Considering the resurgent popularity of houseplants, my team and I decided to explore options for a mobile app that would support plant care.
An integral part of this project was choosing a well-known brand which might be interested in a partnership to launch the app.
After considering a number of home goods, lifestyle, and gardening brands including Real Simple and Star Nursery, we chose Apartment Therapy. Since its founding in 2004, Apartment Therapy has launched a marketplace app (along the lines of Craigslist.org) and founded a sister site centered on cooking (thekitchn.org). In early 2018, the brand also welcomed an in-house "plant doctor" (@hiltoncarter) on Instagram and announced a separate Instagram account dedicated to the topic (@iplanteven).
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
We found two English-language native apps whose primary focus was caring for houseplants.
Other apps we considered were iScape, primarily a landscape planning tool, and Garden Plant Pro, which focuses on larger outdoor gardening and planting cycles.
To investigate the goals and pain points of our target audience, we conducted ten interviews with plant owners who had experienced varying degrees of success with indoor gardening.
Problem statement
Home decor enthusiasts are interested in adding houseplants to their homes as an affordable, beautiful, harmonious addition to any room, but they don’t always have access to trustworthy information and care reminders.
How might we support houseplant owners in their efforts to successfully cultivate green spaces within their homes?
Personas
stem for apartment therapy
UX/UI research and design, art direction
User journey
Moving from research into design
To prioritize the features of the app, we considered the most common pain points of potential users. Our “I statements” point directly to features and design elements:
MVP: FEATURE PRIORITIZATION
APIs + third party integrations
To create an interactive and useful experience, we anticipated integrating the following APIs and third party applications
iCalendar/Google Calendar API for alerts alerts
YouTube API for video knowledge base
Apple ARKit for an AR experience
PhotoMeter for optimal lighting measurement
VISUALS
My graphic design practice places an emphasis on incorporating existing brand standards into new collateral and experiences. For this project, I took my cues the visual styles found on apartmenttherapy.com, kitchn.com, and AT’s own Marketplace app.
Information that helps selecting the right plant for the environment
AR feature to help find the optima placement for a plant and the ability to preview it in the home
Connection to Apartment Therapy blog entires from within the app
TASK AND USER FLOWS
Determining the "happy path" and adding options for different user flows; adjustments made after initial user testing.
TESTING: midfi to hifi
High fidelity design annotations
Next steps
I don’t know how to care for plants and their casualty rate is the only thing growing”
I’m not as skilled as I’d like to be but I know that properly caring for houseplants takes dedication, knowledge and practice
I understand the importance of windows and sunlight for houseplants
I am passionate about decorating my home and I like to stay on top of home decor trends
Notifications that support plant care
…in developing an MVP:
AR integration feasibility study
Iterations and further testing on Hi-Fi Stem prototype
…in growing the app itself:
Advertising/Brand sponsorship through suggested products
Diagnostic and houseplant care troubleshooting