A mobile app is software to uncover the solution to a problem. It can be used either for your own use or as a product.
Innovators and entrepreneurs across all industries are using the power of mobile apps to build scalable businesses. Apps for iPhone and Android phones have become the gold standard for companies looking to establish themselves in today’s competitive market.
What is an indoor smart garden?
An indoor smart garden is a garden that can be grown indoors under artificial light. Indoor gardens may be used for the production of food, flowers, or ornamental plants.
Why create an app for an indoor smart garden?
There are many reasons why you might want to create a mobile app for your smart indoor garden. Perhaps you want to make it easier for people to care for their plants. Or maybe you want to provide information about plant growth and care. It can also be if you want to sell gardening products or services through your app. A mobile app can be a valuable tool for promoting and growing your indoor smart garden business.
How do I get started?
The first step in creating your app is coming up with an idea. If you are starting out, your best bet is to think about what types of problems people in the gardening industry might have. Also, consider how your app can solve those problems in a unique way. You may want to conduct some customer research to see if there is already a demand for your type of app among indoor smart garden users.
Next, come up with a list of features that you will need to include in your app for it to be successful. Then, determine which features are absolutely necessary and which ones would be nice-to-have additions. You also want to know exactly what types of actions each feature will allow users to take. For example, if one feature displays information about plant growth rates, does it allow users to explore that information, or does it only show the most important facts? The fewer features you have and the more basic they are, the easier it will be for your app to load and run quickly.
AVA Byte:
The AVA Byte is an automated, indoor smart garden capable of year-round plant growth. It uses soil-free and compostable pod systems to grow a variety of edible plants like herbs, microgreens, etc., which consumers can enjoy without the use of pesticides in their food supply chain. Through hydroponics (growing them without dirt), this product boasts high-speed plant progression along with nutrient-rich ingredients being used exclusively, so you’re getting healthy produce straight from your kitchen window every day.
The Opportunity
Imagine a world of sustainable, hydroponic gardens that can grow anywhere and provide fresh produce for an ever-growing population. In the future, our planet’s resources will dwindle faster than they’re being replaced by nature every day. AVA Byte is one way to keep up with demand without depleting what little land space remains at its peak potential! The Indiegogo campaign successfully funded this innovative idea and raised over $100,000 in just 24 hours (and counting).
Project Goal
The team at AVA knew that their users were looking for a way to monitor and control the growth of plants. However, they also desired an application that was easy to use. Users should not have any difficulty picking up how it works because all functionality is intuitively organized into four categories: monitoring, seedling care, flowering and harvesting tips (with videos!), and expert growing guides—all created by our expert horticulturists!
In order to ensure we designed something useful and aesthetically pleasing with clear instructions on every page—designed right here in sunny Florida!—we consulted closely with Forests4All throughout this process so each feature would be functional.
Competitive Analysis
The team took a look at the apps that AVA’s direct competitors had put out. They took into account the features they included and how the company organized its flow of information. The Click & Grow app has quite a simple interface with good visual cues to make navigating easy for everyone. It was from consumers who want access on the go or those in training programs looking up what skills need improvement in next week’s lesson targets. Teachers are able to find resources easily without having to hunt around through different sites, so it won’t disrupt class time when an answer is needed right away!
Surveys
The team sent our surveys out to two different groups:
- Confirmed AVA Byte backers
- Regular plant growers
We split the survey up because certain questions asked in a Backers’ questionnaire were quite specific to what they envisioned for their product. So, they needed to cater to those responses before releasing them publicly. Additionally, since there were more options available on one half than another due to conflicting results or varying opinions among respondents, we weighted the data coming from users who had actually purchased a production model.
Findings
When the team conducted interviews, they had some key findings. It became clear that one of the best ways to get qualitative data related to users’ emotional responses and motivations for growing their own plants is by speaking with them.
One interviewee said, “I really enjoy seeing my plants grow; it’s an exciting time when they finally reach maturity.” This comment was not unique amongst our survey respondents either—a lot of people expressed how rewarding gardening can be in general terms, such as feeling accomplishment from watching something take shape over time or simply being outdoors more often due to our diligence.
Planning
Through our research, we were able to identify our user problem and propose a solution to it.
The next step was to plan our development process. After thorough research, the AVA team was able to understand the user’s problem. They also found a solution to the same problem.
The Problem
The main problem for users was the unavailability of a reliable tool to monitor their plan settings in AVA Bytes so that their plants could grow with minimum effort.
The Solution
The solution to this problem was to design an app that can help users monitor their plants quite closely.
Design
Once everything fell into place, it was time to design the dashboard of the Mobile App application.
The AVA team used Design Studio to quickly convert their ideas into action. As per the data, they had spent 5 minutes sketching the designs that came to their mind.
Afterward, they spend time explaining the designs to the whole team. The team provided ideas of what designers should include and not.
In total, there were four rounds in the design studio. 2 with just UX designers, and two more with our UI designers.
Testing
Finally, the team tested their application. It was tested on a few people just to get an idea of which pages were missing. It also helped them to understand if their application was user-friendly or not.
Conclusion:
With a great idea, thorough research, proper planning, and awesome designs, you can create a proper indoor smart garden. The steps and examples in this article will guide you through your journey toward building a smart garden Mobile App application.
