Take me back to the top
Boonka
Gamified Urban Agriculture App.
Overview
Urban agriculture is difficult for beginners — steep learning curve, low motivation, and confusing instructions.
Boonka solves this by blending:
A friendly mobile app
Gamification
A supportive social community
A physical character pot that syncs with the app
The hybrid system creates an engaging experience that encourages beginners to grow and
stay motivated.
The project received 1st place, and I later refined the visual design individually.
Problem Statement
Beginners struggle because:
Gardening knowledge feels overwhelming
Apps are too technical
Motivation drops quickly without visible progress
Zero emotional connection to plants
Research & Insights
(Collaborative work with the 4-person team)
Methods
Affinity mapping
Beginner interviews
Competitor reviews
Journey mapping
Pain-point clustering
Key Insights
Users need:
Step-by-step guidance
Visual learning
Emotional rewards
A way to stay motivated
Main Finding
User Journey Mapping
Boonka Character Pot (Physical Product)
To increase engagement and create emotional attachment, we came up with idea to create characterized pots that fits user's preference.
The Boonka Pot:
Syncs with the app
LED lights indicating plants status
Shows character animations based on plant growth
Lets users equip accessories (stickers, facial expressions, themes)
Encourages daily interaction
Functions as both a decor item and a smart companion
Why This Matters?
Two main reasons why beginners abandon gardening is because of the stiff learning curve on each plant, and lack of connection to the plant. By providing cute plant pot that syncs with the app, it becomes both users' gardening teacher and best friend.
Routine plant care → playful activity
Simple pot → personalized companion
Abstract progress → visual interaction
LED status light → personalized gardening teacher
The physical product makes gardening fun, easy, and emotionally rewarding.
Award Recoginition
Creativity of hybrid system
Strong UX reasoning
Emotional engagement design
Character concept + physical product integration
Beginner-friendly approach
Reflection
What I learned:
Designing hybrid physical-digital systems
How to apply emotional design to increase engagement
Leading UI direction within a team
Simplifying complex workflows for beginners
What could have been better:
School gave us opportunity to launch real-life project with Boonka, but our team decided to accept prize money instead. I think it would have been a great product if this project came to life.
At the time, our UI design experience was limited. Overall User Interface of the app could have been better both functionally and visually.
Summary
Boonka is a character driven hybrid product that brings joy and confidence to beginner garders. By combining a physical companion pot, gamified learning, and a user-friendly mobile app, the experience tranforms plant care into an engaging, rewarding adventure.