Interviews
I conducted interviews with potential users, to challenge my three underlying assumptions:
1. Novice gardeners choose plants to grow with little consideration of how their space can meet the plant's growing needs.
2. The mismatch between the novice gardener's resources, and the plant's needs, is the primary cause of plants failing to thrive.
3. Novice gardeners aren't aware that it is important to consider how their space can meet a plant's growing needs, and therefore don't seek guidance about it.
I asked participants a series of questions about what factors they considered when choosing plants, what problems they ran into and what guidance they sought.
Research insights
- Novice gardeners choose plants that aren't suited to their environment or resources
- Even plants suited to a space won't thrive if the gardener lacks certain plant care knowledge.
- The more experience a gardener has, the more guidance they will seek.
- Success in gardening comes when problems are seen as opportunities to learn and adapt.
Several participants had grown plants that needed a lot of sun in spaces with low light levels. Those plants failed to thrive: users got nothing to eat from them and the plants died.
The product should teach users the importance of choosing suitable plants for their resources. It should tell users what resources to consider, and suggest the most appropriate plants.
Some users were growing plants that were reasonably well suited to their environment, but those plants still didn't thrive. This was due to a lack of knowledge of basic plant care.
The product should give users a basic understanding of plant care.
First-time gardeners tend to seek little guidance on how to choose and care for plants. Gardeners with a couple of years' experience seek more guidance throughout the growing process,which leads to better outcomes.
The product should teach users the importance of seeking advice when you come across a gap in knowledge or hit an issue. It should inform users of trusted and simple sources of information.
Though first-time gardeners make a good guess at why their plants may be dying, they often don't address the problem and can be put off gardening altogether. As gardeners become more experienced they consider 'failures' as learning experiences.
The product should encourage users to accept and learn from their mistakes, rather than being discouraged. It should help novice gardeners to develop the problem solving skills that are necessary for gardening success.
The concept of the app expanded beyond recommending plants:
- Enable users to choose plants based on their needs and resources
2. Give users a basic understanding of plant care
3. Teach users how to identify and solve problems in their garden
What Plant Where becomes Edible Space
I moved away from the app's working title, What Plant Where, for two reasons. Firstly, there is an RHS book with that title dedicated to plant choice, so I didn't want to use the same wording. Also, I wanted to announce at the outset that the app is specifically for edible plants. This means people searching for food growing help will find it more easily. I also liked the emphasis on edible space, rather than edible plants, as it implies a focus on the whole growing environment.
Low fidelity prototype
I tested a low fidelity prototype with potential users in interviews over Zoom. Using screen sharing, I could see how they navigated it and so find out where problems lay.Feedback on the concept of the app was positive. Participants said it would be useful.
One key issue came up: the content of the prototype itself. I had written placeholder questions and plant suggestions, rather than my intended content. This led to confusion among the users : 'why have I ticked spicy flavours and been recommended rosemary?' The full value of the app wasn't demonstrated.