Design in adaptation to droughts and heat waves: Cli-mate APP.

Context and the problem

AWARD-WINNING thesis for my MFA in Experience Design.

This project was focused on bridging the communication gap between farmers in Lerida, Tolima, and Colombian climate entities, thus, ensure better control of the farming operations. To address this problem, I improved the design of the communication platforms used by farmers.

I found out that the design solutions and the available technologies for rural farmers in Lerida, were not effective, accurate, or user-friendly; they lacked an understanding of what rural farmers had in mind and didn’t have easy-to-navigate access to the information.

Design Process 

This project was divided into 3 stages: Research, Design, and Testing.

1. Research: I worked on understanding the information that farmers needed to perform their jobs. I used Observation and Semi-Structure Interviews as research methods, to establish a good foundation, in order to start designing a digital solution. I included a conceptual framework that encompassed one theory and two models, to better frame the research: 

• The Diffusion of innovation theory (Orr, 2003)
• The Technology acceptance model (TAM) (Chuttur,2009)
• The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM) model

2. Design: After gathering all the data and having a clear idea of the services the digital platforms were going to include, this was the process I followed:

• Before sketching or wireframing, I created the Information Architecture. This was vital to have a clear idea of the design requirements and the app flow. 
• For the interface, I used open Android material as a reference; it’s simple, clean, and cost-efficient. It’s also one of the most popular interfaces which makes it intuitive to the user.
• For the visuals, I added images so that the audience that was not used to read or write could still use the app. For my color palette, I chose contrasting colors.

3. Testing: I conducted a Usability Test where each user was asked to perform specific tasks, thus gather data about how friendly and easy to use the platform was. Users were sent two rounds of links: the first was a beta version of the platforms; the second was the final product with images, colors, and new features included.

Final Solution
I created an app and a website that allowed non-tech-savvy farmers to communicate with the agriculture engineers in order to plan, discuss and execute farming strategies with accurate weather information. Cli-mate, as the name suggests, is a partner for agricultural engineers when it comes to climate information.

Methodology and tools applied
Observation, Semi-structured Interviews, Quantitative Data Collection, Qualitative Data Collection, Information Architecture, Usability Test, Wireframing, Prototyping, XD, Sketch, Invision.

Feel free to check the interactive App and Website prototypes.

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