About - Case study (2022)
Grow with Us: Your Personal Plant Care Companion app. The app will provide personalized guidance and useful tips; you can buy plant care products, seeds, and garden decor all in one place. A mobile app designed to help Gen Z living alone successfully care for houseplants, fostering a connection with nature and improving well-being.
Rooted
My Role
Responsible for research, interviews, analysis, and recommendations. Personas, storyboarding, Information Architecture, Wireframing, Prototyping, and Visual Design
Team
Mallika Mujgule
Software
Figma and Notion
Problem Statement
The target audience is anyone who is living alone and wants to build a home, garden, or office. The target users can also be organizations, MNCs, corporations, or enterprises that want to introduce greenery in their work environment
Problem Solution
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
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The app could have a comprehensive plant library that includes information about various plants, their care requirements, and common problems that users may encounter.
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The app could have a feature that allows users to identify plants by taking a photo of them. The app could then provide information on the plant's care requirements.
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The app could provide personalized plant care based on the user's plant collection. Users could input their plants into the app and receive customized care instructions and reminders.
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The app could have a community forum where users can share their experiences and ask for advice from other plant parents.
Watering Reminders: The app could provide reminders for watering plants based on their care requirements.
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The app could offer tips and tricks for plant care, including information on fertilizers, pruning, and repotting.
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The app could offer virtual plant care services, where users can consult with plant experts for personalized advice.
In-app Purchases: The app could offer in-app purchases of plant care products, such as fertilizers and soil.
Overall, the plant app for Gen Z living alone would provide personalized guidance, useful tips, and relevant information to help users care for their plants with ease. The app's features would cater to the target audience's needs and provide a convenient and easy way for them to care for their plants.
Target Audience
Gen Zers living alone: The app is designed specifically for Gen Zers who are living alone and want to start growing and maintaining their plants.
Beginner Plant Parents: The app will cater to beginner plant parents who may not have much experience with plant care and need guidance on how to care for their plants.
Tech-savvy Users: The app is targeted towards tech-savvy users who are comfortable using mobile apps and are looking for an easy and convenient way to care for their plants.
Lifestyle-oriented Users: The app will cater to users who are interested in leading a healthy and sustainable lifestyle and see plants as a way to achieve that.
The Approach
The first step in designing a plant app for Gen Z living alone was to conduct user research. I wanted to understand the target audience's behavior, habits, and needs when it comes to caring for plants. We conducted surveys and interviews with Gen Zers living alone who were already plant parents or had expressed an interest in owning plants.
Design Thinking Process
Emphathise
User Research
User Interview
Entrant Analysis
Define
User Persona
User Journey Map
Empathy Map
Through a human-centered approach, we identified the needs and pain points of Gen Zers living alone who are interested in plant care and designed a plant app that provides personalized guidance, useful tips, and relevant information to help users care for their plants with ease while fostering a community of plant enthusiasts.
Ideate
Brainstorming
Lo-fi/High-fi
UserFlow
Design
Paper Wireframes
Visual Design
Prototype
Test
Survey insights
Improvements
Emphathise Phase -
Qualitative Research: To gather insights into the needs and behavior of Gen Zers living alone when it comes to planting care, the following qualitative research methods could be used:
User Surveys
Online surveys can be conducted to collect quantitative data on the target audience demographics, attitudes, and behavior related to plant care.
User Testing
Testing the app's usability with a group of Gen Zers living alone who are interested in plant care could help identify areas for improvement in the app's design and features.
Ethnographic Research
Conducting ethnographic research by observing and interacting with Gen Zers living alone in their homes could provide valuable insights into their daily routines and challenges related to plant care.
Key Insight Derived
Many Gen Zers living alone are interested in plant care as a way to improve their mental health and well-being.
Beginners often struggle with the basics of plant care, such as watering and light requirements, and need guidance and resources to learn how to care for their plants properly.
Online resources, such as YouTube and social media, are popular sources of information for Gen Zers living alone who are interested in plant care.
Plant apps with personalized care recommendations and watering reminders are in high demand.
A sense of community and social support is essential for many Gen Zers living alone who are interested in plant care and would like to connect with other plant parents to share experiences and advice.
Personas
Murtaza
Personality
Creative
Brief Story
Murtaza is master’s student living in Maryland,USA. He's been living alone for a few months and is starting to feel lonely. He loves spending time outdoors and wants to bring a piece of nature into his small apartment.
He's interested in owning plants but has no idea where to start or how to care for them.
Age
Profession
Status
Location
Calm
Coder
26
Engineer
Single
Maryland
To complete the project, I tried to get some surveys from the users to understand their current experiences. Their characteristics and insights I got on the basis of survey results
Goals
He owns and cares for plants in his apartment.
Learn more about plant care and maintenance.
Connect with other plant enthusiasts.
Make his apartment more inviting and homey.
Frustrations
He is frustrated when his plants die or do not thrive.
He is frustrated when he is unsure how to care for his plants.
He is frustrated when he is unable to reduce stress and connect with nature through his plants.
Needs
He needs an app that provides personalized guidance and reminders for plant care based on his plant collection.
He needs an app that includes a plant library and identifies plants based on photos.
He needs an app that offers virtual plant care services for personalized advice.
Motivations
He is motivated to own plants to decorate his living space and make it more welcoming.
He is motivated to learn how to care for his plants and keep them healthy.
He is motivated to reduce stress and connect with nature through his plants.
Aditi
Personality
Creative
Brief Story
Aditi is interested in owning plants to decorate her apartment and improve the air quality.
She has limited knowledge and experience in plant care, which makes her hesitant to buy and care for plants.
Age
Profession
Status
Location
Funny
Thinker
25
Architect
Single
Bombay
Goals
She wants to learn how to care for her plants and keep them healthy.
She wants to connect with other plant parents and share her experiences.
Frustrations
She is frustrated when her plants die or do not thrive.
She is frustrated when she is unsure how to care for her plants.
She is frustrated when she cannot connect with other plant parents to ask for advice.
Needs
She needs an app that provides personalized guidance and reminders for plant care based on her plant collection.
She needs an app that includes a plant library and identifies plants based on photos.
She needs a community forum where she can connect with other plant parents and share her experiences.
Motivations
She is motivated to own plants to improve air quality and bring nature into her living space.
She is motivated to learn how to care for her plants and keep them healthy.
She is motivated to connect with other plant parents and share her experiences.
Empathy Map
Empathy map is a collaborative tool teams can use to gain a deeper insight into the users mind. Empathy map is a representation of a group users or a specific group.
Saying
Don't know where to start.
Don't have much space for gardening, but still want to grow plants indoors.
Want to lead a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
Doing
Research different types of plants and their care requirements.
Purchase plants and plant care products online or in-store.
Use social media to learn about plant care and connect with other plant parents
Thinking
Plant care is a way to bring nature into their homes and improve air quality.
Lack knowledge and experience in plant care, which makes it daunting to own plants.
Makes it more welcoming.
Owning plants is a way to connect with nature and reduce stress
Feeling
Excited and curious about owning plants and learning how to care for them.
Overwhelmed and anxious about the responsibility of owning and caring for plants.
Disappointed when their plants die.
Accomplished and proud when their plants grow and thrive.
User Flow
Typography & Colors
Primary Color
#2C6D46
Text Color
#1E1E1E
Secondary Color
#BAD2B5
Text Color
#48723F
Font Used -Open sans
As a humanist sans-serif font, Open Sans strikes a balance between the clean lines of a modern font and the warmth and approachability of a humanist one.
User Interface
Home screen
Discover various products like plants, planters, gardening tools, and decor on the home page.
One can also search specific products through the search bar and apply filters according to the
user’s preferences.
Plant details screen
All details about the plant can be found on this screen, including the scientific nomenclature, product images and videos, price, short description, etc
The optimum temperature and humidity, and the type of plant (indoors, outdoor, or hybrid), will help the user understand the plant comprehensively.
Gardening tools screen
All details about the gardening tools can be found on this screen including the nomenclature, product images and videos, price ,short description, etc
How to use a specific tool and when to use it is also mentioned for the users.
Learnings:
User research is essential for creating an effective application that meets the needs of the target audience. Conducting user interviews, surveys can provide valuable insights into user needs, behaviours, and pain points.
Creating user personas can help developers and designers better understand the target audience and tailor the app's features and design to meet specific needs and preferences.
Empathy maps can provide a visual representation of the user's emotional and psychological states, helping the design team to create a more empathetic and user-centered design.
Creating a clear and simple user flow is critical for ensuring a seamless user experience. The user flow should be intuitive, and easy to navigate to achieve goals efficiently.
Consistency in design and user interface is crucial for brand recognition and ensuring that users can easily navigate the app. The app's color scheme, typography, and overall design should be consistent throughout the app.