Aquaponic

Inspiration

The interaction design in mobile app | Duration: 3 months

Have you heard of aquaponic system? It's an interesting system that allows you to grow fish and veggie at the same time. This system combines aquaculture and hydroponic and place them in a symbiotic environment.

Many feel frustrated when the fish start to grow or they need to be away for vacation. With this app, you can raise fish and grow veggie in your garden healthier and stronger. I designed this mobile app's purpose is to assist people running the symbiotic system successfully and automatically.

My Role: Idea Generation, UX research, Wire Framing, Prototyping, UX Design, UI Design, Design Work Flow Management, Sketching, Visual Design, Competitive Analysis, User Testing, Stakeholder Presentation.

Method/Tool: Illustration, InDesign, InVision, User research

Research

My Story

Growing plants and taking care of fishes are my favorite hobbies. I always wondered if I can combine both and create an ecosystem that can sustain both forms of life.

To build a aquaponic system is not an easy task because you'll need to keep eyes on the chemical balance of the water and make sure both fish and plants are growing healthy simultaneously. Moreover, you also need someone who know the system well enough to help take care of the system while the owner is away.

Knowing the problem, I developed this mobile app to assist those closely to the system anytime anywhere. Aquaponic generates a checks and balance that manages the ecosystem and provide feedback through the app.

Problem

The awareness of environmental protection and eating healthy has been raising, a new sustainable agriculture called, aquaponic, is combine gardening and raising fish together in a symbiotic environment. This seems like a perfect system, but the user (especially a beginner) still facing many problems in a reality, such as monitor the chemical balance on the water, control the number of fishes reproduction and waste, the ability of plant’s health condition and the equipment maintaining on the system. Throughout the prototype I designed, I will combine today's technology with the aquaponics system together to help people keep eyes on their plants and fish healthy and stronger at the same time anytime anywhere.

Persona

Picture Resource: Google

Mary

Mary is a college student who never know how to take care fish or garden before. She is interested to build aquaponic system by herself but she has very little knowledge to know how to maintain the system running smoothly.

Cindy

Cindy is a modern women who live in a small apartment in the city. She like to eat healthy so she wants to grow her own food in the house. However, she has no experience how to plants the food in the garden and taking care the fish at the same time. She has been trying so many times to grow plants, and take care the fish but she never succeed. She is very frustrated and don't know what to do.

Picture Resource: Google

Mike

Mike is an experience aquaponic farmer, he spend a lot of his time to take care his fish-garden farm. However, he can't spend too much time with his family if they want to go out of town because he needs constantly check the condition of the aquaponic system. Mike doesn't know too much about the computer but he wants to add new technology into his farm so he can take better care of his product while he has vacation with his family.

brainstorming

I want this app use for both plants and fish tank, so I need multiple function on this app. Due to aquaponic, the water is cycling through the plants to the fish tank. Therefore, the chemical of the water is very important! Moreover, there are many different element for plants to grow so it also need to add up in the app.

My Logo-Aquaponic

Aquaponics is a combination of aquaculture and hydroponic in a symbiotic environment. In another word, the farmer use a natural and organic method to produce plants and fishes, and also reduce the chemical usage and maximally practice on the limited resource such as water repeatedly. Therefore, The logo is combine of fish and plant together. The plant on top of the fish's mouth represent the growing of of fish and plants together.

WireFrame

The combination of fish tank and gardening is not easy. In this app, I want to combine both functions, and make it easier for people to use it. I tried many different way, and I believe the way I design it is easy and simple for people use it.

Solution: Mobile App

Aquaponic is an app that can assist people to keep record on their plants and fish and also keep eyes on their farm while they travel.

Click here to test it in InVision

Home Page

Once log in you can review the garden, aquarium and other equipment.

Overview

In overview page, you can review the local weather, check on your garden and aquarium remotely.

My Garden

This page will give you the status of your pants, teach you how to grow them, and the best season to begin your project.

My Plants

Add your new plants anytime you want.

Choose Your Plants

Select the plant you are going to grow.

Record Your Plants

Record the data of your new plants.

My Plants

You can review all of plants you had planted.

Plants Status

Here is the status of your plants.

Calendar

You can check the timeline to which plant you start to grow in your calendar.

My Aquarium

You can check the local weather, your fish status, and record on this page.

Choose Your Fish

Select the fish you are putting in the aquarium.

Your Fish

Record the fish's data.

Fish Status

You can check on fish's status by record.

My Tank

It will monitor the chemical in the fish tank every day and give you a notification when it is too low or too high.

Water Pump

You can add information on your water pump and keep the record every time when you check.

Alarm

It will remind you to check on equipment.

Water level

It will keep the record on your water level and also remind you if it is too low or too high.

Filter

You can also add the filter information in the record and also set up the time to remind you change the filter.

Learning & Challenges

Aquaponic is my first mobile app that I design. I never thought designing a mobile app need so many pages and functions. It was challenged, and I was enjoy working it. Throughout this project, I learn how to use InVison and my skill on illustration is also improving. It is not easy to take care either a plant or fish. When both of them combine together, it seems more challenge. Hopefully my app can make people's live more easier while they have aquaponic system at home.

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