Prompt: Design an app that helps customers diagnose issues with their houseplants
Leafy is an intuitive mobile app designed to help plant lovers diagnose, care for, and track their plants' growth. Users can scan plants for health issues, receive tailored care instructions, and log progress in their plant journal. Featuring a built-in camera for diagnosis and an integrated calendar for care reminders, Leafy simplifies plant care while keeping users engaged with their green spaces. Built with user-friendly design and responsive functionality, Leafy supports a range of houseplants and outdoor species.
Houseplants often face a variety of issues, primarily related to improper care or unsuitable environments. Overwatering is one of the most common problems, leading to root rot and yellowing leaves. On the flip side, underwatering causes plants to wilt and develop dry, brittle leaves. Insufficient light can result in leggy growth, while too much direct sunlight can scorch leaves. Pests like aphids, spider mites, and mealybugs can also pose threats. In addition, poor soil drainage and lack of humidity can stress plants, affecting their overall health and growth.
These issues lead to plant owners struggling to identify plant health issues and manage care routines. Leafy addresses these challenges by providing a user-friendly way to diagnose plants, receive care tips and track their growth over time.
Leafy helps address common houseplant issues by offering tailored care solutions and reminders. The app provides diagnostic tools to identify problems like overwatering, underwatering, or pest infestations. It also includes care guides to ensure plants receive the proper amount of light, water, and nutrients. With its tracking and reminder features, Leafy helps users maintain consistent care routines, such as watering schedules and fertilization, preventing plant stress and promoting long-term health. By identifying issues early and providing ongoing support, Leafy helps keep houseplants thriving.
“In this economy, Plants are the new pets. ”
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User Persona
Sarah McLaren is a 47-year-old plant enthusiast who works in the private sector. In her free time, she likes buying new plants to decorate.
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App Guideline
Leafy is composed of 3 main components (Home, Camera, and Profile) which are optimized to improve user experience
“Think green, live green.”
User Story
The user begins by opening the Leafy app and logging in. From the homepage, they can either diagnose a plant by taking a photo using the built-in camera or track the progress of a plant they’re already caring for. If they diagnose a plant, the app analyzes the image using machine learning and provides health insights. In addition, users can log updates, input plant details, and receive care instructions to track their plants. They can also manage their to-do list, complete care tasks, and reviewing plant data for ongoing monitoring and growth.
Originally designed as a plant diagnosis app, Leafy has now expanded to include features for everyday plant care, offering a more seamless experience for plant lovers.
Playful UI Designs
Components
I want Leafy to be a safe haven for plant lovers. With earthy, natural tones and intuitive interactive features, it offers a minimal, seamless experience. Designed for novice and veteran users, Leafy helps track plant care while providing reminders for essential tasks that are often overlooked, ensuring the well-being of their beloved plants.
Prototype
I envisioned Leafy as a photo-analyzing app that helps users diagnose their plants. I also wanted to incorporate UI components that provide users with new plant information via plant pages, which they can save to their plant vault for ongoing care. Initially, I considered a social media feature for sharing plants but decided it would be too cluttered for Leafy's purpose. Instead, I opted for a digital journal, offering a more personal and focused experience for users
Mock-ups
Leafy provides a seamless experience for users to track their plants. In future iterations, this application will heavily rely on Machine-learning (ML) image recognition to identify plants and their health issues to provide users the ability to diagnose and nurture the plants back to health.
Key Takeaways
Before becoming a product designer, I was a Structural Bioinformatic scientist in the drug-discovery field. However, I always find myself drawn towards design opportunities, even as a side hobby, to fuel my creative outlets. I’m thankful to be able to showcase my ability through Leafy.
Why Leafy?
As a plant owner, I often struggle to keep my plants alive. Despite my efforts, I still consider myself a novice and frequently forget basic care tasks like watering or fertilizing (whatever that means!). Therefore, I created Leafy—to help beginner plant owners like me and seasoned users track and diagnose their plants. With Leafy, my plant babies will no longer meet an untimely preventable end
What did you learn from user research?
Some key points from my research conclude:
While the calendar option is a good idea, it takes up too much space in the profile. Users want a glance at what they need to do for daily tasks as well as an alternative option for future task
The camera option on the plant page can be confusing because users need to approach a plant before diagnosing it. Users would prefer the ability to diagnose directly
The options for Digital Journal allow the users to keep track of the plants and maintain their health and care but it’s not intuitive to differentiate it from the diagnose camera. How do I know which option to use for which?
What did you learn throughout this case project?
I often jump in and start designing high-fidelity mockups immediately during my inspirational fixations. However, I learned to take time and research my users, create a storyboard, and identify key components that help build a product that complements the user’s daily life.
What are some things you want to implement in Leafy in the future?
Leafy as a diagnosis tool relies heavily on AI and Machine Learning through image processing. While this is only a prototype of the product, Leafy has the potential to be a functional app with daily users. In the future, if possible, the addition of a plant image learning model would greatly improve its usability.