TRADITIONAL UX
Roota
A Thriving Environment
for You and Your Plants
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Do you need help keeping your plants alive? Don't worry, Roota can help with that.
Roota is an app that connects you with local plant experts and enthusiasts within your personal network, to offer guidance on cultivating the perfect habitat for your plants to thrive.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
TYPE
Plant Care App Case Study
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Developed mobile app from start to finish
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Conducted a competitive analysis, user interviews, user testing, and usability testing
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Created user personas, user flows, wireframes and a high-fidelity Figma prototype
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Gathered information for design system & style guides files to pass onto developers
Roota users need access to online plant experts and local plant shops to purchase, maintain, and provide a healthy environment for their plants to thrive.
We will know this to be true when users can effectively reach out to experts and their local shops to purchase and get advice on ways to nourish their plants.
PROJECT DURATION
July 2021 - March 2022
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Roota is a plant-care app that connects users to local plant experts to help provide a thriving environment for their plants. This app gives users the opportunity to ask questions, attend local plant shop classes, purchase plants, and share information within their local and personal networks.
TOOLS
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Optimal Workshop (Card Sorting)
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Balsamiq (Low-Fidelity Wireframes)
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UsabilityHub (A/B Testing)
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Lookback (User Testing & Usability Testing)
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Figma (Mid & High-Fidelity Wireframes & Prototype)
MY ROLE
PROTOTYPE
DESIGN PROCESS
UNDERSTAND
DEFINE
IDEATE
PROTOTYPE
TEST
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
PLANTA
PICTURE THIS
BLOSSOM
ROOTA
PLANT IDENTIFICATION
INDOOR PLANT ADVICE
OUTDOOR PLANT ADVICE
IN PERSON ADVICE
LOCAL SHOP PARTNERSHIP
COMMUNITY
VOLUNTEER GARDENS
SCREENING QUESTIONS
CHAT BOT
FREE OPTION
PLANT TRACKING
SCHEDULES/REMINDERS
VOICE MESSEGES
LIGHT METER
VIDEO/ARTICLE TIPS
COMMUNITY
NEEDED
USER INTERVIEWS
RESEARCH GOALS
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How much time people would like to dedicate to maintaining plants and does this dictate which plants to buy.
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Is there an interest in buying new plants or are users comfortable with the amount they have.
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Is there an advantage to meeting with experts in person or do they prefer online support.
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What motivates users to purchase plants and why they are willing to put in the work to give them a thriving environment.
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Do users have any interest in using their skills to volunteer.
INTERVIEWEES
LAURA
DANIELLE
JULISSA
24 years old
She/Her
Business Intelligence/ Data Analytics Associate
24 years old
She/Her
Veterinarian Nurse
24 years old
She/Her
Veterinarian Nurse
RESULTS
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I found that all users were motivated to give their plants a thriving environment because they valued the aesthetic and atmosphere of having plants. Their energy levels and happiness increased with plants around.
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I learned about the skill level of each user. Some were very experienced with plant maintenance while others could barely keep one plant alive.
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I found that the time it took to maintain a plant per week really dictated which plants they bought. Even if users had more time to give, they preferred plants with low maintenance or plants that could line up on the same watering schedule.
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While users wouldn’t mind taking in person classes, they really liked the idea of getting online advice from experts. With the pandemic many people have become accustomed to a lot of their daily interactions being online if it is possible.
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All interviewees were interested in volunteering at a garden
TAKEAWAYS
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Maintenance time dictates plant purchases
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Online support is more welcomed due to the pandemic conditioning them
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Users have different experience keeping plants alive
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All users have the same motivation, but might lack the same time
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More plants are always wanted, but need to line up with the schedule of their existing plants
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All users are open to volunteer
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All users would prefer to support local shops than a large franchise
Skill Levels
Community
AFINITY MAPPING
PARTICIPANTS
CLUSTER & INSIGHTS
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While users would like to support local shops, they want quick consultations with experts
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If more time is needed, they are willing to go into shops
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All users want to volunteer, but want it to be easily accessible without a lot of research
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Advice on what plants to buy for their specific environment is needed. Weather is be for pets or light exposure.
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Maintenance time dictates purchases
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Reminders are needed for watering, repotting, light exposure
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Skill levels vary, but all users are interested in learning more about how to give their plants a thriving environment
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Plants give users an energy that they enjoy coming home to everyday. They are motivated to give their plants a healthy life to give themselves a healthy home
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More plants are always wanted, but users would need more space
Community
Skill Levels
USER PERSONAS AND USER FLOWS
LOW-FIDELITY AND MID-FIDELITY WIREFRAMES
SPLASH
LOGIN
CALENDAR
MY PLANTS
USABILITY TESTING
After developing a High-Fidelity prototype, moderated remote and
in person usability tests were conducted to gather information
GOALS
SESSIONS
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The goal of this study is to test the usability of Roota’s core functions and to identify potential navigation problems.
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With participant feedback I hope to learn any design improvements the prototype might need.
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Participants will take part in a 15 minute Roota usability test session
TEST OBJECTIVES
EQUIPMENT
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Measure how quickly users navigate through Onboarding and Sign Up/Login
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Observe how users interact with the introduction video
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Test how long it takes for users to complete a new task
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Identify any difficulties in the initial onboarding and daily tasks the user comes across
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Participants will be given a link to Roota’s Interactive protype via email.
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They will be able to use this link on their computer or cell phone. During the test, we will meet via skype to have a video call.
METHODLOGY
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This test will consist of Moderated Remote Testing.
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Participants will be given a video introduction that will provide a general overview of Roota and the purpose of their participation in the usability test.
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I will guide everyone through each task and will finish with a final debrief.
PARTICIPANTS
METRICS:
Errors will be measured using Erik Nielsen’s severity ratings scale
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0 = I don't agree that this is a usability problem at all
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1 = Cosmetic problem only: need not be fixed unless extra time is available on project
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2 = Minor usability problem: fixing this should be given low priority
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3 = Major usability problem: important to fix and should be given high priority
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4 = Usability catastrophe: imperative to fix before product can be released
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The test plan will consist of 6 participants within my personal network of family and friends.
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The core features will be assessed during this test, so the need for participants who are interested in plant care is not necessary at this point.
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I will be looking for the functionality of the features throughout the app.
DESIGN SYSTEM AND STYLE GUIDE
FINALIZING THE DESIGN
SPLASH
LOGIN
CALENDAR
MY PLANTS
MY PLANTS