Getting inside the plant lovers’ world
In this first stage, I set out to understand what life looks like for people who truly love their plants – their routines, frustrations, and little triumphs. My goal was to see plant care through their eyes and uncover what makes nurturing greenery both enjoyable and challenging.
Through user interviews and surveys, I aimed to uncover:
Before diving in:
learning from the market
I checked similar apps in the App Store and Google Play store to conduct preliminary user research and learn more about the plant care sphere. I wanted to understand what features similar apps usually have and how their users speak about these apps. It gave me some insights for my survey.
Learn more
To better understand the challenges of everyday plant care, I launched an online survey that reached 36 participants.
It included 16 core questions about their routines and motivations, plus 4 additional questions for those who had already tried plant‑care apps.
Mapping
Seeing the world through their eyes
To dive deeper into users’ motivations and emotions, I interviewed 10 target users over video calls. Using their stories and feedback, I built individual Empathy Maps to capture what each person thinks, feels, says, and does. Then I merged those insights into one comprehensive map that reflected the shared patterns and key differences across the group.
Before designing anything
In this first stage, I set out to understand what life looks like for people who truly love their plants – their routines, frustrations, and little triumphs. My goal was to see plant care through their eyes and uncover what makes nurturing greenery both enjoyable and challenging.
Narrowing down what really matters
After gathering insights from users, I shifted focus to uncover which problems truly needed solving – the ones that would make the biggest difference in their plant‑care experience. I translated research findings into clear, structured tools: writing user stories for each persona, defining key jobs‑to‑be‑done, mapping their journeys, and finally framing the core problem statements that would guide every design decision ahead.
I translated research findings into clear, structured tools:
Who, what, and why?
User stories: hearing voices directly
I kicked things off by writing user stories for each persona – short, real-life snapshots from their perspective.
Who, what, and why?
Jobs to Be Done: what users really hired us for
Next, I pulled everything together using Jobs to be Done, stripping away features to focus on outcomes. This framework views products or services as tools people 'hire' to complete specific tasks. It simplifies user needs by emphasizing desired outcomes, using the structure: When (Situation) + I want to (Motivation) + So that (Outcome).
User's needs, frustrations, and goals
Problem statements: sharp targets for design
From there, I crafted focused problem statements to guide us:
These weren’t vague issues, they became our North Star for solutions.
Turning challenges into ideas
To flip problems into possibilities, I ran them through “How Might We” questions that opened up creative doors:
From ideas to a living prototype
With ideas prioritized, I mapped out the app’s structure through a detailed site map, outlining every screen and connection to visualize the user journey at a glance. Then, I moved quickly into paper sketches for early exploration before transitioning into Figma prototypes, where I could iterate faster and polish interactions.
After several design rounds, I tested the prototypes with real users to see how they naturally interacted with key flows. Once usability results came back positive, I finalized the high‑fidelity mockups and prepared the complete, test‑ready design for the next phase.
Turning good intentions into daily habits
To help users take better care of their plants, I applied the BJ Fogg Behavior Model, which explains that behavior happens when motivation, ability, and a prompt meet at the same moment. If one is missing, the action simply doesn’t happen. This framework became the backbone of how Planty encourages users to build lasting care habits.
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Motivation: Making users care to act
I focused on tapping into emotional motivation. People genuinely want their plants to thrive – watching new leaves appear or blooms open brings a real sense of satisfaction. When the app diagnoses a problem, it creates a gentle sense of urgency and responsibility, motivating users to step in and “save” their plants before it’s too late.
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Prompt: Nudging at the right moment
Well‑timed reminders make all the difference. In‑app and push notifications keep care tasks top of mind without feeling intrusive, while calendar integration naturally weaves them into users’ existing routines. These small, thoughtful nudges guide behavior without overwhelming the user.
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Ability: Making it effortless to succeed
To reduce friction, I simplified every step. The AI‑powered scanner removes the guesswork from diagnosing issues, while visual schedules and synced calendars make planning care almost automatic. Personalized product recommendations further cut effort and uncertainty, making plant care feel easy and empowering – even for beginners.
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Result – Small changes, lasting habits
By aligning emotional motivation (healthy, happy plants), effortless ability (tools that simplify care), and gentle prompts (reminders that support routines), Planty transforms once‑sporadic plant care into a natural, confident daily habit.
Usability study
Testing, learning, and refining the experience
To understand how users engaged with the product, I ran unmoderated usability tests with five participants for each main flow. These included marking tasks as completed, scanning unhealthy plants for diagnosis, and syncing care schedules with calendars.
The feedback was full of insight – users revealed what felt effortless and where they hesitated. Every test informed small but meaningful refinements that made Planty more intuitive, faster to navigate, and overall more enjoyable to use.
Completing tasks impovements
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Sorting by room
Especially useful for users with big spaces or duplicates of the same plant in different rooms.
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Toggling between tasks and plants
Lets users choose how they prefer to work – completing all tasks for one plant or checking off one task for every plant first.
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Helpful tips for each action
Keeps important details handy and turns care steps into learning moments with plant‑specific advice.
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‘Edit reminder’ shortcut
A simple button added at the end of a schedule that makes adjusting reminders effortless from both the home screen and Calendar view.
Making plant scanning smarter
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Eliminating extra
When testing the plant‑scanning flow, I focused on making the whole experience faster and more intuitive. Users wanted to see everything they needed in one place – so I brought the diagnosis and treatment details together on a single screen, eliminating extra taps and keeping the process simple.
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Effortless follow-up care
To make follow‑up care effortless, the app now automatically adds the right treatment to the care schedule. If a user already has the recommended product, it’s scheduled instantly; if not, the app suggests what to buy and even offers to set a reminder. This small change turned what used to be a multi‑step task into a seamless, supportive experience.
See the prototypes in action
Final design
A clean structure and strong visual hierarchy help users move through the app naturally, finding what they need without friction.
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Clarity and simplicity
A clean structure and strong visual hierarchy help users move through the app naturally, finding what they need without friction.
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Consistency in every detail
Colors, typography, and layouts follow a unified system, making the experience feel familiar and trustworthy from screen to screen.
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Accessibility first
Accessibility was built into every detail. I chose a clean, highly readable font that works well for users with dyslexia and added features to make the app easier for everyone – adjustable text size for better legibility and a reduced‑motion mode for users sensitive to animation. All color pairs meet WCAG AAA contrast standards, ensuring clear visibility across the interface.
Design approach:
I started by building a comprehensive UI Kit in Figma, containing every design element used across the app. By leveraging advanced Figma features – components, styles, auto layouts, conditionals, and variables – I kept the design precise, responsive, and easy to update. Organized layers and clear naming conventions ensured a smooth handoff process, making collaboration with developers simple and efficient.
What I learned
Working on Planty was truly rewarding – it gave me the chance to dive deep into the full user experience and explore how thoughtful design can make everyday routines more enjoyable. One of my favorite parts was bringing the idea of responsible consumption to life: the app recommends care products based on what users already own, helping them avoid unnecessary purchases. I’m also proud that the final design meets WCAG AAA accessibility standards, making Planty inclusive for everyone.
Findings from the project:
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Users want simple, streamlined care – fewer products, less effort, and smarter guidance.
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Many users travel frequently (27 of 36 respondents are away around 20 days a year), so flexible scheduling is essential.
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Setting up analytics from the very first release is crucial to track usage, measure feature value, and plan meaningful improvements.
Potential features for upcoming releases:
Joint care: Linked accounts for families to care for plants together.
Some users also have gardens with outdoor plants. Consider adding outdoor plants and their care products to our database.
Use the camera to determine the brightness of the room and automatically decide whether the plants are receiving enough sunlight.
Think about creating a browser plugin with support for web push notifications.
Develop an app for Apple Watch to help users receive notifications and mark tasks as completed more easily.
