Planterra App
This is a personal project of mine in which I researched, prototyped, and designed an app that enables both plant enthusiasts and beginners to learn more about their plants. The goal is to foster growth by connecting them with fellow plant enthusiasts and individuals who may share similar questions and interests.
Work Performed
Market/User Research | User Interface | User Experience
UI/UX
Planterra App
Jul. 2021 - Dec. 2021
Planterra is an innovative mobile app designed to help plant lovers care for their green companions while connecting with a passionate community of fellow plant enthusiasts. Whether you're nurturing a single succulent or managing a lush indoor garden, Planterra offers personalized care tools and a thriving social network to support your plant journey.
Phase 1: Research
My research offered me the opportunity to understand the potential users of my app. I was able to research their wants, needs, and frustrations that limits or helps them succeed in caring for plants. Research set the foundation for solving problems in later stages of the app making process. Below are a list of steps that I took in order to complete the research to gain knowledge of the users, market and industry of plant care.
Steps:
- Market Research
- Competitive Research
- Quantitive and Qualitative Research
- Provisional Personas
- Empathy Mapping
- Card Sorting
- User Personas
Presumed Demographics
- The 2019 National Gardening Survey found that 18 to 34-year-olds have beena dominant source of plant sales.
- Millennials account for about a quarter of the $48 billion spent on lawn and garden products in 2018, even though they have lower household incomes than older generations, according to data fromthe 2019 National Gardening Association.
- Environmental psychologist Sally Augustin, Ph.D, suggests that caring for plants really is a healthy option for stress relief and could explain why so many millennials are so drawn to the hobby.
Plant Industry and Platforms
- The 2019 National Gardening Survey found that 18 to 34-year-olds have beena dominant source of plant sales.
- Millennials account for about a quarter of the $48 billion spent on lawn and garden products in 2018, even though they have lower household incomes than older generations, according to data fromthe 2019 National Gardening Association.
- Environmental psychologist Sally Augustin, Ph.D, suggests that caring for plants really is a healthy option for stress relief and could explain why so many millennials are so drawn to the hobby.
Competitors
Doing competitive research allowed me to gain insights into the Plant Care industry and determine strengths and weaknesses of competitors. By doing this research I saw a lack of personal connection in the user experience. At this step, I determined what features would set me apart from others while giving an effective experience.
Provisional Personas
Provisional personas are market user identities created from researching the plant market and its consumers. By creating these general personas, it gave me a larger look into the general marketed audience and aided my strategizing.
User Survey
The user survey allowed me to gain information and answer specific questions that pertain to the overall interaction of the app. To see a full view of the questions, please click the link below.
Information Learned
- The majority of the respondents found the most difficult part of growing/owning a plant to be the wilting and bugs. This leads me to believe they have more of a problem with maintenance rather than remembering when to water their plants.
- A large percentage of indoor gardeners also tend to gain a lot of their information from the internet. This can be a daunting task when you need a quick answer on what is happening to your plant.
- Many also found they obtained their plants out of serendipity and not by choice, this was because they were highly intimidated by the challenge of growing a plant.
Empathy Mapping
Empathy mapping gave me vital information about the concerns, questions, feelings, and overall enjoyment people would experience towards the subject of plant care. Being able to talk and experience others emotional connection with plant care, whether good or bad, allowed me to visualize what areas of plant care to target.
Card Sorting
Card sorting showed me how a group, in the range of my target audience, would categorize information. I would use this information in creating the architecture of the app.
Personas
User personas are shaped from all the previous research methods and answers. These personas are more acute than the provisionals and allowed me to determine more information of the motivations and needs of the users. Personas provided crucial insight into what type of person will be using my app and how I can aid them in accomplishing their goals.
Phase 2: Strategy
Strategizing helped me to define goals and produce a plan to accomplish a great user experience. This stratification is based on the information gained from research, and then used to solve problems and roadblocks found along the way. Below are steps used in the creation of a clear strategy in solving the users goals.
Steps:
- Goal Realization
- Product Roadmap
- Information Architecture/Sitemapping
- Wireframming
Phase 3: Design
Steps:
- UI/UX Design Tiles
- Interface
- Prototyping
Selected projects
