Seedling
A journey of discovery and learning to build meaningful relationships with plants and herbs.
Project Overview
Project: End-To-End Application
Platform: Mobile App
Role: UX/UI Researcher and Designer
Tools: Figma, Figjam
User: Beginner herbalists seeking knowledge about plants and herbs while establishing daily practices that incorporate herbal remedies to support their personal health and wellness journey.
User Problem: Beginners feel overwhelmed with information and need structured, trustworthy ways to learn about herbs and plants.
Solution: A mobile app that encourages beginner herbalists to learn slowly and intentionally about herbs and plants by providing a “one month” focus on a herb/plant of their choice and a digital journal to record observations and thoughts.
Discover
Conducting research on the top rated herb apps in the Apple App Store, proved some of the challenges that users were facing. While information was accessible, most of the current apps have an overwhelming amount of information. Additionally, these apps function as reference tools rather than educational platforms, focusing more on practical usage than supporting users in developing their herbal knowledge over time.
I interviewed 6 participants representing a diverse spectrum of herbal knowledge and experience. These participants are individuals who identified as beginner herbalists, those who were simply "herb curious" with minimal prior experience, and experienced herbalists with extensive practical knowledge.
83%
of participants talked about the amount of information that is available and how it feels overwhelming and complicated.
83%
of participants recommended concentrating on a single goal, challenge, or herb when beginning the learning process.
67%
of participants highlighted the significance of establishing a personal connection with plants and herbs, as well as gaining knowledge through others' experiences instead of depending exclusively on written resources like books and articles.
Insights:
Challenges
Difficulty verifying trustworthy sources/information
Scattered or fragmented information
Barriers to accessing quality supplies and ingredients
Finding local mentorship and/or specialists
Learning Approaches
The majority of participants talked about the importance of creating a relationship with plants and herbs
Although many participants used books to learn about herbs, they also emphasized learning about herbs and plants through the experience of others and learning “traditionally.”
Suggestions for Beginners
Participants highly suggested learning slowly and focusing on one herb or goal at a time.
Participants also emphasized working with locally available and accessible herbs.
Define
While creating the persona of Lavender “The Learner” I wanted to confront the commercialization and overconsumption of herbs that has influenced the general public, shifting it away from traditional knowledge-sharing toward a more market-driven approach. In order to do this, I created this persona to begin the shift back to traditional knowledge and knowledge sharing, as mentioned in my user interviews, by starting at the individual level.
POV #1
Lavender is looking to create a habit of incorporating herbs into her daily life to support her health and wellness. However, she is feeling overwhelmed and needs structured, trustworthy ways to learn about herbs so that she feels confident about her decisions.
HMW help beginner herbalists set realistic learning goals and timelines?
Solution: "One Herb Monthly" Focus.
Beginner herbalists can select the herb they want to focus on for the month.
POV #2
Lavender is seeking to create her own log of experiences that she can share with others.
HMW help beginner herbalists record their herbal experiences?
Solution: Digital “Materia Medica”
Personal notes section
Things will prefill- like official information
Photo documentation tools from user
POV #3
Lavender needs a space to connect with a community of people learning about herbs and sharing their experiences and knowledge.
HMW enable beginner herbalists to build on each other's experiences and learnings?
Solution: Community Connections
Moderated discussion boards
Verified user badges (experience levels)
Structured post categories
Q&A sessions
Resource Sharing
Recipe database and reviews
Develop
Based on POVs and HMWs I decided to focus on two features:
Feature #1:
A “one month focus” on a seasonal herb or plant of the users’ choice.
Feature #2:
An electronic “Materia Medica'“- A place for the user to record their experiences and observations with any herbs or plants that they are learning about.
After determining which features I wanted to create for Seedling, the task flow below guided my low fidelity wireframes.
Low Fidelity Wire Frames
Mood Board and Logo Development
After creating low- fidelity wireframes I gathered images for a mood board. For this app I chose to avoid green to differentiate from existing herb applications. In the end I selected purple as a main color due to the desire to emphasize wisdom, respect for traditional knowledge and sustainable practices and to represent a mindful journey into relationship building with plants.
While creating the logo for “Seedling” I brainstormed a few words that and began experimenting with shapes in Figma. I settled on three different options and I selected the design that I believe best symbolizes the beginning of a journey and the growth and wisdom ahead.
After deciding on the font, color palette and logo, I moved forward with creating high-fidelity frames for usability testing.
High Fidelity Wire Frames
Deliver
Many participants found the app easy to navigate with icons and buttons that were familiar to them. Additionally, participants said that the app made them “feel good” and that the app felt “holistic” and “approachable”. However, there were still some important changes to be made to make the experience more of what users expected.
Task #1: Find and complete the first lesson on “Ginger”
Update #1
Make the button hot spot in the plant lessons menu larger or highlight when hovered over and update the bookmark tabs to include each lesson rather than each section
Update #2
For content, enlarge the font size to increase readability. Additionally, consider highlighting important definitions or word
Task #2: Find and enter an observation and photo in the “Materia Medica”
Update #1
Change the name “materia medica” to “journal” for more clarification to new users
Update #2
Replace the alphabet index with a scroll function
Update #3
Update the ellipsis icon in entries to indicate single actions like “delete” and “edit”
Update #4
Consider keeping the image style consistent (photo vs illustration)
Final Prototype
Prototype #1
Completing the first lesson
Prototype #2
Adding a journal entry
with photo
Next Steps
Based on the research I conducted, the next steps for this app would be to develop the following:
Expanding the digital journal
One of the purposes of a herb journal or “materia medica” is to pass down and share knowledge. Implementing a feature that allows users to designate certain entries as "public" and contributing to a communal repository would create an excellent platform for exchanging and accessing collective herbal wisdom and would amplify access and preservation of collective herbal expertise and experiences.
Create Community Connections
A space to connect with a community of people learning about herbs and sharing their experiences and knowledge would be the next step in this feature as outlined in POV #3. This Community Board could include moderated discussion boards, verified user badges to indicate experience level, structured post categories , Q&A sessions, and resource sharing. This structure would create meaningful connections while ensuring information quality and accessibility for members at all stages of their learning journey.
Resource Map
My user interviews revealed a strong emphasis for sourcing plants, herbs, and supplies from local vendors when possible. A mapping feature could identify verified local businesses, suppliers, and resources in the user's vicinity, including practicing herbalists and community herbalism groups. This would support sustainable purchasing practices while connecting users with their local plant medicine community.
Final Thoughts
After completing this project, I am reminded of the importance of community sharing and collective knowledge. At the same time, I've come to believe that meaningful sharing often begins with a foundation of personal learning and careful observation. Individual insight creates the substance that, when exchanged, enriches our communities and relationships.
Additionally, despite modern science and ever evolving pharmaceuticals, there is still space for traditional remedies that still maintain their relevance and effectiveness in our health practices.
The journey that a user takes with this app is the first step of relationship building with our very own “plantcestors” (plant ancestors). Through this modern, digital gateway, users can rediscover ancient plant wisdom and forge personal relationships with these natural allies. Most importantly, the beginning of this exploration sets the foundation of building, preserving, and passing on knowledge to future generations.