Problem Statement

New plant parents are facing limitations

Lock down has token its toll on us all, especially on those living in cities restricted to the apartment. Since many people haven’t had access to nature since the Coronavirus pandemic started, many have turned to house plants to satisfy that need.

California Tropicals is a family-run online business operating out of Southern California. According to company representative Gerardo Marin, plant sales were low when they first opened up shop in 2019. After the pandemic hit, sales boomed and they went from processing 10-20 orders a day to selling nearly 200 plants a day. “We get hundreds of messages daily from new plant parents asking about plant care,”

While people try to bring greens into their household, not everyone is the green thumb they want to become. Here are some limitations plants parents are facing.

• Wrong purchase caused death of plants(high maintenance plants)

• Décor needs can’t match the lighting needs of the plants

• Lose track of caring routine(watering, fertilizing, etc.)

• Lack of interactions

Define design problems

After preliminary drawing up the design direction

I define the core content of the project by interviewing 14 people and collecting 44 surveys.

Research Questions that can guide my design process

1. What are the main factors that influence people to buy plants (motivation, preference)？

2. What are existing methods on the market for plants caring？

3. What level of commitment (time, maintenance) plant parents have

4. How to improve the interaction between people and plants？

Define target users

Our target users are focusing on millennials, age ranges between 18 to 30. These people are keen on cultivating indoor plants and have strong aesthetic needs, hoping to improve the fun and interactivity of life while taking into account the rhythm of a busy life.

(this information will later on help us with branding and making design decisions )

Based on all the formative and evaluative research conducted, I found 4 major insights

Research & Analysis Insights

4 Major Insights

Better purchase decisions

Avoiding impulse purchases and placing plants in unsuitable environments can greatly improve plant survival when people have different proficiencies and home lighting environments。

Professional help for intractable issues

As a beginner, need extra help to save your own plants when they wilt and don't know the cause

What make BUD unique

I analyzed 13 existing apps, after 1 week use and detail research , I divided their main functions into 4 types

While 11 of them are focusing on functional (Purchase advice, Identify & Diagnosed, Reminder) , 2 of them are focusing on emotional support, they do not across the line of playful and functional. According to the interview - plants growth can provide satisfaction and positive emotional impact to the owner. We want BUD to enhance this experience while keeping those functions to stand out from the market

Analysis detail include 3 Persona, Customer Journey Map, Affinity Map, Competitive Analysis of 13 existing products, SWOT Analysis to define our market segment - Friendly to beginner and playful

Insight transfer to Ideas

After

Customize setting with light meter help make better decision before purchasing

Use a light meter to determine the best lighting space, and utilize VR to preview plants to fit your décor. Before signing up, choose your proficiency and time availability to get a customized recommendation.

AI with online Plant Experts help diagnose Intractable diseases

Use this computer Version to scan the condition of the plant and provide a feasible treatment plan, when the scanning result is not accurate, contact an online expert to provide professional treatment plan

Information Architecture

I separated the user flow to explain the three main functions development of BUD

• Better purchase decision

• Log in your plants into my garden enable notifications for Caring routine and emotional support

• Combine Computer Version & Forum diagnose Intractable issues

Low-fi Prototype & Usability Test

User flow test feedback

1. Diagnose page looks too simple to take one whole main page.

2. Purchase plant from online shop didn’t show in Low-Fi prototype

3. Functions and user flow is easy to understand, Low-Fi Icon is hard to identified, need more clarified in High-Fi

Design Guideline

These guidelines contain all the rules, components and styles guides followed throughout the current mobile APP prototype made during this course project. These guidelines should be helpful in actualizing the portal wireframes, and also understanding the process, thoughts and logic behind the design decisions.

Style Guide

High-Fi Prototyping

User Testing

I invited 7 people, 4 female 3 male into a workshop. They were asked to perform 4 tasks through the Figma prototype I sent :

1. Go through sign up questions and find shop assistant.

2. Log in one plants into my garden

3. Find professional help when the plants is having issues

4. Finish one daily caring routine (watering) of the plants

Feedback

• All tasks completed

• About Notification functions, if she forget to tap in completion, the caring routine would be marked unfinished

• Diagnose page too empty, and some of the Q&A questions can be present as common issues before diagnose or when diagnose is not accurate .

• Add physical humidified product into the design might help monitor plant condition better