PlantFix App

Project Overview

This project was about designing an app that helps customers diagnose issues with their houseplants. The target users were people that own plants and love taking care of them.

The app was designed as part of an educational course, so the provided information is fictional.

My Role

I was responsible for the app's UX Design and Research. Specifically, I conducted user research, interviews and usability studies, I designed the paper and digital wireframes, as well as the low and high fidelity prototypes always considering accessibility, I iterated on the designs and refined them.

Problem

The app had to be responsive and appealing to most users, especially to plant enthusiasts.

Goal

The goal was to build the product in a way that provides clear, non contradictory information to users, without the use of jargon, so that users can efficiently take care of their plants. To achieve this, the first step was to understand the users’ emotions and common behaviors.

User Research and Empathizing

Summary

At first, the goals and questions were set, then the participants were interviewed while recording and taking notes. In the end, the findings were summarized, empathy maps, as well as user personas, user stories and journey maps were built, and pain points were identified.

Pain Points

• Diagnosis uncertainty: Users struggle with identifying what’s wrong with a plant.

• Difficulty finding information: When searching online, users find that the information is often contradictory, too general, inconsistent, or too technical.

• Frustration with outcomes: Users feel frustrated when, despite their efforts, they can’t save their plant.

• Forget to take care of their plants: Some users don’t remember to take care of their plants until it is too late.

Personas

User Journey Maps

Through the User Journey Map, the users' path was identified by studying their actions, tasks and feelings, adding recommended improvements for their experience.

Define Phase

Problem Statements

Mary is a nurse with a moderate interest in plants, who needs a simple way to diagnose plant problems and learn how to care for them, because she often feels unsure whether she’s helping or harming her plants.

Andrew is a 54-year-old teacher and plant enthusiast with years of hands-on experience, who needs a tool to track his plants’ long-term care and observe patterns over time, because he finds most apps too basic and unhelpful for someone with his level of expertise.

John is a graphic designer living with his fiancee, who needs a straightforward app to remind him when and how to care for his plants, because he likes having plants but lacks experience and is forgetful of basic tasks.

Ideate Phase

Goal Statements

Our PlantFix app will let users scan their plants and receive clear care advice, which will affect beginner to intermediate plant owners (like Mary), by reducing their confusion and increasing their confidence in diagnosind and treating plant issues. We will measure effectiveness by tracking increased use of the diagnostic feature or a decrease in repeat scans for the same issue.

Our PlantFix app will let users create plant care logs, which will affect experienced plant owners (like Andrew), by giving them the opportunity to observe their plants' health patterns. We will measure effectiveness by monitoring how often users log entries.

Our PlantFix app will let users set reminders and follow visual care steps, which will affect beginner plant owners (like John), by making it easier to remember and take care of their plants. We will measure effectiveness by analyzing reminder adherence rates.

Sitemap

Paper Wireframes

To begin with this process, five different versions of the Homescreen were created, and the most appealing aspects were combined into a refined version of the wireframe, always having the user in mind.

The first five iterations and the final design of the Homescreen. Stars were used to mark the elements that would be used in the refined version of the Homescreen.

The same process was followed for the remaining screens that had to be designed.

Paper Wireframes for some of the rest of the screens of the Plantfix app

Digital Wireframes

The digital wireframes were based on the conducted research and on the users’ needs. A basic feature of this app is the Diagnosis of a plant’s issue. The screen, which is shown on the image below, should offer guidance, be straightforward and helpful. 

Digital Wireframe: Diagnosis Results Screen

Another basic feature of the app is the “Reminders” screen. The user can scroll through the reminder sections available (water, spray the leaves, prune, repot, fertilize) and see which of them are upcoming or overdue.

Digital Wireframe: Reminders Screen

Low-Fidelity Prototype

Here is the user flow of the app. The Lo-Fi Prototype was built in a way that offers the user the best navigation possible.

Click here to view the PlantFix's app Low-Fidelity Prototype.

Low-Fidelity Prototype: User Flow

First Usability Study

After having designed the Low-Fidelity Prototype, a usability study was conducted, in order to understand how the users interact with it, and to improve it before moving on to designing the Mockups and the High-Fidelity Prototype. During the usability study it was determined if users can complete core tasks within the prototype of the PlantFix app, and whether the app is easy to use. The findings are presented below.

Findings

• Users need a search bar to easily find plants from their list on the “New Reminder” page.

• Users need to be able to choose from a wide selection of reminders (e.g. repotting, pruning).

• Users need to see and track their plants’ growth through the app, with photos and height measurements.

• Users need the “New Reminder” button to be placed on the bottom of the “Reminders” screen for design consistency.

• Users need a dropdown or a search bar in order to select the species of the plant they want to add on the “Add Plant” page.

• Users need more straightforward features on the Homescreen in order to reduce clutter.

Mockups and High-Fidelity Prototype

This section highlights the typography and the colors that would be used throughout the design in order to establish the branding.

Typography

Color Palette

Sticker Sheet

Here are the basic elements of the app’s design.

Mockups and High-Fidelity Prototype before refinements

Mockups (left) and User Flow (right) before refinements

Second Usability Study

Final Design

Click here to view the PlantFix's app High-Fidelity Prototype.

Accessibility Considerations

• Screen Readers are available on some of the app’s screen. They can be turned on or off from the Accessibility section of Settings.

• Light and Dark mode options available at the Accessibility section of the Settings Screen.

• Customized text, in the form of selecting between two font sizes, small and large, is available in Settings. 

Takeaways

Impact

I am always very careful and grateful for the feedback I receive on the designs. This case study solidified the value of feedback, especially when it was non positive, which helped in elevating and fine-tuning the designs. 

What I learned

The more I use the design tools, the more I learn about them and the possibilities they offer. Also, the more experience I gain, the more I consciously avoid biases in User Research.

Future Steps

• Further usability studies to improve and refine the design.

• Share the design with fellow UX Designers in order to receive more feedback.

• Continue designing and learning UX skills to build better interfaces and improve the ones I’ve already built.