In today’s fast-paced world, plants bring joy into our lives and transform our spaces into vibrant, healthier environments

As plant enthusiasts know, ensuring that their plants thrive while they are traveling can be a challenge

This project aims to address this concern by creating Rooted - an app designed to connect plant owners with trusted plant sitters in their area to ensure that every plant stays happy and healthy 

Understanding users

User research

Secondary research

I began with secondary research to create a solution that truly meets the needs of plant owners and plant sitters 

I explored existing challenges that plant owners face while traveling and discovered common frustrations through articles, forums, and surveys

Research plan

Next I developed a research plan to outline the methods and techniques I would use to gather relevant data about users

Interviews

I conducted interviews with diverse plant owners and sitters, asking questions about their relationships with plants, travel habits, and past experiences

Revealed insights such as: 

  • Emotional connection that people have to their plants 

  • Trust issues people face when seeking help with their plants 

  • Factors that are important to plant owners when considering a plant sitter

Empathy mapping and personas

Empathy map

From the interviews, I created an empathy map to visualize users’ thoughts, feelings, and pain points

Personas

Empathy mapping led to the development of 2 personas:

  • Committed plant parent - a busy professional who travels frequently but loves their plants 

  • Green thumb plant sitter - a plant enthusiast who wants to make extra income by caring for other people’s plants

These personas helped inform my design decisions to ensure that the app addressed users’ needs and concerns

Heuristic analysis and user flows

Heuristic analysis

I conducted a heuristic analysis of existing plant care apps to identify usability strengths and weaknesses. This informed my understanding of best practices and mistakes to avoid

User flows

Using insights from my research, I mapped out user flows to display how users would navigate through the app. This helped to clarify the features necessary for an intuitive user experience

Sketches and wireframes

Sketches

With an understanding of user needs, I sketched screens to envision different layouts and create a rough design that I could then translate into wireframes 

  • Landing page

  • Plant owner dashboard

  • Plant sitter profile

  • Booking page - Plant owner POV

  • Booking page - Plant sitter POV

  • Plant profile

The sketches evolved into lo-fi wireframes, where I emphasized core app components and refined the design

Wireframes

  • Landing page

  • Plant owner dashboard

  • Plant sitter profile

  • Booking page - Plant owner POV

  • Booking page - Plant sitter POV

  • Plant profile

Wireflow

Wireflow

I used the wireframes to create a wireflow, which illustrated how a user would move through and interact with the design

Prototyping and usability testing

High fidelity mockups

After finalizing the wireframes, I developed high-fidelity mockups that created a more polished and detailed representation of the design including colors, typography, and spacing

  • Landing page

  • Plant owner dashboard

  • Plant sitter profile

  • Booking page - Plant owner POV

  • Booking page - Plant sitter POV

  • Plant profile

I created an interactive prototype and conducted usability testing with 8 users. Their feedback was crucial in helping me to refine the app and iterate on my design. I observed as users navigated through the prototype and identified areas that could be improved

Prototype

Revisions and iteration

Iteration

I made several revisions to my design based on user feedback in order to better meet user needs

  • Improvements included:

    • Removing the calendar view of upcoming appointments on the dashboard

    • Addition of separate plant library tab

    • Refinement of the plant library and plant sitter reviews on the profile page

Final prototype

  • Landing page

  • Plant owner dashboard

  • Plant sitter profile

  • Booking page - Plant owner POV

  • Booking page - Plant sitter POV

  • Plant profile

Conclusion

Rooted empowers plant owners to travel with peace of mind, knowing that their plants will be cared for. By connecting plant owners to trusted plant sitters in their area, users can maintain the health of their plants no matter where life takes them

Goals achieved:

Conducted effective user research

  • Successfully planned and executed user research, including a survey, interviews, and usability testing

Designed a user-centered solution to an in-demand problem

Effective iteration

  • Each time I performed interviews and usability testing, I refined my designs to make iterative improvements that would elevate the user experience

Learned and applied UX principles

  • I improved my understanding of UX principles and methodologies and applied them throughout the project