Green Spaced
-case study-
Green Spaced is an app that helps communities create and run their community gardens.
Problem
Users need a better way to communicate while planning and caring for their community gardens.
Users need a better way to communicate while planning and caring for their community gardens.
Goal
Design an app for Green Spaced to help communities stay organized while creating and maintaining their community gardens.
Design an app for Green Spaced to help communities stay organized while creating and maintaining their community gardens.
Role
I am the UX Designer responsible for conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.
I am the UX Designer responsible for conducting interviews, paper and digital wireframing, low and high-fidelity prototyping, conducting usability studies, accounting for accessibility, and iterating on designs.
User Research
Through the creation of empathy maps and competitive audits, I was able to understand the user group for Green Spaced. Upon further research, I realized a very user-friendly gardening app was hard to find. So adding things like weather and plant information pages to the app was important.
Through the creation of empathy maps and competitive audits, I was able to understand the user group for Green Spaced. Upon further research, I realized a very user-friendly gardening app was hard to find. So adding things like weather and plant information pages to the app was important.
Competitive Audit
Pain Points:
Pain Point #1
Users need a way to keep track of their plant’s watering schedule.
Users need a way to keep track of their plant’s watering schedule.
Pain Point #2
Users don’t always know when the best time it is to plant certain vegetables.
Users don’t always know when the best time it is to plant certain vegetables.
Pain Point #3
Plants look very similar when young so it's easy to forget which plants are which.
Plants look very similar when young so it's easy to forget which plants are which.
User Personas
-Design Beginnings-
Paper Wireframes
By taking the time to hand draw each screen of the app, I was able to determine what elements needed to be transferred over to digital wireframes.
By taking the time to hand draw each screen of the app, I was able to determine what elements needed to be transferred over to digital wireframes.
Digital Wireframes
By creating digital versions of my wireframes, the design concept and user path are much more defined.
By creating digital versions of my wireframes, the design concept and user path are much more defined.
Low-fidelity prototype
Using my completed digital wireframes, I created a low-fidelity prototype. The primary user flow was to mark when plants in your garden have been watered.
Using my completed digital wireframes, I created a low-fidelity prototype. The primary user flow was to mark when plants in your garden have been watered.
Usability Study
During an unmoderated usability study, 5 participants were asked to navigate the app. A System Usability Scale (SUS) was then used to further understand the performance of the app.
Several users made the observation that having a chat option in the app wasn’t necessary and neither was having the option to mark off if plants were fertilized.
During an unmoderated usability study, 5 participants were asked to navigate the app. A System Usability Scale (SUS) was then used to further understand the performance of the app.
Several users made the observation that having a chat option in the app wasn’t necessary and neither was having the option to mark off if plants were fertilized.
-Refining the Design-
Mockups
Early designs were helpful in creating a basic layout, but many other design elements were added to help the users conceptualize using this app to care for their community gardens.
Early designs were helpful in creating a basic layout, but many other design elements were added to help the users conceptualize using this app to care for their community gardens.
Before/After
After a second usability study was completed, several changes were made to the design to make it more accessible.
After a second usability study was completed, several changes were made to the design to make it more accessible.
High-fidelity prototype
The final high-fidelity prototype for Green Spaced meets our users' needs for an app that allows them to:
-plan and create a garden
-set alerts of when plants need to be watered
-discover information about growing and maintaining a garden
The final high-fidelity prototype for Green Spaced meets our users' needs for an app that allows them to:
-plan and create a garden
-set alerts of when plants need to be watered
-discover information about growing and maintaining a garden
-Final Thoughts-
Impact
The Green Spaced app makes users feel excited to plan their community gardens.
“This app will really help me remember to water my garden during the busy summer months!” -Research Participant
The Green Spaced app makes users feel excited to plan their community gardens.
“This app will really help me remember to water my garden during the busy summer months!” -Research Participant
Next Steps
The next step would be to do another round of research testing to determine if all user pain points and accessibility concerns have been effectively addressed.
The next step would be to do another round of research testing to determine if all user pain points and accessibility concerns have been effectively addressed.
Casey Roth, UX Designer
October 2022