ORGANIZATION
University of Waterloo
PLATFORM
Physical
TIMELINE
Sept-Dec 2023 | ~4 months
Brief
A hydroponic system designed to be carried on the go
This was a school project to put our user research, user testing and prototyping skills into use. Our team developed a hydroponic system ideal for gardening enthusiasts with busy lifestyles. Here's a visual abstract to help summarize things a little.
Frequent travellers do not have the time, effort and space for gardening
To design a small "garden" that is portable, affordable and efficient
Using this information, we established three personas to aid us in identifying the detailed needs in out design. This includes: a 24-year-old adventure vlogger, a a 65-year-old lady who migrates south in the winter, and a 27-year-old freelance photographer. Below is a simple showcase of one of these personas.
Criteria
Constraints
We had to choose one design to move forward with to our testing stage. To make this decision, we used a Best of Class Chart, with 3 being ranked the lowest and 1 being ranked the highest. The briefcase design was most ideal
After finalizing the design, we built a low fidelity prototype using household materials that tests against three metrics
we asked 6 users to test the prototype, following specific instructions below to test for each metric, then surveying them using the questions below along with a likert scale
After analyzing the survey feedback, we noticed the combination of a long handle + tennis was most overall the most favourable design
Although this was a simple design testing a few simple metrics, it still helped us gain valuable insight into what could possibly be a successful design. In the future, we could possibly explore adjustable handle lengths and more durable structure builds
Email: e5cui@uwaterloo.ca
Toronto, Canada