Project Overview
This page presents a project undertaken as a group assignment. Since the majority of my team members were from India, we decided to focus on a social issue facing India as our core theme. The topic chosen by the group was developing an app tailored for farmers. We named the app "Kisan," which means "farmer" in Hindi.
Working collaboratively with four designers and four developers, my role was to design a user experience (UX) that would allow farmers—even those unfamiliar with smartphone apps—to perform desired actions intuitively at a glance and achieve their individual goals as quickly as possible. I presented these designs using Figma. The design system was established by creating personas, customer journey maps, and a UI Kit, brainstorming features required by farmers, conducting user testing, and ultimately applying the refined user experience (UX).
Problem statement
The Kisan project proceeded on the premise of resolving issues within the Indian agricultural market. Specifically, there were two key challenges:
1. Inequality of Opportunity:
India has an app that can predict seasonal yield and allow farmers to harvest based on those forecasts. This app was developed by the government. India consists of 8 Union Territories and 28 States, but this government app is accessible only to farmers residing in 2 of those states. Farmers in other regions cannot use it, resulting in an inequality of opportunity. Creating the Kisan app aims to eliminate this disparity.
2. Maximizing Farmers' Profits:
Due in part to this inequality of opportunity, it is difficult for farmers to predict how much they can harvest in a year and at what price they should sell to maximize their profits. Medium- and long-term weather forecasting is particularly challenging; as a result, crops are often lost due to the impact of monsoons, rendering prior hard work completely wasted. On top of these issues, because forecasting sales prices is difficult, farmers are forced to sell at prices dictated by middleman brokers, limiting the income they actually receive. Using Kisan allows farmers to access mid- and long-term weather forecasts. Consequently, they can anticipate appropriate production volumes and increased revenue based on the app's data without relying on brokers.
Persona
Customer Jounery Map
Sitemap
UI Kit
Low Fidelity Wireframes
Based on persona needs, wireframes were created to test the organization of the information hierarchy and ensure smooth task completion flows.
Key Points Verified in User Flow & Structure:
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Information Hierarchy Optimization:
Placed the most frequently checked information—"Tomorrow's Fair Market Price" and "Weather Alerts"—in the first viewable area (above the fold / top of the screen).
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Grid Layout to Reduce Cognitive Load:
Adopted a clearly divided grid structure for each feature, allowing users to operate the app without having to read dense text.
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Simplified Operations:
Built a simple task flow allowing direct transactions without brokers in just two steps.
High Fidelity Wireframes & Solution
UI solutions designed for intuitive operation by farmers and to resolve market price disparities.
Key UI/UX Improvement Points:
- Enhanced Outdoor Visibility (WCAG Compliant): Adopted high-contrast color schemes and large typography for easy readability even under direct sunlight.
- Intuitive Icons & Color Coding: Placed visual indicators that convey "Price Increase / Drop" and "Weather Risk" at a glance, regardless of language or literacy level.
- Direct Action Flows to Maximize Profit: Designed a one-tap UI enabling direct transition from checking market data to executing a sale, allowing transactions at fair prices without going through brokers.
Reflection: Collaboration & Communication Learnings in a Cross-Cultural Team
Working with team members from diverse backgrounds (designers and engineers from India) provided a valuable opportunity to gain major insights in team management and cross-cultural communication, beyond just design skills.
1. The Gap Between "My Normal" and Cultural/Work Styles
Early in the project, drawing on my working experience in Japan, I emphasized meticulous reporting, informing, and consulting ("Hou-Ren-So") and finishing tasks ahead of deadlines. I requested that members post daily progress reports and record detailed discussions in text on Slack. However, team members provided feedback saying, "We manage our tasks in Notion and meet deadlines, so daily reporting is unnecessary (it feels like micromanagement)," leading to friction.
2. Shifting to "Trust-Based" Collaboration Respecting Autonomy
Through advice from instructors and discussions within the team, I realized that I had been unilaterally trying to apply my own familiar way of working. I learned that in Canadian business culture and diverse team settings, the essence lies not in managing every step, but in trusting and relying on the professionalism of others.
3. Solutions and Results Achieved
Following this experience, we restructured our process so that everyone could work smoothly without unnecessary stress:
- Optimization of Asynchronous Communication: We dropped mandatory daily text reports, making progress visualization in Notion our baseline. On Slack, we set a simple rule to use emoji reactions merely as proof of reading messages.
- Thorough Consensus Building: Decisions made after meetings were briefly summarized in text, creating a culture where members could express doubts or concerns on the spot.
Through this experience, I gained not only design deliverables, but also the ability to understand the diverse values of project stakeholders and flexibly create an environment where the whole team can perform at its best—an essential aspect of agility for a UX/UI designer.