Case Study
Gnom: Weather for Gardeners
Hypothetical App Design
Scope: Mobile app design, logo design, illustration, motion design
Gnōm is a mobile app designed especially for home gardeners. The goal of the project was do create an app that was inviting, immersive, and simple, without being stark or minimalist. I wanted the app to feel a window on the world, with responsive illustrations that changed with the weather conditions.
Process
I started by defining the problem, creating user personas, and mapping out a user flow to get a grasp on exactly how many app screens were actually necessary to create a usable program.
Design
Aesthetically, the app is characterized by bold layers of color inspired by cut paper illustrations. I wanted the app to feel as tactile as possible, so each interactive element is modeled after real-world garden tools. I designed the app’s logo and wordmark to suggest curiosity and playfulness, inspired by turn-of-the-century farmer’s almanacs.
App onboarding sequence:
Main screens:
Animation walkthrough:
Conclusion
Even though I didn’t carry this project through to the coding stage, it was still an enlightening journey. For the first time I actually was able to wrap my head around the interaction between UI and UX in a mobile application. It was also really rewarding being able to craft the visuals from scratch and create an app environment that feels fun and inviting.
