Case-study: Improving the Plant Care Experience of Patch Plants
September 2024
When?
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September 2024
Who?
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Patch Plants
What?
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Redesign of the digital experience to improve plant care resources and support for users
The problem
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Many plant owners experience frustration and emotional distress due to high plant loss, which leads to decreased satisfaction and repeat purchases.
Improving the design for plant care addresses these challenges and fosters a more positive customer experience.
Why Are Indoor Plants So Popular?
Indoor plants aren’t just decorative—they help bring nature indoors, creating calm, mindful spaces. Many people turn to houseplants for wellness benefits like reducing stress, enhancing mental health, and adding life to their homes. With more people living in cities and missing out on natural green spaces, the houseplant market has grown quickly to meet this demand.
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The Emotional Side of Owning Plants
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Caring for plants can be rewarding, but it also has an emotional side. Many people develop strong attachments to their plants, and losing one can feel disappointing, sometimes even leading to guilt or a sense of failure.
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Studies show that over 60% of houseplant owners feel stressed or frustrated when a plant struggles or dies.
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Around 30-40% of new plants don’t survive their first year in urban settings, leading to both an emotional and financial toll for plant owners.​
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How Plant Loss Affects the Houseplant Industry
Frequent plant deaths impact not only individuals but also the entire houseplant industry. For many first-time plant owners, early plant losses lead them to give up, resulting in fewer repeat purchases and lower brand loyalty.
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Almost 70% of first-time owners report buying fewer plants after experiencing plant loss.
This high rate of plant turnover creates a challenge for businesses: how can they help customers keep their plants alive, encouraging long-term customer relationships?
Turning Challenges into Opportunities
For plant retailers, supporting customers’ plant care journey is a clear opportunity. By offering resources that help people successfully care for their plants, businesses can build customer loyalty, strengthen satisfaction, and meet the needs of a growing, eco-conscious market. This approach positions plant brands as more than just sellers—they become partners in plant care, creating positive experiences and building trust with customers.
Case Study: Improving the Customer Experience at Patch Plants
Patch Plants, known for delivering high-quality plants with helpful guides, aims to make plant care easier for everyone, especially city-dwellers. However, many Patch Plants customers still struggle to keep their plants healthy, sometimes feeling overwhelmed despite the care resources provided.
This study focuses on understanding what customers need to better support long-term plant care. By listening to real user experiences, the study explores ways Patch Plants could improve its support tools, such as by providing personalized care advice and creating an intuitive digital platform to help customers feel more confident. These changes aim to reduce plant loss, increase customer satisfaction, and build Patch Plants into a reliable partner for plant lovers everywhere.
User Research
User Interviews
Conducted with 13 users in two stages:
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First round: Discovery interviews to understand general plant ownership habits.
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Second round: More detailed interviews to explore specific challenges and care routines.
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The goal was to understand:
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Whether users owned plants and why they picked certain types.
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How well their plants were doing and how users cared for them.
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Why users followed certain care routines and how often.
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What steps users took when their plants weren’t thriving, as well as other solutions tried.
Affinity mapping from user interviews:
In parallel, market research was conducted in three steps:
1. Surveys
The surveys collected data on:
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The number of plants owned and the most popular types.
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Reasons behind plant choices and users’ experience with plant care.
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Users’ plant care habits, their reasons for specific routines, and how well their plants are thriving.
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For plants not thriving, user behavior was compared to expert recommendations on plant needs.
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Solutions and competitor products that users have tried, along with the resources they consult for plant care advice.
2. Competitor Analysis
New solutions were brainstormed, while existing solutions were studied and tested. These solutions were then compared to assess their effectiveness in supporting plant thriving.
3. Expert Research
Research into plant care was conducted with a focus on understanding plant needs to ensure better growth and care practices.​​
Main Insights from User Research
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Users tend to choose plants based on how they look, and not based on their expected care patterns.
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Users do not understand the reasons their plants are not thriving well, and the plant's needs beyond just watering.
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Users are missing informed care instructions for each specific plant, but are not willing to learn about general plant care.
Redesigning Patch Plants
Guiding Assumptions​
Insights from user research shaped assumptions that informed solution development.
Comprehensive Solutions Across the User Journey
A range of solutions was brainstormed for every stage in the user journey, from plant selection to post-purchase care.
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However, the initial solution prioritises the plant selection and presentation stages, as these are critical in setting users up for success.
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Helping users choose suitable plants and the right add-ons can prevent issues later, making plant care smoother and more accessible.
Solution Focus Areas
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Enhanced Plant Selection Tool
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A dedicated plant chooser tool guides users in selecting plants that match their lifestyle and care expectations.
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Accessible via a link on the homepage and a floating footer to ensure easy access while browsing.
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Visible Care Guide Links
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Each plant page includes a prominently placed link to an existing care guide, providing users with essential plant care information tailored to each plant.
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Personalised Add-On Suggestions
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Add-ons such as specific plant food, pots with drainage adaptations and tools are suggested based on the chosen plant’s needs.
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These suggestions appear on the plant page and as reminders in the cart and checkout if not already selected.
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Benefits of This Solution
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Efficient Plant Care Process: By guiding users in choosing suitable plants and add-ons, users are more likely to have a positive experience, reducing the need for additional interventions.
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Proactive Issue Prevention: Addressing common care challenges early in the journey can prevent plants from declining due to unmet needs, like inadequate drainage or fertiliser.
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Simplified Care Experience: Clear, accessible care guidance and relevant add-ons make plant care less intimidating, especially for less experienced users.
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​This approach aims to make plant care a more enjoyable and accessible experience by anticipating and addressing user needs from the beginning.
Improvements to the current design
Problem 1: Appearance-Based Selection
Putting the stress on filtering by look will continue leading user to choose based on appearance instead on choosing based on their care needs.
The home page takes directly to the store, where the filters are shown.
Solution 1: Care-Based Selection Tool
Ensuring the user's choices align with their plant care expectations and abilities.
As research suggests that users are interested in appearance, narrowing down to offer plants that that match both their care needs and their aesthetic preferences.
This step identifies whether users are new to plants or have prior experience with care concepts like repotting or pruning.
The design ensures plants are suited to the user’s environment, considering factors like humidity, lighting, and temperature.
Before:
After:
To guide users toward choosing plants based on care requirements, the homepage will now direct to a dedicated selection tool.
Problem 2: Generalised Plant Care Resources
Overwhelming amount of resources, which are however not specific to the chosen plants.
Research indicates that users prefer clear, concise information on the care requirements for each plant, rather than general plant-care knowledge.
Plant-specific care guides available by species, but only accessible through the footer.
Solution 2: Direct Access to Plant-Specific Care Guides
Each plant page will now include a direct link to its species-specific care guide.
This easy access to relevant care information will help users set realistic expectations for their plants and provide the guidance needed for successful care.
Problem 3: Non-Relevant Add-On Recommendations
This results in missed opportunities for users to easily gather the items needed for proper care, potentially leading to frustration.
The current system lacks prompts for suggesting care-related add-ons, such as plant food, repotting soil, or pruning tools, based on each plant’s needs.
Solution 3: Personalised Care Add-On Suggestions
Care accessories will now be recommended as add-ons, based on each plant's care needs, such as fertilising, repotting or pruning.
If the add-ons are not selected, a modal prompt will be shown, to raise awareness about the care needs, and to avoid frustration by not having the needed tools.
This approach helps users prepare for the specific needs of each plant, reducing the risk of unmet care requirements.
Full-fledged solution
Lessons learnt
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This project underscored the importance of addressing emotional needs in design, simplifying access to essential resources, and the impact of personalized support on user satisfaction and brand loyalty.
The Solution
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I redesigned Patch Plants’ digital experience to support users through a care-focused selection tool, easy access to plant-specific care guides, and personalized accessory recommendations, reducing plant loss and boosting customer satisfaction.
What was special?
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I addressed the emotional bond users feel with plants, creating a supportive experience that positions Patch Plants as a trusted partner in plant care, fostering loyalty and setting the brand apart.
How did I contribute?​
I led user research to uncover plant care frustrations, conducted interviews and surveys, and translated insights into actionable design solutions like a care-based selection tool, plant-specific guides, and targeted add-on recommendations.
What's next? Growing the design.
The initial focus of this project was on solving a key problem: helping users choose plants based on care expectations rather than solely appearance. To continue enhancing the experience and expanding the service, here are some potential next steps:​
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Refining the Plant Choosing Experience: Brainstorm improvements to enhance how users select plants.
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Exploring a Plant Curator Service: Introduce a paid option to hand-pick plants for users based on preferences.
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Broadening the Plant Database: Use chooser data to identify gaps, like requests for rare combinations (e.g., “low-maintenance foliage”).