The Brief
Turning a plant sensor into a daily habit
FYTA is a Berlin-based IoT startup giving plants a voice through smart sensors and a science-backed companion app. With over 25,000 sensors sold and a database covering 4,500+ plant species, the app translates real-time data on moisture, light, nutrients, and temperature into personalised care recommendations for each plant.
But FYTA had a retention problem. Users were buying the sensor, setting it up, and then forgetting about the app. Key features were going undiscovered, the in-app store was buried, and there was no reason to come back daily. FYTA needed a partner who could redesign the experience around habit formation, boost e-commerce conversion, and make plant care something users looked forward to, not just reacted to.
Our Solution
Focusing the product direction
We started by testing the app and interviewing FYTA customers to gain firsthand experience. We tested the plant sensors, spoke with the users about their pain points, reviewed the competitors and analyzed FYTA's existing research.
This immersive research phase revealed key issues around finding certain features, forgetting about the app over time, and having experiences that led to drop-off. By stepping into the user's shoes, we identified clear opportunities for improving the onboarding process and ongoing engagement.
Designing for recurring use
With a clear understanding of user pain points, our redesign focused on driving habit formation and long-term engagement. We established key principles to optimize the FYTA app for recurring use:
- Highlighting upcoming reminders and plant needs prominently
- Opening up more opportunities to learn and care for plants
- Making key actions easier to drive habit formation
- Adding gamification elements to motivate users
I was impressed by how they structure and deliver the assignment within clearly defined design sprints
Claudia Nassif
Co-founder & CEO at FYTA
