A Season of Data-Driven Growth
Industry
Agronomy
Client
Leading Ag Company
Position
Lead Designer
Length
2.5 Years
Tilling the Problem
The client's crop advisors, dedicated to helping farmers maximize yields, were facing a growing challenge. Fragmented workflows, outdated tools, and siloed data hindered their ability to provide timely, actionable insights. The client recognized the need for a unified platform that would empower their advisors and cultivate a new era of precision agronomy.
Seeding Strategy and Process
To ensure the platform addressed the needs of crop advisors and industry challenges, we followed a comprehensive, user-centered approach that involved key design tasks at every stage. Our process included:
Research and Interviews: Engaged crop advisors, agronomists, and field workers to understand workflows and pain points.
Feature-Specific Teams: Focused teams on solving key problems and centralizing workflows.
User Flows and Prototyping: Created user flows and prototypes to test and refine features based on feedback.
User Feedback and Validation: Continuously tested designs with advisors to ensure real-world effectiveness.
Scalability: Designed a platform that could evolve with the client’s needs for future growth.
The Team Behind the Harvest
Working closely with a large, multi-faceted team, we fostered a dynamic, agile environment that aligned short-term goals with long-term success. I initially led the design efforts on my own, later gaining support from one designer at a time, rotating five times over 2.5 years, which required me to maintain a cohesive vision and ensure smooth transitions.
2
Program Managers
3
4
Project Managers
2
Business Analysts
2
2
Designers
20+
Developers
2.5
Years
80k+
Hours
Preparing for the Growing Season
Effective planning is essential for crop advisors to manage resources, cut costs, and maximize yields. By using historical data like past yields and soil analysis, advisors can make informed decisions, ensuring resources are allocated efficiently for a successful season.
Crop Planning for Cost and Revenue Management
Advisors needed a way to manage costs and communicate projected revenue to growers. We built a tool that lets them create templates with inputs like seed, fertilizer, and chemical costs. It calculates expenses, break-even variences, and projected revenue, helping advisors communicate effectively with growers while tracking tasks and orders.
Growing with Insights
In the field, conditions can shift rapidly, making it difficult for crop advisors to track changes and respond effectively. Without access to timely data, critical issues like nutrient deficiencies or pest infestations can go unnoticed, potentially leading to reduced yields. Having accurate, real-time insights is essential for making informed decisions and keeping crops healthy throughout the season.
Actionable Dashboards for Decision Support
Crop advisors often struggled to access key information quickly. Our solution was to develop actionable dashboards, offering real-time visibility into field conditions and enabling advisors to make faster, more informed decisions.
Tissue Sampling for Monitoring Crop Health
Monitoring nutrient deficiencies during the growing season was critical for crop advisors. We created a tissue sampling feature integrated with mobile data collection, enabling timely adjustments to treatments and boosting crop health.
Soil Sampling for Targeted Fertilizer Use
To make precise fertilizer recommendations, crop advisors needed reliable data on soil nutrient levels. We introduced a soil sampling tool that centralized this data, leading to more accurate fertilizer application and reduced environmental impact.
Satellite Imagery for Remote Field Monitoring
Advisors needed an effective way to keep track of large fields remotely. By integrating satellite imagery, we gave them the ability to spot underperforming areas early, helping them detect issues like pest infestations before they became critical.
Scouting for In-Field Precision
For precise in-field inspections, crop advisors needed a way to collect detailed data. The scouting feature combined with imagery data facilitated real-time inspections, ensuring targeted responses to specific field conditions and challenges.
Nurturing Efficiency & Collaboration
Effective field management links key processes. Crop advisors coordinate field tasks and orders with real-time data and inventory, while market managers ensure pricing aligns with business goals. Connecting these dots creates a seamless workflow that supports overall operations.
Advisors needed a simpler way to manage tasks across teams. Service orders allow them to track and coordinate tasks, improving collaboration and ensuring that field activities were executed efficiently.
Streamlining Procurement with Order Fulfillment
Selling fertilizer, seeds, and chemicals is central to the client’s business, so getting order generation right was essential. We first built forms for creating fertilizer blends and packaged goods orders, then linked them to crop plans. Advisors could create orders directly from their plans or separately, with blends saved for later use.
Product Price Management for Pricing Flexibility
To adapt to regional market shifts, market managers needed better pricing tools. We developed a flexible product price management feature that allowed them to make timely adjustments across multiple locations, improving consistency and responsiveness.
Reaping the Rewards
At harvest time, the platform helped advisors evaluate their efforts and identify opportunities for improvement:
Reviewing the success of each growing season was essential for future planning. Our yield analysis feature provided detailed metrics, allowing crop advisors to evaluate their performance and optimize strategies for the next season.
Outcomes
The platform successfully streamlined operations and reduced costs by eliminating third-party tools. The platform fostered stronger communication between advisors and growers by integrating field data, making it easier to plan and execute tasks collaboratively. Its flexible architecture allows for future enhancements ensuring scalability. The platform also promotes sustainability by reducing resource use, positioning the client for long-term success.