PERFECTING HOW FARMERS EARN
n May 2022, I was approached by the CEO of Indotani who requested my services to develop a farmers' community app that would enhance their success. The CEO had a general concept in mind, which we further discussed in our meetings, and I subsequently translated into sketches and designs. The initial brief was relatively brief as most of the ideas were already present in the CEO's mind.
In my capacity as both the product designer and product owner, I am spearheading the endeavour to introduce the Indotani Farmers Experience V1 to the Indonesian market. Our aim is to make a favourable impact on the lives of the local farmers
This case study presents a blend of my personal ideas and those of Indotani by Prinsip. However, to adhere to my non-disclosure agreement, any confidential information has been omitted or disguised. The opinions expressed in this case study aim to represent the project and its goals.
DESIGN BY GROWTH
In 3 months, Indotani transformed from just an idea into designs. I was constantly reminded that the product itself was “the farmer” and the app was merely a tool to aid better yield. My responsibility was to translate what was was needed to make them thrive in real life to the palm of every farmers hand.
Back in July 2022, I took on the task of designing the Indotani app's proof of concept (POC), which was around 85% complete. However, as the company experienced rapid hypergrowth, we faced scaling challenges that affected the fundamental usability of the app. Nonetheless, with each iteration and design improvement, the app's reliability and performance gradually enhanced, leading to a more refined and user-friendly POC.
The evolution of the Indotani Farmer's from inception to now (In the initial design phase, I had incorporated limited features for the Indotani app, and the profile feature was included in the navigation bar. However, as we generated more ideas, we realized the need for additional features, and therefore decided to move the profile feature up to make room for the sales feature)
THE CHALLENGE
RECAPTURE THE VISION IN 2 MONTHS
Our objective was straightforward: to provide farmers with an authentic farming experience and to reproduce the additional practices that promote their success on the farm, all within the convenience of their mobile devices.
However, we weren't trying to revert to a simple past. Our ambitions were to create a strong foundation that embraced a rapidly evolving business and more diverse user base.
Our high level goals were to:
- Make it easy to use for every farmer no matter the country
- Give farmers access to money and inputs to farm better
- Create a platform for innovation and deeper engagement.
MY ROLE
I led the design of the Indotani app between May 2022 and August 2022 and was the only designer on the community, insights, Agronomy, Sales and Profile features.
In addition, I worked along side with a process/field engineer, a content/product strategist & a graphic designer. Working on this project made me wear so many hats : A researcher, Ux writer, designer (Visual, Product).
(I paused working on the project to allow the POC be tested by actual indonesian farmers in August and I picked up the marketing website design to give the company credibility.)
KICKOFF
PICKING UP THE PIECES
At the outset of the project, we didnt really have a clear mission or specific goal for the farmer's experience. Without having pre-existing insights, I patnered with our process/field engineer who lives in Indonesia to explore how the farmers were doing business regularly.
EARLY INSIGHTS FROM THE FIELD
We tested the early Indotani App with some farmers on the field. Our goals were to understand the challenges farmers faced on the day to day running of their farm.
COMMUNICATION ISSUES
Many farmers use a chat app, which is typically created by a senior farmer, or they communicate with each other in person. However, some have expressed a desire to learn about the challenges faced by farmers in other provinces of Indonesia and to collaborate for better yields.
LINK UP TO INPUT SHOPS
The farmers expressed a desire to easily connect with input shops in their vicinity, and ideally obtain credit and delivery services. The current process is burdensome, requiring the completion of credit application forms and physical visits to the shops, with no easy way to identify nearby locations
STRESSFUL LOAN PROCESS
The farmers were dissatisfied with the lengthy and complicated loan application process, which involved multiple steps. They also expressed frustration with the large number of required documents, and the uncertainty surrounding whether or not they would ultimately be approved for the loan.
SELLING THEIR PRODUCE
The farmers were outspoken about the numerous challenges they encountered when attempting to sell their harvested crops, including irregular pricing and a lack of control over the final sale decision
SERVICE REQUEST
One of the most difficult tasks that farmers face on a daily basis is requesting services such as truck rentals, harvesting equipment rentals, and moving heavy items from one location to another.
THE DISCOVERY
FARMERS EXPECTATION CHANGED
Initially, I was taken aback by the issues we encountered, as they seemed to be minor annoyances faced by Indonesian farmers, as opposed to significant problems experienced by farmers elsewhere in the world. However, after further consideration, it became evident that the farmers wanted to have greater control over the pricing of their products, as it was their livelihood. Additionally, they expected transparency in the app, beyond just providing numbers. They also desired an effortless and seamless user experience, as the Indotani app had become an essential part of their daily lives, leading to an evolution in their expectations.
“Curiosity revealed an opportunity to perfect the farmer's experience for every farmer eveywhere”
If literate users with great reception, powerful phones and tech literacy were having problems in our most mature POC app, how bad was the farmers experience we were trying to sell to these farmers with more challenging technological and enviromental context? Curiosity revealed an opportunity to perfect the farmer's experience for every farmer everywhere. This was the beginning of a working North Star.
DEEPER INSIGHTS
WORKING BACKWARDS FROM PERFECT
Before I could jump into redesigning, it was important to define success and understand the health of the farmer's experience at scale. Since 2013, Agriculture sales have declined but people consumed even more. For Indotani, this signaled a rapid change in people's consumption and taste.
Our challenge was to evolve with customers and enter the highly competitive on demand agriculture produce.
Indotani would eventually offer a limited selection of a million variety of crops (at least six months old), exclusive for prime Indotani community farmers.
I decided to conduct ethnographic research and used participatory design methods. This approach was necessary to understand the clinical reasoning process and the finance aspect of things.
CONTROLLED MESSAGES
We really felt the need to control these messages as outsiders could reach out to our farmers and the purpose would be defeated. Other farmers can react or initiate messages on the community page but only KF can inititate one on one messaging & group messaging.
BETTER LOAN PROCESS
As long as the unboarding requirements are met there shouldn't be a way the loan process shouldn’t be straight forward based on the size of your farmland and expected harvest as well. Usually the amount they get is based on the farm land and how fast they return the previous loan.
STRESSLESS LINK TO INPUT SHOPS
Do they have all the inputs they need at least 2 weeks before planting? How easy is it to get the input they need. Things like fertilizers, seeds, pesticides etc. We decided for this version to make it seamless once they order we confirm and deliver to them either on credit and vice versa.
GREAT SALES & PAYMENT SYSTEM
At the end we always say the reason for any business is provitability and if we claim we are building a community that thrives, the payment system should be very tranparent and easy to use when they decide to sell their produce to us.
ACCOUNTABILITY
This feature here basically helps the farmer not to forget their projects. Its either manually updated orautomatically updated from the admin end to always remind them of actions to take on the field.
REFRAMING THE PROBLEM
POORLY FORMED FARMING PLANS CAUSED “ON FARM” PROBLEMS
The farmers app exerbates the formation of problematic farming plans between farmers & their app. Most of the farmers just expected that on getting the app, a magical wand basically takes their farming problems away. If anything the app is just an aid to help them plan better and get work done faster but the “on farm's problems still remains unless proper planning is carried.
“How can we help farmers get the ultimate farmers experience”
This begged the question, How can we help farmers get the ultimate farmers experience? Our proposal was “the easy to use approach app” and a reminder that the farmers are the product and not the app.
THE INDOTANI REDESIGN
RE-INTRODUCING THE FARMERS EXPERIENCE
In today's fast-paced world where demands on your time are endless, Indotani offers a solution by swiftly, effortlessly, and calmly making quick decisions on your behalf. Indotani prioritizes deliverables, ensuring that the decisions made are sensible and practical. The platform keeps you informed in a clear and actionable manner, saving you valuable time.
MESSAGING
Our priority is to initiate one-on-one messaging by only key farmers, while still allowing all farmers to reply or engage with messages on the community tab and in groups. This approach helps us avoid outsiders signing up and circumventing our one-on-one messaging system, ensuring that our key farmers receive the attention they need.
LOANS
We understand that getting a loan from any institution can be a stressful experience. That's why we've taken steps to make the process as seamless as possible. If you complete your onboarding with all the necessary documents, you won't have to struggle to obtain a loan from Indotani
ACCOUNTABILITY
Instead of simply providing loans to farmers, it could be beneficial to implement an app that fosters accountability. This app could cover all aspects of farming, from preparation to actual cultivation, and everything in between. The advantage of having such an accountability feature is that it can be initiated by the farmer and the administrator, allowing for consistent progress tracking.
SALES
It is common for farmers to encounter challenges when selling their goods and they may feel limited in their ability to control the sales process. They aspire for greater transparency and certainty in the sale of their products and aim to optimize their profits beyond what is achievable in the open market. As a response to this need, a feature was developed to offer farmers a highly transparent approach to conducting business.
THE IMPACT
POSITIVE RESULTS AND MUCH MORE TO DO
The redesign of the Indotani app has been a major improvement for farmers, providing them with a wealth of new features and functions to make their work easier and more efficient. The platform has helped farmers access critical information, connect with others in their community, and access financial services that can help support their businesses.
However, despite these benefits, some farmers have expressed concerns about the usability of the app. They feel that the interface could be simpler and more intuitive, with features that better cater to their needs and preferences. While this feedback is important and should be taken into account, it is important to recognize that changing user behavior takes time. With any new redesign or update, there is always a learning curve as users adapt to new features and functionality. Therefore, it's important to be patient and continue to monitor user feedback over time to see if usability concerns are addressed as they become more accustomed to the app. Additionally, there may be opportunities for further improvements and optimization based on user feedback and testing.
In conclusion, while there is room for improvement in the Indotani app's usability, the overall impact of the redesign has been positive for farmers. By continuing to listen to user feedback and make iterative improvements, the platform can continue to evolve and meet the needs of farmers in the long run. Ultimately, it's important to prioritize the needs and preferences of users, in order to ensure that the app remains a valuable tool for farmers across the globe
What Did I Learn?
Juggling many responsibilities can bring
out your best qualities.
I transitioned from being the sole designer at my previous job to a startup where I took on the role of a product owner. Despite the lack of a product requirements document (PRD), I focused on our vision of creating a thriving community and worked with the team to develop a strategy to bring all of our ideas to fruition. This was a challenging process that required me to provide feedback on new concepts and learn how to create something from nothing. Throughout the project, I emphasized the importance of respecting everyone's time and fostering a collaborative environment, especially given our team's different time zones.
Developing the design standards
for a brand.
Typically, when collaborating with a startup, one must establish design standards from the ground up. Developing a design system is essential to provide a roadmap for the entire project. Although it was uncharted territory for me, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Every detail matters
Managing a significant client demands attention to every detail. The placement of visual elements, even the minutest piece of written content, the tone reflected in the app, and the order of elements necessitate meticulous deliberation and clear communication.
Bosoro Babatunde
CEO / Chief Farmer
Barnabas is an outstanding designer & team player with exceptional ability to comprehend project needs in-depth. He is highly flexible, quickly integrating feedback and skillfully navigating changing expectations. He was instrumental in the creation of our initial app and website
DESIGN & PROTOTYPING
Barnabas Inyangsam
COPYWRITING
Bosoro & Barnabas
PRODUCT STRATEGY
Babatunde & Barnabas