Botani is a simple, intelligent, and community-driven app that helps users care for their plants with confidence and joy—powered by AI, real-time feedback, and a supportive social experience.
(click here to go to the app prototype)
Problem statement: Urban people—especially young adults living in small apartments—are increasingly interested in growing plants at home to reconnect with nature and boost their well-being. However, many face challenges such as not having knowledge about different plant species, forgetting to water or check on their plants, and not being able to tell when something is wrong. Existing apps often focus only on plant identification or generic reminders, offering little personalized guidance or interaction.
Plant care also tends to be a solitary experience, which makes it hard for beginners to stay motivated, ask for help, or celebrate progress.
Possible solution: Botani is a plant care app designed to help both beginners and experienced plant lovers take better care of their plants with confidence and ease. Using AI-powered image recognition, Botani identifies plants and diagnoses their condition through photos, then offers personalized care instructions based on species and condition of the plant. It provides smart watering reminders, milestone tracking for growth moments, and a social feed where users can share updates and learn from each other.
Project overview
My role: UI/ UX Researcher & Designer
Duration: 6 weeks
Tools: Figma
DISCOVER
Research (qualitative & quantitative)
To understand the struggles and desires of plant owners, I conducted a research phase consisting of 50 survey responses and 15 user interviews. The survey helped uncover common patterns in plant care challenges, such as overwatering, lack of sunlight, and uncertainty about plant needs. Interviews provided deeper insight, revealing users’ desire for simple, guided support. These insights led to clear feature priorities for Botani, including AI-powered plant diagnosis, personalized care reminders, visual growth tracking, and a friendly, motivating user experience designed to reduce anxiety and build plant care confidence over time.
Examples:
1. How many plants do you own?
2. How often do you water/check on them?
3. Have you ever lost a plant? Why?
4. What do you struggle with the most?
5. How do you currently learn about plant care?
6. Do you talk about your growing plants process with others?
7. Would you like AI help or prefer personal opinion?
8. Would you enjoy tracking milestones?
9. Do you care about connecting with other plant lovers and see their process too?
Both groups expressed a need for a solution that not only offers personalized guidance and reminders, but also builds a sense of connection to give user confidence and joy throughout the plant care journey.
Conclusion for Botani’s key features:
- Smart Plant Identification
- Snap a photo of any plant, and Botani uses AI to identify its species, estimate its growth stage, and provide care instructions (light, water, temperature, etc.), along with fun facts.
- Snap a photo of any plant, and Botani uses AI to identify its species, estimate its growth stage, and provide care instructions (light, water, temperature, etc.), along with fun facts.
- Plant Health Scanner (AI-powered)
- Botani can assess plant health through photos—detecting signs of stress like wilting, yellowing, or dryness—and provide friendly, actionable advice:
“Your Monstera might be thirsty – water within the next 24 hours.”
- Botani can assess plant health through photos—detecting signs of stress like wilting, yellowing, or dryness—and provide friendly, actionable advice:
- Intelligent Watering Reminders
- Custom watering schedules or let Botani adapt the timing based on plant type, your local weather (via API), and your watering history.
- The app learns from your habits and plant’s location to predict when your plant is likely to need attention next.
- Milestone Tracker
- Celebrate your plant’s growth by tracking key events like sprouting, leaf growth, flowering, and repotting.
- Celebrate your plant’s growth by tracking key events like sprouting, leaf growth, flowering, and repotting.
- Ask & Share: The Plant Community Feed
- Users can post photos of their plants, ask questions, and get support from other users:
“Is this a fungus or just water damage?” - Like helpful answers, share care tips, and cheer each other on.
- Users can post photos of their plants, ask questions, and get support from other users:
Competitive analysis
The competitive analysis focuses on two key players: Planta, one of the most popular plant care apps on the market, and ChatGPT, which offers a convenient experience by allowing users to upload a photo of their plant and receive instant diagnosis and care advice.
User persona & Empathy map & User journey map
Based on the research, I developed two user personas representing different age groups and experience levels: Mia, a beginner plant owner, and Kai, a more advanced user. Despite their differences, both shared the same core goal — to care for their plants with more confidence and ease.
The empathy map centers around Mia, as the primary goal of the app is to attract beginner users and support them as they grow more confident and experienced. The user journey map was then built based on insights from her empathy map, highlighting key moments of learning, emotional connection, and habit formation.
IDEATE
Information architecture & User flow
The information architecture was developed based on insights gathered from the research phase, serving as the foundation for designing the user flow that maps out key interactions within the app.
Wireframes/ Lo-fi
The wireframe sketches were further developed with added details, ideas for onboarding screens and other key elements.
DESIGN
The high-fidelity design of Botani was developed using a calming green color palette, with clearly defined categories and a minimalist layout to ensure ease of use. The app is intentionally structured to feel approachable, so anyone can use it without confusion or barriers. After logging in, users are taken directly to the Home screen, where their plant care journey begins.
Both the Home and Garden screens feature a “+” button, allowing users to easily add a new plant at any time.
When adding a plant, users can either choose from the app’s built-in plant library or upload/take a photo to let the AI system identify the plant automatically.
Scan feature allows users to identify their plant, assess its health, and detect any signs of pests or diseases. From there, users can easily add the plant to their collection.
Community feature allows users to post questions or share updates with photos, while other users can easily interact through likes, comments, and support.
Finally, users can customize their display preferences and account information, as well as access details about the Botani app itself.
Conclusion
Botani is a friendly companion designed to guide users from uncertain beginners to confident plant parents. Developed from insights from real users, Botani combines AI-powered plant recognition and health diagnosis with smart care reminders, milestone tracking, and a warm, supportive community. The app is built on a calming green visual identity and a minimalist interface, making plant care feel accessible and enjoyable for everyone. From the moment users log in, they are welcomed into an intuitive experience where they can easily add, monitor, and celebrate their plants — all while learning and connecting with others.
Linh Duong 