- Overwhelming amounts of information available
- Lack of visualising apps for plant placement help
- Lack of personalisation for notification reminders
- Plant care/tips videos un-useful
PlantAR
An AR (augmented reality) visualisation mobile plant app that creates a virtual environment where users can import plants and view them in their surroundings and create an immersive experience.
The app also provides information on the plants, such as their name, care requirements, and growing habits.
The Problem?
The Solutions!
- PlantAR is the only app on the market to allow users to view different plants within their own space using AR technology. With it’s bite sized information available it is new plant parent friendly, with super easy tips and tricks throughout the app. The AI algorithm helps put relevant videos in front of the user by their related search patterns.
"An app to advise users to design their living space with thriving plants while helping them feel confident in their tending and care of them."
User Research
Persona's
The persona’s depicts a user who faces the challenge of wanting to decorate their living space with plants but also desires to take care of them properly.
By utilising these, stakeholders can visualise how the solution fits into the user’s context and how it may impact their journey. This enables brainstorming and exploration of the technology’s potential applications and effects.
Empathy Map
Condensing my research into easily digestible reference points involving the development of an empathy map, which was informed with secondary research, and observational analysis from friends and family.
Pain & Gain
This approach assists me in identifying key features and determining how user journeys will shape the layout of my wireframes moving forward.
Competitive Audit
By analysing competitor products I was able to see where I could stand out from the crowd and create a unique feature within the current market apps. From the apps I found on the market none have a cross over feature using AR technology which still keeps users informed and up to date with their plant knowledge and care.
My Opportunities:
- Using AR to visually immerse users
- Identify the best light source and conditions in AR
- New plant parents have encouragement and guidance
- Add a rewards system
My Threats:
- Emerging AR competitors
- New plant parents becoming experienced enough to not need the app
My Strengths:
- Only app on the market to use AR to view plants from a catalogue with care instructions and guidance
- Very simple, organised catalogue with minimal risk
- Personalised scheduled push notification reminders
- Plant care/tips videos
My Weaknesses:
- No plant doctor/plant scanner feature
- Can’t buy plants on the same platform
LAYOUT
User Flow Diagram
Flows help to understand and map out the journey a user takes while interacting with a product or service and improve tension points they might encounter.
AR visualiser feature
Plant suggestions
Simple plant catalogue
Plant health reminders
Personalised reminders
Share button - plant care
Let's start designing!
Low Fidelity Wireframes
The time to draft screen iterations for my app in very low-fidelity allowed me to quickly and creatively consider various layout choices to address user pain points in the most effective way. By doing this on a program like Figma, it allows me to copy frames and rearrange sections very quickly for a multitude of options to explore.
I started with all my main screens from my user flow diagram and took some inspiration from existing working apps and design boards found online to come up with a rough layout with character and flare. I wanted it to be very visually immersive from the get-go with images guiding the user around the app to find the perfect plant for them.
Low Fidelity Prototype
User Flow in Figma
Usability Study - Guerrilla Testing
Research Plan
- Title: Usability study for an augmented reality visualisation mobile plant app.
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Study type: Moderated usability study
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Location: London, UK
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Participants: 5 participants
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Length: 10 minutes
Usability Study Findings
Summary of findings:
- Users need a more simple, less cluttered design
- Users need a clear title for knowing they’re on the results page
- Users need a bigger call to action AR button
- Users need a bit more information to read
- Users would like to see an animation overlay
- Users would like an introduction splash screen
Refining My Design
Early designs allowed for a complete user flow to view and test, but after the usability studies I learned screens could be improved. By doing this I was able to effectively adjust and tweak my designs without wasting time on features that aren’t creating a positive user experience.
Based on feedback, I added an introduction splash screen, a slide on animation was implemented as an overlay for the share button feature. I removed the setting cog from the home page to its own accessible page from the bottom navigation bar. I cleaned up the overview of the UI design following Hicks Law which say the more complexity of choice, the longer the users linger their decision. I re-designed my bottom navigation bar as well, by putting more emphasis on the AR button in the middle.
- I simplified my home page to be less dense of unnecessary information architecture in my design.
- The settings cog was removed and placed in its own fully accessible navigation section.
- The hero header was changed to a more personalised message to add warmth and depth between the user and app.
- Added a quote to give the users motivation and inspiration.
- The discover page had some small tweaks such as images size variation adjustments to add more depth and character. This helped me apply a more defined visual hierarchy to focus the users on the pre-set plants to speed up the browsing experience.
- A fact section was added to give the users confidence in themselves that their ethos of making a great decision to grow plants lies in embracing sustainability, nurturing the environment, and fostering a greener future.
- The results page had some spacing and call to action tweaking. The button was made more contrasting in correlation to its surrounding elements to draws users eyes to it.
- A more in-depth care guide was implemented as per users requests.
- The bottom navigation bar was redesigned as users were struggling to find the browse section within the app, so I added meaningful words under the icons to clear up friction points. As well increasing the size of the AR button to make it stand out and become the main call to action button for users.
Design System
Key Mockup
Accessibility Considerations
Visual Accessibility: Offering a high-contrast colour scheme: text passes WCAG AA and AAA ratios. Universal icons across all screens, bottom navigation bar, icons to search and call to action buttons with high-contrast colour schemes for quick identification.
Voice Search: Incorporate speech-to-text functionality to assist users with visual impairments using their keyboard. This feature inputs text in the search bar to find plant.
Reflection
During the process of developing the PlantAR app, I gained a profound understanding of the invaluable role that user testing in refining app design. The feedback received from users guided the direction of each iteration, introducing perspectives and ideas that had never crossed my mind. Envisioning a scenario with a larger and more diverse pool of research participants and usability testers, I anticipate gathering a wealth of data on user pain points and identifying missing features. Armed with this expanded knowledge, I am eager to design an app that surpasses expectations and delivers an exceptional user experience.
Next Step
To ensure the effectiveness of my most recent prototype, my next step would be to initiate another round of usability studies. By doing so, I can validate whether the user pain points identified previously have been successfully addressed. Additionally, conducting further user research would be highly advantageous to explore any potential additional app features that may be necessary or desired by the users. This comprehensive approach will enable me to gather valuable insights and make informed decisions to enhance the app’s functionality and meet the evolving needs of its users.
I would love to implement an in app storefront to cut out the process of having to further more research online where to buy the plants and make it an all round app.
For accessibility I’d consider adding a Gesture-Based Interaction for the AR screens. This would have options to switch between touch control to a sensor control moving the phone to place items- which would help users with mobility impairments or limited dexterity.