional connection to their plants remind themselves to check on their plants.
From here our project pivoted from being a reminder app to being something that will help people foster a connection with their plants. Reminders are the training wheels that help get users get to that point. This also helped set our app apart from others on the market.
High Fidelity Wireframes
Key Learnings
It’s ok to look back at the research and change things up especially after your usability tests tell you that you’re moving in the wrong direction. Pivoting and changing direction is part of the design process and can make your product better.