Garden Guru mobile app
Case Study
UX Research and UX / UI Design
Project Overview
Garden Guru is an expert advice app where plant enthusiasts can consult with professionals and find all the gardening information they need, such as advice about growing conditions, diagnosing plant ailments and suggestions about organic gardening. Users can also access interesting articles, local community resources and create project folders to organize their gardening notes, photos and plans.
Context Independent UX project
Role Research, Wireframing, Prototyping, Usability Testing, UI Design
Tools Marvel, Figma, Google Forms, Lucid Charts, Optimal Sort, UsabilityHub
Clickable High Fidelity Prototype
Product Demonstration given by the designer
Understanding the Problem
Plant growing enthusiasts need a way to conveniently connect with experts so that they can ask questions and receive advice about their gardens.
Going to a garden center or extension service for plant advice can be time consuming or very difficult for some people. Plants can be expensive so it is important to learn proper maintenance and how to diagnose ailments.
An app that provides helpful tools & services that improve how people garden could be useful to plant growers.
Objective Deepen my understanding of the problem space by gathering qualitative and quantitative information about the target audience and similar products on the market.
Key Steps
Conduct Competitor Analysis and generative research through Surveys and Interviews.
Use affinity mapping to sort data and gain insights from interview findings in terms of user behaviors, aspirations, goals and frustrations.
Insights
Primary features of existing apps were related to plant ID, logging / scheduling plant care or shopping for plants.
While some apps offer expert advice, it is a message service without the option for video or voice calls.
Opportunities
A market advantage would be to offer expert advice from qualified professionals where users can choose an expert that suits their individual needs, schedule a call and have an interactive dialogue.
A video call feature would allow users to visually demonstrate the problem at hand.
Offer a way to save calls for later reference.
User Survey
Goals
Understand general target audience behavior
Learn about what is most important to plant growers
Learn if technology plays a role for target audience
Takeaways
Most respondents are involved with plants care a few times a week.
Most respondents use technology to learn about plants weekly or monthly.
The 3 features respondents are most interested in seeing in a gardening app are the ability to diagnose problems in plants, identify unknown plants and consult with an expert.
User Interviews
User interviews were conducted with members of the target audience in order to gain deeper insights into plant growers’ objectives and behaviors.
Goals
How plant growers go about plant care
The problems and pain points they face
How they seek the information they need
How they share information as a community
Interview Insights
Subjects had a wide range of comfort using technology. Online resources
Plant growers enjoy connecting with others who are like-minded in order to share information and ideas.
Experienced growers will keep notes and photos of their gardens for future reference.
Common problems include diagnosing pests & disease, determining adequate light/shade, soil quality, watering, species ID, lawn care and garden layout planning.
Garden centers and extension services will offer advice but it takes time and accessibility to visit them. It can be difficult to explain the problem without a visual demonstration.
Objective Give careful consideration to the question “Who am I designing for?'“
Key Steps
Create Personas and corresponding Journey Maps to chart their possible user scenarios.
Examine their practical needs and emotional journeys, look for evidence-based opportunities to help them meet their goals.
Objective Consider some primary goals for personas and explore ways to reach those goals.
Key Steps
Lay out task flows that walk Personas through the steps they need to take.
Create user flows to show different ways tasks can be completed using the app, bring to light areas that can be optimized and help provide the layout for the app’s initial site map.
Gather feedback about how users categorize topics in the app with a digital card sort using OptimalSort. Revise the Site Map based these results.
Objective Create an experimental model of my proposed solutions that progressively increases in fidelity and can be used to test my design assumptions.
Key Steps
Wire frame by hand sketching the screens of the app’s main features.
Design mid and high fidelity prototypes of these features using Figma.
Find ways to improve the logic of the user flow and the content layout of the screens through iteration.
Generative Research- based Design Decisions
Interface that is intuitive for users with a range of tech experience
Images rather than illustrations
A way for users to save gardening pictures & notes
A way to consult with expert gardeners using chat, voice or video call
An option to connect within local communities
A way to do independent research using the app
Users need a way to interact with experts using video in order to share their questions about things like plant ailments or light exposure. The video call flow progressed in fidelity and improved through an iterative design process.
The Calls feature was moved to the main nav
Expert Call options are shown in a dashboard
The user’s call schedule is accessed via a modal
The user can make changes to an upcoming call
Users can set an alert for the time of their call
Users have the option to save their calls for later reference
Objective Uncover errors in basic functionality of the primary features, assess overall learnability of the app and validate design assumptions.
Key Steps
Conduct remote and in-person moderated usability testing using a clickable Figma prototype.
Use affinity mapping to sort feedback and organize findings in a rainbow spreadsheet.
Prioritize the most significant concerns and work out solutions, continuing the iterative process.
Gather further feedback through a round of peer review and A/B test using Usability Hub. Implement improvements accordingly.
Users need a way to save their gardening notes and plans in project folders.
The mid fidelity prototype takes the user from the home screen through generating a new folder.
Feedback from usability testing and a round of peer review yielded a number of opportunities for improvement as the design progressed.
Learnings
What have I learned during this design journey?
Openly embracing feedback and constructive criticism is the best pathway towards growth and improvement for both your project and yourself as a designer.
During my interactions with interview subjects and usability test participants, some of the most valuable insights I gathered were a result of allowing space for silence. During interviews, this provided the volunteers with time to reflect and offer more substantial responses. During usability testing, this allowed me to observe how participants instinctively approached the prototype without receiving guidance. I will consciously make this an important part of my research and testing practice going forward.
The invaluable importance of note taking and documenting throughout the design process- I discovered how necessary it is to make a record of all things large and small. Certainly during rounds of interviews and testing, but also documentation of feedback of my collaborators and peers, as well as my own thoughts, in order to fully reconcile my design motivations and decisions.
Next Steps
Where can the Garden Guru app go from here?
Continued development of features like settings and the payment system. Another round of usability testing with a more advanced prototype will reveal further opportunities for improvement.
A potential shopping feature that allows users to make lists of their gardening project materials in their project folders that link to where they can buy the items they need.
A deeper exploration of the Local Community concept. Options might include a way for users to connect on regional forums in order to provide reviews on local gardening businesses, promote local volunteer opportunities or trade / donate gardening tools, materials and plants.
A desktop web application that expands on the mobile product.
