FunGuy
and schedule plant care based on their plant's specific water,
A plant-able device that helps beginner plant owners track
light, and nutrition needs
Overview
FunGuy is a smart device designed for novice plant enthusiasts. It can be planted and assists in monitoring and creating plant care routines according to the unique water, light, and nutritional requirements of each plant.
Exploring the world of pervasive interaction design and the Internet of Things within the context of everyday smart technologies, this project's objective was to create technology that simplifies everyday tasks and employs innovative designs to assist users in their daily routines.
Role: UX Researcher/ Product Designer
Duration: 16 weeks
Skills: Product Designing / Interviewing / Survey Design / Diary Study / Experience Prototyping / Physical Prototyping / User Testing
Tools: Figma / Arduino / Mural / Google Forms/ Adobe Premiere Pro
Mission Statement
The majority of millennials express a desire to bring plants into their homes and proudly consider themselves plant parents; however, 67% find the task of caring for a plant to be challenging. Many new plant owners do not know how to properly care for their plant babies. Funguy creates an opportunity to help grow plant owners' confidence and make plant care simple.
Gervis, Zoya. “Millennials Say Being a ‘Plant Parent’ Is Harder than They Expected.” New York Post, New York Post, 24 Jan. 2020, nypost.com/2020/01/24/millennials-say-being-a-plant-parent-is-harder-than-they-expected/.
Wallace, Anne. “Survey Shows 67% of Millennials Find Taking Care of Plants a Challenge.” Deseret News, Deseret News, 27 Jan. 2020, www.deseret.com/u-s-world/2020/1/27/21083948/millennials-pressures-plant-parenting-survey-parenthood-houseplant.
Exploratory Research
Ideation
To initiate this project, our team generated 20 possible concepts following IDEO brainstorming guidelines. We selected and refined our ideas into three overarching categories. In each category, every team member proposed a project concept. Through unanimous voting, we selected one concept from each category, ultimately determining our top three project ideas.
Top Three Concepts
Health Ring
Ring wearable that lights up red for fever and color-guided breathing for stress. Uses different colors to alert to different symptoms or be programmed based on users' ongoing needs.
Audience: People with chronic health conditions, COVID symptom trackers, users trying to be more mindful of their health.
Autolight Plant Guy
A pot on wheels with a light sensor, triggering the pot to move across a windowsill for optimal light throughout the day. The pot can be programmed via an app to set the best conditions based on plant variety.
Audience: People with plants, people who kill plants, people on vacation.
Caffeine Mug
The mug connects to a smartphone alarm application and uses sleep data to notify the user when to switch from caffeinated to decaf drinks throughout the day. Intended to support better sleep patterns.
Audience: Tired graduate students and professionals, people with anxiety, and health-conscious coffee drinkers.
Formative Research
Interviews
To gain deeper insights into our identified domains, we conducted 12 interviews with individuals meeting the criteria of being familiar with house plants, caffeine consumption, and health tracking. Our findings were organized into an affinity wall to identify similarities, themes, and patterns between research participants.
Findings
Automizing Plant Care
Having houseplants can feel like a chore
People feel very attached to their houseplants, much like a pet, so losing them to poor care can be emotional
Many houseplant owners feel like they will kill their plants by over or under-watering
Caffeine Tracker
Multiple participants mentioned feeling worse or “regretting” drinking multiple cups of coffee a day
Based on experience, some people “know” when they should stop drinking caffeine during the day
Caffeine consumption is often related to a habit or ritual, such as a morning coffee or studying at a coffee shop.
Health Trackers & Wearable Devices
Some users think the health trackers are “ugly”
Some users would feel anxious by seeing their health stats frequently
Multiple users have existing smart watches or devices that track health and aren’t necessarily interested in more devices
Based on our findings, feedback, and feasibility of this project, we decided to move forward with automizing plant care. With our product, we aim to design catering towards individuals who are new to plant care and have one or more house plants. Our goal is to not only fulfill the needs of new plant owners but also to accommodate the needs of experienced growers. We aim to assist users in monitoring plant health, potentially utilizing various sensors, including moisture, temperature, and light.
Formative Research
Diary Study
We conducted a diary study over a 5-day time period with 4 participants who had houseplants with care experience ranging from 0-5 years. Participants reported their interactions with their plants and emotions they experienced regarding their plant's health and maintenance through a Likert Scale and challenges they faced and provided journal entries on their thoughts. Additionally, they shared photos of their houseplant and the environment they were in.
By using this method, we are able to observe and discover potential users' behavior patterns, motivations, and interactions in their natural environment engaging in plant care providing valuable insights to problems real plant owners have.
Overarching Questions
What are plant users' existing habits?
What kinds of emotions do plant care routines elicit?
What additional information could be helpful to users as they care for plants?
Diary Study Findings
We consolidated our findings on an affinity map to help identify trends, patterns, and areas of interest our product development could lead to.
Top Insights
Plant care is generally needed every 2-3 days, rather than daily.
"Care is not required daily [for this plant]" -P4 (Day 2)
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Watering-related activities are common tasks for plant owners.
Monitoring sunlight was less important than we originally expected.
Plant owners monitor external signs of plant health, but are also interested in knowing more about what they can’t see.
"What could be causing the yellowing of this plant?" - P1 (Day 3)
Participants reported happier moods when their plants required care.
Study participants marked that they were happy
(4 or 5 on a 5-point scale) when they felt confident about plant care or were excited to check for new growth
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Participants leverage some educational resources, also reported that it can be difficult to know where to find plant care support.
Participants referenced using resources, like their social networks, plant care cards, and plant watering applications to support their plant's care.
Formative Research
Survey
We deployed a survey curating questions to learn respondent’s demographics, pain points, environments, confidence levels in their skills, and their familiarity with automated technology. We received 100 responses primarily targeting the younger populations (18-34 years old).
Survey Findings
Our team used data visualization (such as pivot tables and graphs), as well as affinity mapping of open-ended answers to analyze our survey data.
Top Findings
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Beginner plant owners see plant maintenance as more of a chore than other groups
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Beginner growers may own multiple plants, anywhere between 1 - 5 plants, while intermediate and above have more than 5 plants.
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Beginners are more interested in technology to support plant care than more skilled growers
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Beginner plant owners are less confident in their plant's needs compared to more advanced growers.
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There are many factors that impact plant purchasing such as aesthetics, cost, low maintenance care, and size for users purchasing a house plant.
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Improper watering or neglecting care are the top reasons why users' plants die.
Research Insights & Implication for Design
Our ideal user will most likely own more than one plant, so the design should be scalable and support multiple plants at once.
The design solution should be unobtrusive and aesthetically pleasing.
The design should work in a way that can care for plants when owners are negligent and minimize plant care.
Beginners are more likely to see plant care as a chore, so the design should aim to make plant care easier and more efficient.
The design should aim to help users understand plant needs related to watering, light, and root health primarily.
Design Research
Target User
Based on our research findings, we identified our target audience as individuals who are beginners in plant ownership. Our personas, such as Lauren, represent a mid-twenties student who is new to caring for plants. We developed an empathy map for Lauren illustrating her present situation in plant ownership. This map highlights various emotional states, needs, and possible pain points that may arise in the care of plants.
In addition, a journey map was created for Lauren to track emotions, actions, and attitudes that our primary persona may encounter during her plant care journey.
Design Research
Ideation
At this stage of our product development, we narrowed down the scope to emphasize the creation of a tool or device designed to help educate individuals new to plant care on how to properly nurture their plants. Based on our survey feedback, we recognized our solution should be able to adapt to multiple houseplants. We developed three project concepts.
Basic Design Criteria:
The device must track multiple aspects of plant care (water, sunlight, soil nutrients, root growth, etc.)
The device should be scalable and potentially support multiple plants at once
The device may support users in caring for their plants but does not need to replace their interactions
The device should not impact the aesthetics of the plant.
Proposed Product Concept
FunGuy
FunGuy is placed in the soil to monitor sunlight, moisture, and soil conditions for individual plants.
Features:
Equipped with light and water sensors, it aids in assessing the health conditions of plants.
Light indicators on the device show how close the plant is to “ideal” conditions
The connected app shares additional care information tailored to the specific needs of each individual type of plant.
SmartPot
A Smart Pot that tracks and assists users with plant care needs
Features:
Utilizes light and water sensors to support monitoring the plant's health conditions.
Features an LED screen displaying visuals on the pot to alert to users the current needs and overall well-being of the plant.
Assists in teaching users about plant care.
GrowPot
A pot that “grows” with the plant as it expands or adjusts in size to accommodate the growth of the plant.
Features:
Detects when a plant has outgrown its current container and utilizes built-in inserts to expand the growing area accordingly.
Equipped with light and water sensors to evaluate growth conditions.
Features an LED screen displaying the current needs of the plant, with an alarm system that alerts users if those needs are neglected for an extended period.
Storyboards
We created storyboards along with the concepts to actualize scenarios they would be used in.
Design Research
Experience Prototyping
At this stage, we decided to combine two Smart Pot & Grow Pots concepts and developed lo-fi prototypes for Funguy and Smart Pot. We used the method of using a Speed Dating Matrix to create our user enactment scenarios. After conducting two pilot studies, as a team we made the decision to move forward with the Funguy concept with the probe and connected app design as it was preferred by our audience.
We conducted 4 studies with users in our networks who fit our target demographic using a series of lo-fi device mock-ups and printed app screens in 5 scenarios with all levels of proactivity. This overall process allowed us to test key dimensions for plant care and iterate our device design.
Criteria
What happens when the user needs to water their plant?
What happens when a plant’s health is failing?
What happens when a plant outgrows its pot?
Lo-Fi Paper Screen & Prototypes
Experience Prototyping Results
Users prefer interactions with fewer screens
Users didn't prioritize having an on-screen device, as the connected app effectively provided the information they needed regarding the plant's requirements.
Medium-proactivity devices are preferred for plant care
Individuals who care for plants may not always seek complete automation. Typically, users express discomfort with devices performing tasks without their awareness, fearing potential harm to the plant or its surroundings.
Customizing the frequency of notifications is important
While users generally appreciated device notifications, concerns arose for some who feared that if they weren't in close proximity to the plant or unable to take immediate action, they might forget to address the plant's needs when they had the opportunity.
Users want more directions for proper care and syncing is crucial
New plant owners may require additional guidance on proper plant care. If not provided on the device, the app should offer more detailed information. Additionally, the app should sync automatically once a user takes an action with the plant.
Design Research
Final Ideation
During this final ideation phase, our attention was directed towards exploring additional variations for the device. This included brainstorming new approaches to notifications and modifications to the physical device itself.
Prototype Iterations & Storyboard
Design Research
Architecture Map
Final System Concept
Device & Connected Application
The FunGuy system uses two primary components, the physical device, and a connected smartphone application. The user can add more FunGuy devices to their network, depending on their total number of houseplants, and add them to their garden.
Plant Database & Care Guide
FunGuy uses AI and machine learning to help users identify their houseplants from photos captured during the onboarding process. The app references a database to generate a plant maintenance schedule and care guide tailored to the specific requirements of each plant. This guide empowers users with knowledge on optimizing plant care to ensure the well-being and happiness of their plants.
Device Sensor
The FunGuy device has multiple sensors, including a light sensor to track the amount of sunlight a plant receives throughout the day, a moisture sensor to monitor water levels, and a nutrient sensor that detects the number of nutrients (such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) present in the potting soil.
Notifications
When the system sensors detect that care is required on any metric, an alert is sent to the user via the device or connected app. A text alert and indicator light help users understand the type of care that is required. The user may touch the FunGuy device at any time to see the status of each metric. Additionally, users can customize their notification frequency as they become more familiar with their plant's needs, empowering them to become confident plant carers.
Companion Carer
The FunGuy system helps users when they are away from their plants such as vacations. Using the connected app, the primary user can add additional carers (such as house sitters) to their account, allowing the app to send notifications to the secondary carer over a defined time period.
Design Research
Prototyping
After finalizing our ideation, we moved forward to create the physical prototype for the device. We incorporated wires into our Arduino breadboard and developed Python code to employ a Wizard of Oz method for demonstrating our product to a live audience.
Physical Prototype Process
Evaluative Research
Prototyping
Our objective for our usability testing was to uncover specific problems in the prototype design and interactions, improve users’ performance with core actions and flows, and identify any challenges in users’ understandability with the core flows. The participants were given 5 tasks to complete within the core flows of recycling, rewards, and community. Participants had to identify items, add items to collections, redeem points, set goals, and find information.
Final Product
Key Features & Flow
Plant Health Tracking
The FunGuy device takes accurate readings of the plant's soil moisture level, amount of natural light, and plant root health. Its light indicators change to reflect the status of each metric and notify the user if care is needed:
Solid light: No care is needed
Slow flash: Care is recommended
Fast flash: Immediate care is required
Plant Care Guidance
The FunGuy companion app provides users with confidence of plant care through care instructions based on plant type's unique needs
Plant Care Routine
The app and device assist in upkeep of plants through routine notifications and syncing with the user's external calendar.
Secondary Caregiver
The app facilitates proper plant care while users are away from home by sending additional care givers messages when the plant needs care.
Application Flow
The application leads users in the process of pairing devices and identifying plants, offering features such as status monitoring, notifications, and assistance with caregiving duties.
Reflection
Next Steps
The next step this product development should take is improving accessibility features for the physical device, incorporating icons above each light indicator. Additionally, there is a need to iterate on device sizes to cater to various user pot sizes and aesthetic preferences. There is. a need to create a high-fidelity prototype application that delves deeper into the sustainability aspect of the product, particularly as users progress in their basic plant-caring skills.
Limitations
We are satisfied with the point we reached with our current solution and received positive feedback from our community, however, we recognize our solution has limitations at the moment.
The current design lacks thorough exploration and testing for users to effectively interpret plant metrics on the connected application. Users rely on progress bars and notifications, but there's a need for more specific quantity information. Technical constraints and the need for a higher fidelity prototype highlight the system's strengths and weaknesses, requiring improvements. The design had to be scaled up due to component size, and challenges with materials hindered the incorporation of accessible icons for colorblind users. Overall, further research and adjustments are essential to enhance the design.
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The Team: Safa Viqar, Marivi Sifuentes, Isabel Talsam, Dana Reik
