What The Plant App
What The Plant App
Designed an user-friendly plant identification and care app that provides detailed expert information on each plant species and helpful articles that are relevant and contain verified sources.
Project Type: Mobile Application Design
Software Used: Figma, Affinity Designer
Project Brief
Problem Statement: Current plant identification apps are vague and do not provide specific enough instructions on plant care. Care schedules are difficult to use and articles are not up to date with current topics. Every app requires a subscription.
Vision Statement: The design of What The Plant will help users find the exact information they need with great ease and satisfaction. The vast amount of knowledge available on the app will feed off the niche for rare plants and medicinal uses, which will lead to increased revenue.
Process
Brainstorming
The project began with a brain dump of possible feature, layouts, and logo designs. Research and competitive audits were also conducted at this point.
Sitemap
Ease of navigation is essential for a good design. This site map was created to help organize the navigation ahead of time to ensure it was simple and intuitive to use.
Paper Wireframes
The layout of the app was initially created through paper wireframes, which allowed for a large number of ideas to be explored with low cost and effort.
Digital Wireframes
Once the initial layout had been sorted out, it was then turned into a digital wireframe, which would be easier to prototype and test later on.
Mockups
Created high fidelity mockups with text and images to get a feel for how the app would actually look.
Iteration I
Testing revealed that users wanted a way to revisit past identifications and to be able to group plants by room.
Solution: Add a three category toggle to sort plants into the rooms they are located and to provide users with access to their identification history.
Iteration II
Testing revealed that users wanted a way to verify that information was credible.
Solution: Add a green circle around the profile photo of accounts that are verified experts.
Logo
The final logo design features a cactus mascot and the name of the app.
Design System
A Design System was put together to ensure consistency across all future projects.
Takeaways
One of the biggest lessons I took from this project is that even small design choices can make a huge impact on how users experience a product. It really reminded me how important it is to keep the user at the center of every decision. Just because something seems like a cool or helpful feature doesn’t mean it actually improves the experience; in fact, it can sometimes overcomplicate things. This project challenged me to take a step back and ask: “Is this really helping the user?”
Successes
I’m especially proud of the logo I created for this app; it has a ton of personality and really helps the brand stand out from competitors. Overall, I loved the process of designing this app. It forced me to think differently and let go of some of my own assumptions about what the app should include. I had to be honest with myself about what was working and what wasn’t, and make choices based on what would actually benefit the end user. That mindset shift was huge for me.
Changes
If I were to go back and tweak anything, I’d revisit the way the plant information pages are set up. Right now, sections like “water” and “sunlight” are functional, but I think they could be streamlined to make more sense visually and structurally. I’d love to give that part of the app a more polished, cohesive look that matches the tone of the rest of the design.
Contact
I’m always excited to connect and discuss new opportunities, projects, or collaborations. Whether you have a question, a project idea, or want to work together, feel free to reach out!