Gather

Gather is an urban gardening starter kit. This project was designed to bring nature into urban environments to ease the stress of urban living, as well as promote community gardening.

Research + Storytelling

The first phase of this project began with researching Generation Y and urban environments. I found that the majority of Gen Y live in the city, and this generation is at a greater risk for higher levels of stress and anxiety. Through quantitative and qualitative research I found that nature can be used as a form of therapy. With the use of frameworks I broke down the data into the challenge of bringing nature into urban environments to improve physical and mental health, as well as promote community gardening. I conducted activities such as user interviews, user journey maps, and mapping out the ideal experience of the service.

Physical Components

I collected inspiration of products as well as interfaces that Gen Y prefers, which helped inform the design decisions of the seed packets, packaging, and ceramic pots.

The kit includes three terracotta with a colored glossy rim which corresponds to the assigned color of the plant. The seed packets are made from handmade recycled paper and feature a depiction of the type of plant and the corresponding color. 

The Mobile Experience

A mobile experience was designed that allows the user to maintain current plants as well as connect with others and form gardens in the community.

Key interaction moments were prototyped and tested by a group of Gen Y students to ensure ease of use.