Time: 2022
Duration: 2 months
Intro: The Botanical Garden serves as an "open-air museum" with a primary focus on displaying, preserving, researching, and educating plants. This application integrates botany education with interactive experiences for visitors. It aspires to fulfill its dual role of educating the public on plant and landscape sciences while fostering an engaging and enriching environment for all visitors.
My role: This is an independent design project for which I conducted user research, contextual inquiry, quantitative research, qualitative interview, empathy map, service blueprint, lo-to-hi fi prototyping.

Background:During my internship as an interior designer, I found a common challenge in the industry-clients needing assistance in making design decisions that align with their needs and facing communication barriers with designers.

Design goal:Creating a customized home design can be challenging, stressful, and time-consuming.
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Problem statements:

How might we make it easier for users to better design their new homes？

Solutions:
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Since the 1990s, botanical gardens have increasingly emphasized environmental education activities and promoted biodiversity conservation. Implementing environmental education in botanical gardens is essential for fostering environmental awareness, promoting conservation ethics, and building a community of individuals who are informed and inspired to contribute to the planet's well-being.

To gain a deeper understanding of the visiting experience of botanical garden, we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with frequent users aged 20 to 50. These interviews provided invaluable insights into their experiences, engagement with plant species, and travel preferences.

Based on user research,  it is necessary to implement a intelligent science popularization and service system.This system should include features such as scenic spot recommendations, classic tour routes, and information about featured events and exhibitions.

Through user interviews and empathy mapping, I identified the pain points faced by visitors to botanical gardens.One notable pain point is the need for route suggestions.With guidance on navigating the expansive grounds efficiently, visitors may be able to optimize their experience.

The user journey map delineates each stage of the botanical garden visit. Within this framework, identified areas for improvement include:

Usability testing played a crucial role in refining the Botanical Garden app, ensuring that it effectively delivers an engaging educational experience to visitors. Here are the improvements made based on insights gathered from usability testing:

Users following specific events within the botanical garden can receive personalized notifications about upcoming activities, ensuring visitors stay well-informed about events aligned with their preferences. The app utilizes user preferences and behavior to offer tailored event recommendations. Through an analysis of past event attendance and user interactions, the app suggests similar events likely to captivate the user's interest. This personalized approach empowers users to plan their visits more effectively by creating customized itineraries based on the events they have chosen to follow.

Route suggestions serve as valuable tools, aiding visitors in optimizing their exploration of the botanical garden by offering a recommended sequence of attractions and points of interest. Visitors have the flexibility to explore the garden through various route options, including classic, express, or customized routes. Customized route suggestions cater to themed exploration, guiding visitors through distinct sections such as a tropical rainforest, succulent garden, or historical garden, thereby enhancing the overall thematic experience.

For those seeking picturesque spots for photography, route suggestions can include recommendations for scenic viewpoints, Instagram-worthy locations, or areas with unique plant displays that are particularly photogenic. This tailored guidance provides opportunities to capture memorable moments in the garden.

The app can function as a digital herbarium, allowing users to collect and document the plants they encounter virtually. Users can engage in interactive exploration by using the app to identify plants during their visit. This hands-on approach adds an element of discovery and curiosity to the botanical garden experience.Plant identification in the app serves as an educational resource, offering detailed information about individual plant species. Users can learn about each plant's botanical characteristics, origin, uses, and significance.

The plant journal introduces a personalized dimension to the visitor experience, enabling users to craft a record of their favorite plants, noteworthy discoveries, and memorable moments within the botanical garden. Users can use the plant journal as a companion for capturing and organizing photographs of plants. This feature enhances the photography experience by providing a context for each image and facilitating easy identification. Furthermore, the app enables users to share their plant journal entries with friends or the wider community. This social sharing feature fosters interaction, allowing users to exchange insights, recommendations, and experiences related to their plant discoveries, creating a communal platform for shared botanical enthusiasm.

The app efficiently notifies users about upcoming seasonal tasks, events, or activities, ensuring they stay informed and engaged throughout the year.
The seasonal tasks promote specific highlights or events unique to each season, including blooms, flowering cycles, migratory patterns of birds, or other seasonal phenomena that attract visitors. The app gamifies the user experience by turning seasonal tasks into interactive challenges or quests, adding fun and competition, and encouraging users to explore, learn, and complete tasks for rewards or recognition.Seasonal tasks encourage hands-on learning and interaction. Visitors can actively participate in tasks related to plant care, seasonal observations, or themed events, fostering a deeper understanding of the botanical garden's offerings.

Designing the Botanical Garden app has been a thought-provoking journey, driven by a deep appreciation for the role of botanical gardens in environmental education and biodiversity conservation.

During my undergraduate studies, a site visit for a design project provided insights into the evolving focus of botanical gardens on environmental education and biodiversity conservation. This experience underscored the importance of implementing ecological education to raise awareness, promote conservation ethics, and inspire individuals to contribute to the planet's well-being. It served as a guiding principle throughout the design process, shaping the app's features and functionalities to foster environmental awareness and appreciation.

The design goal of the Botanical Garden app was to create an engaging educational experience through the integration of botany education and interactive elements. This involved brainstorming solutions to seamlessly integrate plant and landscape science education, catering to the diverse interests and preferences of visitors. The solutions, such as personalized notifications, optimized routes, and a digital herbarium, were designed to enhance user engagement, facilitate learning, and encourage exploration within the garden.

Designing the Botanical Garden app has been a rewarding experience, driven by a shared vision of promoting environmental education and conservation. As the app continues to evolve, I am excited to see its impact in fostering awareness, appreciation, and stewardship of plant biodiversity among visitors. I remain committed to ongoing innovation and collaboration to ensure that the Botanical Garden app remains a valuable tool for botanical education and public engagement.