Urban Gardeners
Overview
What is it?
​A research project exploring how urban gardeners interact with their plants using their smartphone and the opportunities for fostering that more-than-human connection this device provides.
Skills used
Survey writing
Working in compliance with ethical data collection
Data analysis
User research
Literature research
UI and graphic design
Wireframing and Prototyping
Figma
Timeline
8 weeks
Solo project
Sole researcher, designer and project manager
Problem statement
​Smartphones can enhance urban residential gardening, yet there is a gap in understanding how individuals who garden at home use digital tools for plant care. By looking into how residential gardeners currently use their smartphones, this is a UX research exploration into how this technology can foster a connection between the person, their plant and the wider networks they operate in.
User Research
I wrote and shared an exploratory anonymous online survey that explored how people used technology, and especially their smartphone when taking care of their plants in urban settings. The aim was to better understand the behaviour and see where there were opportunities to leverage technology to enhance this connection between people and the more-than-human world (in this case the plants they care for).
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Most respondents were 18-34 years old and came from the global north so any understanding of the user that is gleaned falls within these parameters. There are user groups out there that did not find this survey.
INSIGHTS
Gardening in an urban context is a mostly solitary activity (78.12%), and the majority (93.75%) do not engage with gardening communities.
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Gardeners do not like having to interrupt their work and resist having to learn any new garden-specific tech.
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Most urban residential gardeners carry their smartphones while gardening (78.12%), though fewer actively use them (43.75%). When used, smartphones serve either passive (listening to media, counting steps) or specific functions (taking photos, searching for information, answering calls).
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There are two key opportunities for leveraging deeper more-than-human connections when people are already reaching for their phone: when they seek information about their plants and when they share photographs.
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Smartphones are the primary tool for seeking gardening knowledge (78.12%). Even those who do not carry their phones while gardening often use them later to look up information. 37.5% of respondents interrupt gardening to immediately seek knowledge. There is a clear opportunity to leverage these knowledge-seeking moment to enhance a gardener’s connection with their plants.
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Photography plays a significant role in fostering a connection with both the garden and others. Most gardeners (67.74%) share photos intentionally with an audience interested in the topic, rather than posting broadly on social media (only 25%). This intentional sharing suggests a desire to build personal, meaningful connections rather than engage in broad social networking. This is also an opportunity for deeper connection, both with the garden and with others.
Prototype Proposal: PlantWeb
Responding to the insights, this is a proposal for a web browser extension that makes the curiosity of individual urban gardeners visible by showing all the questions that are being asked about plants right in that moment.
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It is a passive and non-invasive design built into a familiar search engine (Google) so that gardeners do not have to interrupt their activity or learn any new software.
Below is a video walkthrough of how it would work.
Setbacks and challenges
​This was my first time writing a survey and doing this kind of analysis, whilst I enjoyed the knowledge gained I would definitely add more exploratory questions if I could do it again as those can reveal so much more about a user’s motivation.
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Also there was not enough time in the project timeline to be able to get the prototype in front of users to test it, this would have definitely helped to refine it.
Takeaways
Survey writing is a skill in and of itself which when done correctly can deliver many useful insights. It is a skill I intend to keep working on.
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Also, a product like PlantWeb holds its value away from the traditional market and more as a form of artistic expression and exploration. It is a kind of work I enjoy and would get involved with again with the right context.