GrowGreen
GrowGreen is a mobile app that guides users through the process of home gardening, from setup to harvest. It provides real-time monitoring of plant health, automated watering schedules, and informative gardening tips.
Objective
Targeting home gardeners with limited gardening knowledge or space, GrowGreen aims to make home gardening accessible and enjoyable. GrowGreen simplifies plant care, making it possible for anyone to grow plants, fresh produce, or flowers at home.
Introduction
With the rapid urbanization of modern cities, many individuals find themselves longing for a touch of nature in their homes. However, despite their best intentions, many urban residents struggle to maintain healthy indoor plants due to a lack of knowledge, space, and time. GrowGreen aims to address these challenges with its innovative smart home gardening assistant.
🕛TIMELINE
3 weeks
👩🏻💻MY ROLE
Product Designer
⚙️TOOLS USED
Figma
Problem Statment
- Many individuals lack fundamental gardening knowledge, such as the specific water, soil, and light requirements for different plants.
- Busy lifestyles contribute to irregular care, leading to plant neglect and eventual demise.
- Small living spaces limit the types and number of plants one can reasonably accommodate.
- Insufficient natural light and air circulation can suffocate plant growth.
Solution
From research and ideation to UI and implementation, I designed GrowgGreen, which aims to assist users in managing their home gardens with smart technology. By including features like automated watering and real-time monitoring and alerts, the GrowGreen app offers a comprehensive and engaging gardening experience, encouraging users to interact with the app regularly and ultimately improving their gardening success and satisfaction.
Design Process
Research
I conducted comprehensive research to understand the market needs, potential challenges, and opportunities in the urban home gardening sector. The key objectives were:
- Identify the primary challenges and needs of urban residents related to indoor gardening.
- Gauge interest and potential market size for a smart home gardening assistant.
- Understand the technological feasibility and user expectations for such a device and app combination.
Market Analysis
- Growing Trend: There is a rising trend in urban gardening, driven by increased health awareness and the popularity of sustainable living practices.
- Competitive Landscape: Several products offer partial solutions, such as standalone apps or simple hardware devices, but few offer a comprehensive, integrated solution.
📃 Surveys and Interviews
High Interest:
- Over 75% of respondents expressed interest in starting or improving their home garden, citing fresh produce and improved home aesthetics as primary motivators.
Key Challenges Identified:
- Lack of knowledge about plant care.
- Inconsistent care due to busy lifestyles.
- Limited space in urban homes.
- Difficulty in tracking plant health effectively.
🎯 Focus Groups
Desired Features:
- Automated reminders for plant care. Real-time monitoring of plant conditions (soil moisture, light levels).Aesthetically pleasing device design that fits well in modern homes.
User Experience Preferences:
- Simple, intuitive app interface.
- Quick setup process.
- Integration with other smart home systems.
The research highlighted a strong market demand for a smart home gardening solution that simplifies plant care for urban residents with limited space and gardening knowledge. The technological review confirmed that the necessary technology is accessible and can be integrated into a user-friendly product.
Empathy Map
After analyzing the data, I synthesized the findings into manageable reference points, beginning with an empathy map. Created from interviews, secondary research, and observational analysis, the empathy map helps contextualize future users’ encounters with GrowGreen.
Define
User Persona
I created a user persona that helps in visualizing an ideal user, making it easier to tailor the design and features of the GrowGreen app to meet the specific needs and behaviors of the target audience.
How GrowGreen meets Emily's needs
1. Smart Notifications
- Watering and Feeding Reminders: Automatic reminders for when her plants need water or nutrients based on sensor data.
- Real-time monitoring and Alerts: To provide users with an overview of their garden’s status at a glance. Quick view of plant health, water levels, upcoming tasks (e.g., watering, fertilizing), and any alerts or recommendations.
2. Customized Growth Plans:
- Personalized Plant Care Schedules: Custom schedules that adjust based on specific plant needs and local weather conditions.
- Seasonal Suggestions: Guidance on how to care for plants as seasons change, which is particularly useful for someone living in a city with varied climate conditions.
3. Progress Tracking:
- Visual Growth Tracking: A feature to upload photos and track plant growth over time.
Ideation
Based on user personas and research, I identified key user goals and needs for the GrowGreen app. Users with limited gardening knowledge and space needed a straightforward and efficient way to care for their plants
User Flow
The flow provides easy setup, real-time monitoring, care instructions, and community support, making urban gardening accessible and enjoyable for users.
Wireframe
I created wireframes for each screen in the user journey to visualize the flow and layout. This included:
- A clean and intuitive home screen with easy navigation.
- Detailed plant pages with all the necessary information and controls.
- Simple and clear onboarding screens to guide new users.
UI Kit
Prototype
Reflection
- Key learnings emphasize the importance of understanding user needs, simplifying onboarding processes, integrating real-time monitoring and automation, and offering informative resources. These elements collectively enhance the user experience and make gardening accessible to novices.
- Creating a detailed user persona, like Emily, provided deep insights into the specific needs and challenges faced by our target audience. This approach ensured that the app’s features and design were aligned with the actual problems users encounter, making the solution both relevant and practical.
- The emphasis on a visually appealing and intuitive interface reinforced the importance of design in user adoption and satisfaction. A clean, easy-to-navigate app not only attracts users but also retains them by making their interactions pleasant and straightforward.
- Overall, the GrowGreen project demonstrates the potential of leveraging technology to simplify and enhance home gardening, making it an enjoyable and achievable endeavor for urban dwellers.