Bluum
Grow Green Gardening
A prototype for a platform offering beginner-friendly plant information and personalised garden plans, using AR for design visualisation and promoting eco-friendly practices with an intuitive, engaging user experience.
Team
Acalapati (Cal) Priyatama – Prototyping Lead
Simran Kejriwal – Product Lead
Alan Toleu – Visual Lead
Lim Ing – Interaction Lead
Challenge & Results
The challenge was to create a prototype app that promotes greenery and reduces CO2 emissions by encouraging gardening and sustainable practices. Many potential users felt overwhelmed and lacked knowledge, so we aimed to simplify the process with beginner-friendly plant information and personalised garden plans.
By incorporating AR technology, users can visualise their garden designs, making the experience interactive and engaging. The app also promotes eco-friendly products, empowering users to make sustainable choices and fostering a community that values environmental responsibility.
Timeline & Design Methodology
In this 10-week end-to-end project, my team applied the Double Diamond method, a four-phase design process: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. It balances broad exploration with focused refinement, helping us deeply understand user needs and create practical, user-centered solutions. This clear framework ensures thorough research and effective problem-solving for impactful results.
Research
A comprehensive research approach was employed, blending consumer surveys and detailed interviews to gather insights from a broad cross-section of participants, including both city and suburban residents, as well as gardeners and non-gardeners. The project was further informed by a review of scholarly literature on sustainable gardening and urban greening, ensuring that the design not only responded to user needs but also aligned with best practices for promoting eco-friendly behaviours in urban environments.
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Consumer survey respondents from city and suburb residents
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Consumer interviews from gardeners and non-gardeners
“I love seeing the plant varieties on my morning walks or in nurseries... it just makes me want to buy it all and recreate this in my home garden.”
– Long-Time Garden Enthusiast
Of course I don’t mind having a green garden... But if it’s going to limit my current lifestyle, then it’s not something I would even consider.”
– Non-gardener
“My mum is an experienced gardener and that really helped me out... I can always ask her for advice when I don’t know what to do.”
– Beginner Gardener
Key Insights
Ideation
The ideation phase utilised key insights from the research to brainstorm solutions for Bluum. Recognising that garden designs are visually driven, the focus was on features that allow users to find inspiration from their surroundings. Ideas included options for sketching and bookmarking images from social media. By acknowledging that gardens are ongoing projects, the design aimed to support users in evolving their personal garden designs, ensuring their unique personalities shine through.
Low-Mid Fidelity Wireframes
The low-to-mid-fidelity wireframes served as a crucial step in translating early concepts into tangible design layouts. At this stage, the focus was on structuring core user flows, information hierarchy, and interaction patterns without the distraction of detailed visuals. By rapidly iterating on grayscale layouts, the team was able to test usability, refine navigation, and validate design decisions with users early in the process. Moving into mid-fidelity allowed for greater definition of interface elements and a clearer sense of functionality, bridging the gap between initial sketches and the final high-fidelity prototype. This iterative approach ensured a user-centered and efficient design development process.
Second iteration - Low-mid fidelity
Third iteration - Mid fidelity
Style Guide
The style guide was crafted to reflect the app's focus on sustainability, using earthy and flowery colors to evoke nature. A serif font was chosen for its readability and classic appeal, creating a trustworthy visual identity that encourages user engagement with sustainable gardening practices.
Result
The Bluum project culminated in a successful design that not only met user needs but also garnered recognition as a Red Dot Design Award winner for the Red Dot: Brands & Communication Design Awards 2022, along with three Gold Indigo Design Awards in 2023. This achievement highlights the innovative approach and user-centered focus of the design process. For a more detailed exploration of the entire design journey, please refer to the process book below, and to interact with the prototype, visit the Figma link provided.
