PhyFarm is a smart farming app that lets farmers control everything—from irrigation to crop monitoring—right from their phone. With sensors and controllers in the field, it provides real-time data, automates tasks, and helps make better decisions with useful insights
I led the end-to-end UX design for the farm setup process and onboarding flow, which included qualitative research, conceptualization, design, usability testing, and final dev handoff. My work focused on creating a clear, manageable setup experience with a visual progress indicator, ensuring a smooth, user-friendly journey
Without a dedicated farm setup experience in the mobile app, users lack a clear and intuitive way to input, view, and manage their farm details. This core limitation reduces the app’s ability to enable effective automation and hinders key features such as monitoring, scheduling, and crop planning from being fully utilized.
Breaking the farm setup process into clear, manageable steps and incorporating a visual progress indicator helps guide users through the setup efficiently. This structured approach minimizes cognitive load, making the experience more approachable and easier to complete
I needed to understand the specific data points and processes currently used by farmers. Collaborating with the agronomist on our team, I mapped out the end-to-end process and focused on identifying the key elements required to effectively set up the farm
In conclusion, I came to understand that the essential information required from farmers or growers to set up a farm includes the farm name, location, size, type, and designated zones within the farm
In crafting wireflows, I aimed to intricately map out user journeys with visual precision, combining the structure of wireframes with the narrative flow of user flows. Each wireflow meticulously outlines the sequence of screens and interactions, providing stakeholders with a comprehensive understanding of the user experience. By seamlessly integrating wireframes and user flows, these dynamic wireflows serve as a powerful tool for communicating design concepts, facilitating collaboration, and ensuring alignment between design and user goals
After releasing V1.0 of the farm setup flow, we closely monitored user behavior, support tickets, and direct feedback. Several usability gaps became clear — from unclear CTAs to missing guidance between steps. These insights helped us identify three critical issues that impacted the onboarding experience. The following metrics highlight the scope of these issues:
After signup, users landed on the home screen with a vague CTA — “Start Growing.” This didn’t clearly indicate that farm setup was required to begin using the app. Without guidance, users assumed they were already in the main workflow, even though no features were accessible without adding a farm, leading to confusion and drop-off.
Users were confused by the term “Zone”. While it made sense internally as a way to group crop areas, many users interpreted it as referring to geographic or climate regions. This caused hesitation during setup, with some users unsure how to proceed or what data to enter.
Once a user added their farm, the next required step was to add crops. However, the interface offered no clear guidance or handoff to the crop setup process. This left users in a dead-end state, unsure of what to do next — as one user put it, “I added my land… now what?”
After identifying the key issues in the farm setup flow, we implemented targeted improvements to address each challenge. These enhancements were designed to provide a more intuitive and seamless experience for users. From refining terminology to streamlining navigation, the changes aimed to reduce confusion, increase task completion, and ensure users could easily progress through the farm setup process. The following improvements highlight how we tackled the issues and enhanced the overall user experience.
“Zone” was intended to represent grouped crop areas like rows, greenhouses, or forest sections, but users often confused it with climate regions. Renaming it to “Field” aligned better with real-world terminology, improving clarity and reducing confusion during setup.
Introduced a prominent “Add Crop” CTA on the home page immediately after farm setup was completed by users. Additionally, a red dot indicator was added over the crop icon, signaling to users that they need to take action. This clear guidance created a smoother, more intuitive flow, ensuring users knew exactly what to do after adding their farm.
Below is the full visual journey of the updated farm setup flow — restructured for clarity, usability, and a more guided experience.
We made these key improvements and went live with the updated farm setup flow, including clearer onboarding steps, terminology adjustments, and seamless transitions between setup stages. After implementing these changes, we observed a 30% reduction in drop-off rates, a 70% task completion rate, and a user satisfaction score of 8/10. These results highlight the effectiveness of the updates in improving user engagement and overall satisfaction.
When users have a task that is large and technical, or unfamiliar, Breaking down complex tasks into digestible steps helps users build confidence, maintain flow, and complete their goals with less friction.
Designing for mobile taught me to focus on clarity and purpose. With limited screen real estate, I had to make intentional decisions about what to show, what to hide, and when. I learned to prioritize primary actions, remove distractions, and guide the user with a focused flow.
