Concept Project
Concept Project
Concept Project
Webotany—AR Experience
Webotany—AR Experience
Webotany—AR Experience
See how plants look in your home before you buy and grow them.
See how plants look in your home before you buy and grow them.
See how plants look in your home before you buy and grow them.
Introduction
My Role: Lead Product Designer (End-to-End Process)
Timeline: 6 months
Tools: Figma, Miro, Google Forms, Maze
In an increasingly digital world, the desire to connect with nature through houseplants is booming. Yet, many people struggle to keep their plants alive. Existing solutions often feel transactional or overwhelming, failing to support users after the purchase. Webotany was conceived as a holistic platform to bridge this gap. This case study details my process in designing an experience that doesn't just sell plants but empowers people to become successful, confident plant parents through education, augmented reality, and gamified care.
See for yourself.
See for yourself.
See how your plant suits your environment. Scroll down to know more!
Define the Objectives
User Objectives:
To easily discover plants suitable for their specific environment (light, space, climate).
To access clear, trustworthy, and actionable information before and after purchase.
To feel supported and rewarded in the long-term care of their plants, reducing anxiety and failure.
Business Objectives:
Increase customer confidence to drive conversion and reduce product returns.
Differentiate from competitors by offering a unique, technology-enhanced value proposition (AR).
Foster long-term user engagement and loyalty to encourage repeat purchases.
The project was guided by clear, measurable objectives that balanced user and business needs.
Define the Objectives
User Objectives:
To easily discover plants suitable for their specific environment (light, space, climate).
To access clear, trustworthy, and actionable information before and after purchase.
To feel supported and rewarded in the long-term care of their plants, reducing anxiety and failure.
Business Objectives:
Increase customer confidence to drive conversion and reduce product returns.
Differentiate from competitors by offering a unique, technology-enhanced value proposition (AR).
Foster long-term user engagement and loyalty to encourage repeat purchases.
The project was guided by clear, measurable objectives that balanced user and business needs.
User Objectives:
To easily discover plants suitable for their specific environment (light, space, climate).
To access clear, trustworthy, and actionable information before and after purchase.
To feel supported and rewarded in the long-term care of their plants, reducing anxiety and failure.
Business Objectives:
Increase customer confidence to drive conversion and reduce product returns.
Differentiate from competitors by offering a unique, technology-enhanced value proposition (AR).
Foster long-term user engagement and loyalty to encourage repeat purchases.
I employed a mixed-methods approach to ground my designs in real user needs and market realities.
Research Goals:
Understand the pain points and motivations of people who buy plants online.
Analyze competitor strengths and weaknesses to identify market opportunities.
Validate the perceived value of an AR visualization and care assistant feature.
Research Methods:
Competitive Analysis: I analyzed platforms like The Sill, Bloomscape, and Plants.com. I found they excelled at aesthetics but offered limited post-purchase support and no visualization tools, confirming a key opportunity.
Surveys (Google Forms): I distributed a screener survey to understand purchasing habits and common frustrations (e.g., "How often do you struggle to choose the right plant?").
A/B Testing Concept Validation (Maze): I used a low-fidelity prototype to test the core AR concept against a traditional product page, measuring metrics like purchase confidence and engagement time.
Research Goals and Methods
Research Goals:
Understand the pain points and motivations of people who buy plants online.
Analyze competitor strengths and weaknesses to identify market opportunities.
Validate the perceived value of an AR visualization and care assistant feature.
Research Methods:
Competitive Analysis: I analyzed platforms like The Sill, Bloomscape, and Plants.com. I found they excelled at aesthetics but offered limited post-purchase support and no visualization tools, confirming a key opportunity.
Surveys (Google Forms): I distributed a screener survey to understand purchasing habits and common frustrations (e.g., "How often do you struggle to choose the right plant?").
A/B Testing Concept Validation (Maze): I used a low-fidelity prototype to test the core AR concept against a traditional product page, measuring metrics like purchase confidence and engagement time.
Research Goals:
Understand the pain points and motivations of people who buy plants online.
Analyze competitor strengths and weaknesses to identify market opportunities.
Validate the perceived value of an AR visualization and care assistant feature.
Research Methods:
Competitive Analysis: I analyzed platforms like The Sill, Bloomscape, and Plants.com. I found they excelled at aesthetics but offered limited post-purchase support and no visualization tools, confirming a key opportunity.
Surveys (Google Forms): I distributed a screener survey to understand purchasing habits and common frustrations (e.g., "How often do you struggle to choose the right plant?").
A/B Testing Concept Validation (Maze): I used a low-fidelity prototype to test the core AR concept against a traditional product page, measuring metrics like purchase confidence and engagement time.
Plant enthusiasts, especially beginners, lack the confidence and knowledge to choose and care for plants successfully. This leads to purchase anxiety, wasted money, and a disappointing experience that discourages them from continuing their plant parenthood journey.
Synthesizing the research, I framed the core problem around user emotion and experience:
This problem manifested in two ways:
Pre-Purchase Uncertainty: "Will this plant actually survive in my dark apartment?"
Post-Purchase Abandonment: "I don't know what I'm doing wrong, and keeping it alive feels like a chore."
Define the Problem
Plant enthusiasts, especially beginners, lack the confidence and knowledge to choose and care for plants successfully. This leads to purchase anxiety, wasted money, and a disappointing experience that discourages them from continuing their plant parenthood journey.
This problem manifested in two ways:
Pre-Purchase Uncertainty: "Will this plant actually survive in my dark apartment?"
Post-Purchase Abandonment: "I don't know what I'm doing wrong, and keeping it alive feels like a chore."
This problem manifested in two ways:
Pre-Purchase Uncertainty: "Will this plant actually survive in my dark apartment?"
Post-Purchase Abandonment: "I don't know what I'm doing wrong, and keeping it alive feels like a chore."
Define the Audience
Emily McKenzie,
The Aesthetic Seeker (28)
Emily McKenzie,
The Aesthetic Seeker (28)
A novice who wants plants to beautify her space but is overwhelmed by care instructions. Her goal is to find "easy, stylish plants that won't die on her." She values visual inspiration and simple, clear guidance.
He is motivated to cultivate a green home but lacks experience. His goal is to "learn and get it right." He values detailed information, progress tracking, and feeling supported in his journey.
A novice who wants plants to beautify her space but is overwhelmed by care instructions. Her goal is to find "easy, stylish plants that won't die on her." She values visual inspiration and simple, clear guidance.
Based on research data, I developed two primary personas to guide design decisions:
He is motivated to cultivate a green home but lacks experience. His goal is to "learn and get it right." He values detailed information, progress tracking, and feeling supported in his journey.
Koby Lami,
The Dedicated New Parent (34)
Emily McKenzie,
The Aesthetic Seeker (28)
A novice who wants plants to beautify her space but is overwhelmed by care instructions. Her goal is to find "easy, stylish plants that won't die on her." She values visual inspiration and simple, clear guidance.
He is motivated to cultivate a green home but lacks experience. His goal is to "learn and get it right." He values detailed information, progress tracking, and feeling supported in his journey.
Koby Lami,
The Dedicated New Parent (34)
With a clear problem and audience, I facilitated brainstorming sessions (using Miro) to generate solutions. Key ideas included:
Brainstorming
An AR "view in your space" feature to solve pre-purchase uncertainty.
A personalized plant diary for tracking care.
A gamified system that rewards users for consistent care with badges and points.
An AI assistant that could diagnose plant problems via photo upload.
We prioritized the AR visualization and gamification features as they directly addressed the core problems of confidence and long-term engagement.
An AR "view in your space" feature to solve pre-purchase uncertainty.
A personalized plant diary for tracking care.
A gamified system that rewards users for consistent care with badges and points.
An AI assistant that could diagnose plant problems via photo upload.
We prioritized the AR visualization and gamification features as they directly addressed the core problems of confidence and long-term engagement.
An AR "view in your space" feature to solve pre-purchase uncertainty.
A personalized plant diary for tracking care.
A gamified system that rewards users for consistent care with badges and points.
An AI assistant that could diagnose plant problems via photo upload.
We prioritized the AR visualization and gamification features as they directly addressed the core problems of confidence and long-term engagement.
Webotany2024
London