HouseBuds
A Gamified Plant Maintenance App
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Problem
Plant owners often struggle to remember to maintenance their plants whether it’s routine watering, fertilizing, repotting or such that is needed.
Plant owners also struggle with diagnosing health issues of their plants and finding the right lighting conditions. -
Target Audience
Education Seekers- those who are troubleshooting, managing, and further educating themselves on their plants and maintenance solutions.
Beginner-Advanced Plant Owners
Busy Plant Owners looking for routine reminders & engaging tasks -
Solution
Efficiently manage the maintenance of houseplants by reminding users through mobile notifications/tasks.
Make the tasks memorable & interactive by gamifying it and having call-to-action features for tasks.
Calendar and timeline of when users maintenance their plants and when they will need to in the future.
Incorporate lessons and quizzes for user to expand their knowledge on plants & maintenance solutions.
Have an AI powered database that will be linked to an AR Feature that works as a “Plant Doctor”.
Light meter feature in the AR element that indicates proper lighting conditions.
Abstract
HouseBuds is a gamified plant care app designed to make maintaining houseplants fun, educational, and engaging. Users can earn gems, unlock achievements, and level up by watering, fertilizing, and caring for their plants. The app provides smart reminders tailored to each plant’s needs, helping users develop healthy habits. What will also separate this app from others is the AR Plant Doctor that can give live notes, tips, treatment plans, and feedback for user’s plants.
Personalized care tips and progress tracking ensure that every plant gets the attention it requires to thrive. HouseBuds will also foster a sense of community by allowing users to connect with friends, share tips, and celebrate achievements together. Whether you’re starting off with succulents or you’re plant-savvy with a thriving Alocasia, this plant app is designed to support every step of your plant journey — no green thumb required.
Research - Trends
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Technological
Artificial Intelligence (AI) - AI has the potential to enhance productivity, decision-making, and economic opportunities for a broader range of people, shaping a future where technology serves everyone, not just large corporations. In this speech by Andrew Ng, AI is portrayed as a transformative tool that, when democratized, can significantly benefit our future in several ways.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reUZRyXxUs4&ab_channel=TED -
Cultural
Gamifying Education - Gamification is becoming popular in education because it enhances engagement, motivation, and learning outcomes by incorporating game elements such as points, badges, leaderboards, and challenges. Studies suggest that gamification appeals to students’ competitive nature and encourages participation through rewards and incentives. It aligns well with constructivist learning theories, allowing students to actively engage in problem-solving, collaboration, and mastery of skills through progressively challenging levels.
https://jrbe.nbea.org/index.php/jrbe/article/download/50/42 -
Economic
Tiered Subscription Services - subscriptions services have grown in the recent decade. Subscription offers are increasingly regarded as a strategic imperative to consumer industries. Subscription tiers can help businesses seize growth opportunities and work towards further enhancing user/customer experience. The study linked below highlights the needs for business changes when moving to subscription services.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019850124000142
Site Map & Personas
User Survey Summary
I created a survey for plant owners to take anonymously on Google Surveys. It asked questions such as:
What motivated you to start growing plants or gardening?
How many plants do you currently have?
What challenges do you face when maintaining your plants?
Have you ever used any apps, tools, or reminders to help with plant care? If so, what was your experience like?
What factors influence your decision to get a new plant or remove an existing one?
If you could design the perfect tool or system to help with plant maintenance, what features would it have?
Wireframes
I made various iterations of wireframes and landed on this design for the plant app. I wanted it to be minimal and clean, but visually engaging. I added in call-to-action animations and buttons for visual cues. After feedback from user testing, the AR (Dr.Bud) feature took up the entire screen instead of being framed to allow more space for written information and avoid visual clutter.
Visual Design & Prototype
The current prototype is as seen below and it is still in progress. It will be pitched to a start-up event early 2026 to potentially get investors. The current task flow built out it for users to complete a task when prompted on their notification screen. The user will then use the AR feature to check the health of their plant and document it’s progress. Secondly, the user completed the daily lesson task as well as the mini quiz afterwards. Completing these tasks earns the users gems and extends their streak. Users will be able to use gems to customize plant profiles, store streak holds, and more.
This was a personal passion project for me as I love my plants, but when going through busy periods of life, oftentimes forget to maintenance them. I also observed similar issues in others and thought, why not create a gamified app that makes the habit of maintenancing their plants engaging and one to remember?
