I approached this project with a specific business in mind — The Sill, a company that describes itself as “a modern plant destination for the modern plant lover,” with a mission to “make the experience of being a plant parent as wonderful as the plants themselves.” Their ethos centers on bringing more greenery into the lives of millennial city dwellers by making plant care approachable and enjoyable. This project builds on that vision by exploring how a digital plant care app could make plant ownership easier, more accessible, and more rewarding for modern plant parents.
Image from The Sill
I began by outlining a research plan with clear goals, questions, and assumptions to guide both secondary and primary research. The objectives were to:
I started by reviewing market research to better understand demographic habits, virtual plant shop trends, and other key insights shaping the industry. Millennials, aged roughly 25 to 39, account for nearly one third of all houseplant sales. This growth has been fueled by their increasing purchasing power and cultural enthusiasm for indoor greenery. Reports indicated that consumers prioritize vibrant foliage, healthy appearance, and uniqueness when choosing plants. Interestingly, low maintenance ranked lower in importance, even though many plant owners reported frequent struggles with plant care and upkeep.
Research findings from 2020 data
I analyzed both paid and free competitors in the plant management app market to study their solutions and identify strengths and weaknesses that could inform the development of The Sill’s plant care app.
Using insights gathered from market research, I created three provisional personas representing different types of millennial users who could be potential customers of The Sill. Each persona reflects distinct goals, motivations, and pain points related to houseplant care.
Insights from secondary research helped me narrow the focus to millennial plant parents. To deepen understanding, I conducted user interviews, gathering firsthand stories and experiences. A total of six millennial participants (four female, two male) shared their plant care habits and challenges.
Participant responses were organized using affinity mapping, allowing me to group insights and identify common challenges and concerns among millennial plant parents.
Qualitative data collected from interviews. Each participant is color-coded. Common items are grouped in themes to help identify user motivations, problems, and needs.
Insight: People want plants they can properly care for
Need: Users need to know before purchasing if a plant is suitable for them
Many plant parents choose plants based on appearance without understanding care requirements, which can lead to unhealthy plants and frustration
How might we help keep users informed about the plants they choose and the care needed?
Insight: People get frustrated when they cannot accurately diagnose plant problems
Need: Users need an easy way to identify and address plant issues
Most plant parents lack a reliable source for diagnosing plant problems. Misdiagnosis, such as watering a plant that is already overwatered, is a common challenge
How might we help users access reliable diagnosis of their plants’ problems?
Insight: People find it helpful to have simple reminders for plant care
Need: Users need an easy system to track and maintain plant care routines
Millennials favor low-maintenance plants and systems. While care needs vary, most users prefer straightforward, routine approaches to plant upkeep
How might we help users track their plant care schedules easily?
To further define the problem space, I reframed point-of-view statements to clarify user goals and crafted “How might we” questions to guide ideation and solution exploration.
I summarized end user goals alongside business goals to clarify the project’s shared vision and priorities. To align the product with these objectives, I created a product roadmap that prioritized and categorized features. Features were organized into four tiers: P1 (Must Have), P2 (Nice to Have), P3 (Surprising and Delightful), and P4 (Can Come Later). This framework helps define which features most effectively support both user needs and business goals.
Shared goals visions and priorities
Product roadmap created in Airtable
Building on the product roadmap, I created a basic site map to outline the app’s structure. This visualization helped me organize features and ensure the app’s structure remained clear and consistent throughout the design process.
I created various task flows to think about how users will engage with each screen and the steps they take to complete different tasks. I then expanded into creating user flows to better think through how users' different decision points can change their experience in the app. Task flows are linear but user flows give a more hollistic picture of how users actually move through an app.
User flow for a user who wants to add a plant to their collection.
I began the UI design process with low-fidelity wireframe sketches to quickly visualize ideas and identify potential issues. Building on these sketches, I created mid-fidelity wireframes to define hierarchy, refine user flows, and establish a clear blueprint before adding visual design elements.
Using the mid-fidelity prototype, I conducted “think aloud” usability tests with five participants. I observed points of confusion and difficulty as users completed key tasks. From these sessions, I synthesized findings into key insights and actionable recommendations for improvement. This testing phase informed a more human-centered approach for the final high-fidelity designs.The final result is a mobile app designed for millennial plant parents to easily discover plants suited to their lifestyles and keep them healthy and thriving.
An onboarding experience that puts the user's lifestyle first
A tailored garden with smart recommendations
Efficient plant care through batched reminders and easily searchable diagnosis
As a novice plant parent who has killed her fair share of houseplants, this was a fun and meaningful project to explore. It was a quick end-to-end challenge that took me from concept research to a functional app prototype. As outlined in the product roadmap, there are many additional features that could further expand the app’s potential. For this version, I focused primarily on watering, but future iterations could incorporate other aspects of plant care. Adding these layers would naturally increase complexity and require additional rounds of usability testing. Features like plant identification or photo-based diagnosis would also be exciting directions to explore.