Cultivate

A mobile app that provides a holistic, ecological approach to learning how to garden

Project Brief

Many people want to garden, but don't know where to start. I conducted eight weeks of intensive generative research and ideation to create a solution that would help jumpstart folks who want to garden into getting their hands dirty.

my role

I collaborated on the UX research with a colleague, and the execution of the project from there on out was autonomous.

tools

Figma, Miro, Mural

Generative & Evaluative Research | UX/UI | Product Design

Initial Problem Discovery

My research partner and I had both felt overwhelmed learning how to garden, and we set out to learn whether or not we had a problem worth solving. We wanted to learn firsthand from users about their gardening journeys and what obstacles they faced.

Process

Research

User Interviews

We conducted qualitative research, using techniques such as journey mapping activities and shadowing. We spoke with 11 novice gardeners, spending one hour with them in the location where they garden. These standout quotes informed my designs:

“[For gardening], I would say I mostly use Instagram for inspiration; TikTok and YouTube for education; and Facebook groups for community and to try to get direct opinions.”
-Lindsey

"It took me a while to figure out why that eggplant still doesn't have fruits—one reason why is that if it doesn't have bees or butterflies to pollinate, you have to self-pollinate. [...] I didn’t know that until last week.”
-Sally

“Last year, I crossed off the tomato varieties [in my gardening journal] that died of blight [...] When I was buying tomatoes this year, I made sure to avoid those varieties because I didn’t know if that was the issue or what.”
-Morgan

Insights & Opportunities

The following two insights and opportunities guided my designs.

insight 1

New gardeners have a limited understanding of the ecosystem they're gardening in, because the learning experience is fragmented.

opportunity 1

How might we present a holistic, ecological approach to gardening in a digestible and approachable way?

insight 2

New gardeners perceive common challenges as distinct problems to be fixed, rather than indicators of their ecosystem’s health.

opportunity 2

How might we encourage novice gardeners to apply a systems-thinking approach rather than viewing each component of their gardens as isolated?

Journey Map

I developed a journey map that represents the overall experiences of the novice gardeners we spoke with, taking into consideration their motivations and the resources they used to learn.

Ideation

Vignette sketches

Using vignette sketches, I developed 50 ideas across a spectrum of possibilities to address the problems that novice gardeners face.

Scenarios & Storyboards

After narrowing down to one idea, I wrote scenarios with accompanying low-fidelity storyboards to further define the functionality of the solution.

Terra downloads the new Cultivate application on her phone. While onboarding, she inputs that she has no gardening knowledge or experience, as well as her zip code in central Austin.
Terra is directed to the main page, where she sees suggested videos (all under 3 minutes long) based on the information she provided.
She taps on the first video, which features a young woman giving tips and tricks on companion planting. Terra appreciates how succinct and informative it is.
Terra scrolls down to check out other suggested videos for beginner gardeners like herself.
Terra heads back to the home page to explore the other functions of Cultivate, such as what to grow in the hardiness zone that she lives in (8b).

Final Product

value promise

Cultivate provides novice gardeners with an understanding of the environment they are gardening in, maximizing their potential success.

features

Personalized gardening information

Dependent on gardener's experience and goals

Short, informative, and engaging videos

All videos are under 3 minutes, are catered to gardener’s preferences, and can be bookmarked

Holistic information on plants’ needs based on local ecosystem

Provides comprehensive knowledge of all plants in database (over 75 plants + varieties)

Reflection

There was very little time dedicated to product design in the eight weeks that I worked on this project. We focused heavily on research and synthesis, and I revisited the project later to improve the UX/UI aspect. If I were to continue working on Cultivate, my next step would include usability testing and co-designing with some of the novice gardeners that we interviewed.