Take me back to the top
Boonka
Gamified Urban Agriculture App.
Gamified Urban
Agriculture App.
George Mason University
Student Design Challenge
1st Place Winner
George Mason University
Student Design Challenge
1st Place Winner
Team: 4 designers (including myself)
My Roles: UX Research, UX Design, UI Design, Character Design
Post-Project: Solo redesign to improve visual system & UI clarity
Timeline: 4 weeks (challenge) + 1 week (personal refinement)
Tools: Figma, Illustrator, Procreate
Problem Statement
Problem Statement
Beginners struggle because:
Gardening knowledge feels overwhelming
Apps are too technical
Motivation drops quickly without visible progress
Zero emotional connection to plants
Beginners struggle because:
Gardening knowledge feels overwhelming
Apps are too technical
Motivation drops quickly without visible progress
Zero emotional connection to plants
Overview
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.
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.
How might we design a product that make gardening
fun, emotional, and beginner friendly?
How might we design a product that make gardening
fun, emotional, and beginner friendly?
How might we design a product that make gardening
fun, emotional, and beginner friendly?
Research & Insights
Research & Insights
Methods
Affinity mapping
Beginner interviews
Competitor reviews
Journey mapping
Pain-point clustering
Methods
Affinity mapping
Beginner interviews
Competitor reviews
Journey mapping
Pain-point clustering
Key Insights
Step-by-step guidance
Visual learning
Emotional rewards
A way to stay motivated
Key Insights
Step-by-step guidance
Visual learning
Emotional rewards
A way to stay motivated
Main Finding
Users stay more engaged when they form an emotional connection with the objects they interact with.
(This became the foundation for our physical product feature)
Main Finding
Users stay more engaged when they form an emotional connection
with the objects they interact with.
(This became the foundation
for our physical product feature)
Main Finding
Users stay more engaged when they
form an emotional connection
with the objects they interact with.
(This became the foundation
for our physical product feature)
User Journey Mapping
User Journey Mapping
Boonka Character Pot (Physical Product)
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.
To increase engagement and create emotional attachment, we came up with idea to create characterized pots that fits user's preference.
The Boonka Pot:
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
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?
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.
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
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.
The physical product makes gardening fun, easy, and emotionally rewarding.
Boonka App UI Redesign
Boonka App UI Redesign
After the project, I wanted to further improve the Boonka app UI.
With optimal user experience in mind, I redesigned Boonka application to make it visually more appealing and make user flow more fluid.
After the project, I wanted to further improve the Boonka app UI.
With optimal user experience in mind, I redesigned Boonka application to make it visually more appealing and make user flow more fluid.
Design Changes
Design Changes
Although the idea and problem solving potential of Boonka was great, I wasn't satisfied with the UI design of the app that me and my team came up during the time of the project. After the project ended, I spent my own time to redesign the app and further improve the overall UI of the Boonka app, creating more fluid user flow and user experience.
Although the idea and problem solving potential of Boonka was great, I wasn't satisfied with the UI design of the app that me and my team came up during the time of the project. After the project ended, I spent my own time to redesign the app and further improve the overall UI of the Boonka app, creating more fluid user flow and user experience.
The Boonka home screen was redesigned to improve visual hierarchy and spacing. I also added a “Quick Tips” section so users can immediately understand what their plant needs.
The Boonka community page was redesigned to feel more friendly and easier for new users to understand.
Instead of sending users to a separate page to view plant status, I redesigned the interaction so that a slide-up popup appears when a plant is selected. This creates a smoother, more efficient user flow.
The Boonka home screen was redesigned to improve visual hierarchy and spacing. I also added a “Quick Tips” section so users can immediately understand what their plant needs.
The Boonka community page was redesigned to feel more friendly and easier for new users to understand.
Instead of sending users to a separate page to view plant status, I redesigned the interaction so that a slide-up popup appears when a plant is selected. This creates a smoother, more efficient user flow.
Home Page to Plant Status Pop Up
Home Page to
Plant Status Pop Up
Award Recoginition
Creativity of hybrid system
Strong UX reasoning
Emotional engagement design
Character concept + physical product integration
Beginner-friendly approach
Award Recoginition
Creativity of hybrid system
Strong UX reasoning
Emotional engagement design
Character concept + physical product integration
Beginner-friendly approach
Award Recoginition
Creativity of hybrid system
Strong UX reasoning
Emotional engagement design
Character concept + physical product integration
Beginner-friendly approach
Reflection
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
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.
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
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.
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.